Page 44 of Perfect Liar

John pointed to a reclining seat in the front and helped me convert it to a bed for Lissie.

Ben boarded, but he went straight into the cockpit.

“John, what’s he doing in there?” I asked.

“He’s doubling down on the preflight check. We don’t know these pilots, so he’ll confirm everything.”

Dread jolted through me.

Will took such serious precautions, which showed me the enormity of what we faced.

I corralled Lissie and held her on my lap to gain some sense of security.

The pilots boarded and joined Ben.

Will came on last. He headed straight for the rear seating area, stopping only to pull me up and take me with him. Lissie followed and leaped on the plush leather sofa between us.

She had never been shy. Still, it surprised me to see how at ease she’d become so quickly. A child’s innocence let them see a person’s character more easily, so Lissie’s comfort with Will gave me yet another reason to trust him.

Will pushed a wild lock of her brown hair out of her face.

“When you wake up, we’ll be on the other side of the ocean. Your castle awaits, princess.”

She grasped on to his hand, her beautiful eyes and her mouth wide with excitement.

“Are we going to a real-life castle?”

“Something like that, but first you must go to sleep.”

Caught up in their sweet moment, my heart missed a beat.

Lissie found her very own superhero.

I pointed to the little lavatory.

“Your toothbrush is ready for you.”

She agreed to the bedtime plan but only after Will said “kaa-suhl” one more time. Once she settled into her make-shift bed, Will gestured for me to come back to the sofa.

He tucked me beneath his arm.

“We take off whenever you’re ready. I’ll pull out this sofa bed, and you’ll sleep here.”

Being against his body was natural, kind of like being home, so I burrowed deeper into the warmth of his side.

“Good. I should definitely stay close to the lavatory.”

His arm tensed.

“How bad will it get, Elle?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never flown on anything this small. How long is the flight?”

He captured my hand and kissed it.

“Seven and a half hours.”

But that one kiss on my hand wasn’t enough.