Page 45 of Sam's Salvation
“Sure.”
She grabbed another and walked back to her seat, handing it to him as she sat down. The plane rocked as Jim released the brake. They slowly rolled forward. She buckled her seatbelt. “This is a nice plane.” She cracked open her water and took a drink.
“It is. The one we’ll be in on the flight to London has an actual bedroom, so we’ll be able to sleep.”
She raised an eyebrow, slowly lowering the bottle. “Who is this guy?”
Sam grinned. “Ezra was a Night Stalker. An Army Special Forces pilot. He retired and went to work for Appalachia Resorts. Brooke—the woman who was on the group call and Ford’s fiancée?” He paused. It only took her a moment to recognize the name, and she nodded. He continued. “Her family owns the resort chain. Ezra now works for them, flying her and the other executives for the chain around the world. It’s her plane we’ll be on.”
“She just lends it out? All willy-nilly? What if someone in the company needs it?”
“They have more than one plane and more than one pilot. And yes. Brooke will be the first one to offer assistance. It’s just the way she is. I think she also feels a need to repay us for helping her.”
“Helping her? What did you do?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We have a wee bit of time.” Audra gestured to their surroundings.
Sam grinned. “I guess so.” He propped his ankle on his knee, settling in. “Last year, she got into a bit of trouble with her ex-fiancé. He was a real piece of work.” He waved a hand. “Anyway, Ezra—” He stopped, his jaw working, then glanced away. Inhaling a breath, he looked at her. “Sorry. My brain is—it’s moving too fast.”
Audra wished they weren’t seated across from each other. She wanted to hold his hand.
After a moment, he continued. “Ezra knew she needed help, so he brought her down to Costa Rica and asked Ford to keep her safe until Johnathan—her ex—could be arrested. She and Ford fell in love in the process.”
“And you all had a hand in keeping her safe?” She glanced out the window as they turned. The runway was close.
“Yes. Johnathan found her. Max and I helped get her and Ford to safety.”
“What about Dean?”
“He went to the U.S. to dig into Johnathan’s business dealings to get more evidence to take to the authorities. He met his fiancée on that case too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Her name is Annabeth.” A bemused smile crossed his face. “It’s also what led to Edie marrying Jordan. I think it will lead to Max getting married too.”
“How so?”
“Edie went to the U.S. to help Dean when what he dug up turned dangerous. Jordan is his best friend—Dean brought him in on the case. When he needed—a”—he stopped again, clenching his fist—“when he needed help earlier this year with an unrelated issue, Dean asked Edie to step in. As for Max, well, he’s not attached yet, but Annabeth has a friend. Margot’s husband left her and their twin daughters abruptly last year. Those girls have Max wrapped around their little fingers.”
Audra frowned. “How are they involved in all of this?”
“Oh, sorry. Annabeth and Margot are doctors. The problems with Margot’s marriage cropped up while Dean was investigating Johnathan’s background. She’s just—she’s sort of been pulled in as Dean and Annabeth’s relationship took off. With all the uncertainty about her own future, she came down to Costa Rica with Annabeth to regroup. They’ve decided to open a clinic down there together. It’s part of the resort Brooke’s building.”
“Brooke’s building a resort?”
“Yes. In fact, Ezra and his family are coming down as well.” A gentle smile formed on his handsome face. “It’s nice. Having them all close. When my grandparents died, all I had was the military and my buddies there. I don’t know what I would have done without Ford and our other friends when my injury happened. Having that place to go—that—support—family—it probably saved my life.” He held her gaze, the look in his eyes turning intense. “Them and thoughts of you.”
Audra blinked twice. “Me?”
“Yeah.” He paused as the engines revved.
The plane lurched forward as they took off down the runway. A few seconds later, her stomach dipped and rolled as they left the ground. Once they were steadily climbing, Sam unbuckled and came to sit next to her. “I know now is not the time for us to think about where we go from here. But when this is all over—and it will end in our favor—we need to have a long chat.”
She nodded and leaned forward, tipping her head into his. Emotion clogged her throat. She hardly knew what she felt right now. But one thing was certain. She didn’t think she could walk away from this man again. This time, walking away might break her heart beyond repair.
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