It had been a while since I’d been involved in the illegal cargo business. As a result, I had to pay twenty thousand dollars for the both of us, which was five thousand more than I would have paid a couple of years ago. They had guaranteed me secure transport out of the Vietnam cargo airport, but after that, we were on our own.
Normally I could sleep anywhere, but tonight I had decided not to attempt it. As a result, my eyes were gritty and my body was fatigued. Once we landed, I planned on finding us food and a safe place to sleep, but until then, I needed to remain vigilant.
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. One of the crew stood off in the corner. He motioned for me to come speak to him.
“Wanted to give you an update,” he said, careful to keep his eyes trained only on my face.
I crossed my arms and waited.
“We were originally scheduled to disembark in Ho Chi Minh City, but there was an incident at one of the airport cargo bays.”
“What kind of incident?”
“A fire that has spread to three hangars. My contact tells me that there’s lots of military and police around, so disembarking isn’t going to be an option for you. We’re stopping to refuel only, and they’ve diverted our flight to Phnom Penh.”
“Cambodia?”
“Yes. We don’t have any special contacts in Phnom Penh, so we’re going to have to be creative, and you’re going to have to be flexible in terms of getting past customs.”
I gave him a short nod.
“One more thing. We’ve been informed that we will be subject to an onboard inspection when we land in Vietnam—cursory, we hope, but we need to manage that.”
“Why would they do that?”
“The fire upgraded the security to high alert at the airport. We have no control over this.”
I couldn’t help myself. I glanced back at my hostage, who was completely oblivious to the rest of the world. “Any suggestions?”
“We have some crew clothes closets that lock in our bunk room. We’re going to clear out two of them for you.”
I rubbed my hand down my face. “Thanks. We’ll make that work. When do we land?”
“We’ll be touching down in about twenty-five minutes.”
I stood beside her and watched her sleep. She had a faint smile on her face, and the way she curled up tight reminded me of a little cat. I was loath to pull her out of her dreams and into this living nightmare.
“Hey.” I tried to make my voice soft, but it came out like a gruff bark.
Her entire body startled, and her eyes opened wide to my face.
“Time to get up.”
Her body visibly relaxed, and she shut her eyes. “How do I hit snooze?”
“Let’s go.”
She sat up and stretched. “Oh, I feel so stiff.”
I motioned for her to get off and then I made quick work of rolling up the hammock tight and putting it away. “There’s been an issue, and we’re not getting off in Vietnam.”
She was looking around, not paying attention to me.
I snapped my fingers. “Focus.”
“I’m focused,” she said in the most unfocused voice I’d ever heard.
“What’s wrong?”
She reached her hands over her head and stretched lazily. “My body aches—that hike yesterday was so hard.”
“You’re killing me here.”
“I’m making a point.”
“Which is?”
“I can’t run. No more hikes. In Vietnam, we need to hire a taxi.”
“Cambodia.”
Her gaze collided with mine. “What?”
“Let’s go.” I motioned with my head for her to start walking. “Keep your eyes down and speak to no one, understood?”
I gave her two minutes in the washroom before hustling her up a steep set of stairs. The same crew member showed us the staff bunk room. Above the single bed, there were two half-sized clothes closets built into the wall.
He avoided looking at my hostage as he unlocked both closets. “Once you’re inside, we’ll lock the doors.”
“Let’s hope it works.” I looked at her. “Get in.”
She stared at the open closets and then back at me. Her eyes flitted to the crew member, but she didn’t speak. She also didn’t move.
I looked over at the crew member. “Give us a moment.”
He disappeared.
“What’s the issue?”
She cleared her throat. “Why do I have to get into a closet? Can’t you just handcuff me?”
“No.” I could hear the plane’s flaps come down. We were in our final descent. “Rule number two: do as I tell you.”
She swallowed and then nodded. At a snail’s pace, she slowly climbed onto the bed and then crouched in front of the closet. But she made no movement to get in.
“Hustle,” I told her as I took a step closer.
She scrambled back off the cot and into the corner of the room. “I can’t.”
“We don’t have time for this, Blaire,” I warned her.
Her eyes met mine, and then I saw her terror. “I don’t do small spaces.”
“Are you shitting me?” I could hear the plane’s wheels drop. We had to do this now.
“It’s a thing for me.” Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t go in there. Not by myself.”
The crew member opened the door. “We’re three minutes out from touching down. I need to get strapped in.”
I grabbed her hand and, without ceremony, yanked her to the side of the bed. “Don’t make me force you.”
She fought my grasp. “I can’t. I can’t do it!”
I had seen soldiers completely lose their shit at the most inopportune moments, and she was on the verge. She had that faraway panic on her face, and her eyes weren’t focusing at all.
I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. “Look at me.”
Her eyes widened, but her pupils contracted as she focused on my face.
“What scares you: being alone or being in the dark?”
“Being alone—in tight spaces.”
“You need to do this.”
“I can’t do this alone.”
“I’m not sitting in there with you.”
She grabbed my wrist with surprising strength. “Yes, that.”
I looked at the closet. It would possibly accommodate both of us, but it would be incredibly tight. “You realize you will feel even more claustrophobic with me inside there with you.”
She was breathing through her nose in tight, fast puffs. “Less. I’ll feel less.”
I glanced back at the guy in the doorway.
He spoke with concern. “Whatever you do, do it fast.”
The closet was small. Not letting go of her hand, I sat in the closet with my back against the wall and my legs crossed. My knees hit both corners, but at least we had enough head room. She couldn’t possibly want to be in here with me.
She shook off my hand, and then, on hands and knees, she climbed into my lap. Her hair grazed my face, and I smelled the faint scent of a citrus shampoo. Her elbow hit my chin as she turned herself around on my lap like a discontented cat.
“This isn’t going to work,” I told her, my breath moving her hair. My voice was nearly drowned out by the sound of the air on the wing flaps as we descended toward earth.