My relief at having her safely within reach gave way to the realization that she had not only returned but brought funds, which would put this mission back on track.
I would no longer need to hold Tonko’s replacement at gunpoint. Her very presence would help get us onto the cargo ship.
We had a fighting chance again. I realized that I needed to get my head on straight. Pulling my gaze away from her, I looked around. Standing in front of the airport made us vulnerable. I would take her back to the room I had rented.
“Come on,” I told her, grabbing her by the arm. “We have to go.”
She didn’t speak or make a single complaint when I took evasive action and forced her in and out of three different cabs before letting the last driver drop us off three blocks from our destination. When I walked her up three flights of external stairs to a cramped and dingy hotel room, she didn’t bat an eye. The room was so tight there was barely space for us to maneuver.
She looked around the room with interest. “You didn’t expect me to come back.”
“You don’t know that.”
She pulled out an envelope full of cash and offered it to me. “Here is thirty thousand. Pierre thought we could use the extra cash, so he slipped in an extra ten grand.”
Who was this guy? “It’s your money, you carry it.”
“It’s our money, and it’ll be safer in your hands.”
I reluctantly took it from her. “Tell me about Hong Kong.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “I was walking to the restaurant and dreaming about what I would order from the Lime Garden when Pierre grabbed me from behind and pulled me through a clothing store. He thought someone from his flight was following him.”
“Did he say who?”
“A woman, but he couldn’t be sure.”
“Did you see her?”
“No, he lost her before he connected with me.”
“Did he ask you any questions?”
“He didn’t have time.”
“What happened?”
“He gave me the money. While I hid in a changeroom, his plan was to make an inconspicuous show of going in the opposite direction. I waited for a long time and then I went back to my boarding gate and waited in a corner for my flight to board.”
“Did you see anything or anyone unusual?”
“Nothing. No one even glanced at me.” She looked with interest around the room. “You know how I know you didn’t think I’d be back?”
“Tell me.”
“One bed.”
I gritted my teeth. “Your odds weren’t good.”
She looked faintly hurt. “You thought I would abandon you and my grandfather?”
“No, I thought that you’d get escorted back to the safety of Canada against your will.”
She squinted up at me. “But you still showed up at the airport.”
I shifted. “I told you I would.”
She lay back on the bed and shut her eyes. “I hope our plans include some food and some sleep.”
“That’s the plan—after we fly to Singapore.”
“We have to fly tonight?”
“It will give us time to get prepared.”
She groaned. “I bet you’re one of those people who shows up on your vacation with a typed itinerary. Everyone wants to lie on the beach with a few cocktails, and you’re raring to go on a hike.”
I loved how she often veered into the fantastical. “What would you be doing?”
Keeping her eyes shut, she smiled. “I’d be at the beach, wearing my bikini and drinking a mint mojito—probably in the shade. And I’d take the occasional dip in the water just to cool off.”
My brain nearly short-circuited at the thought of her in a wet bikini. “I like cocktails.”
“You’d be bored.”
I’d be happy. The thought startled me. “Not necessarily.”
“You’d need to incorporate some spearfishing or Jet Ski competition into our vacation.”
Our vacation. I swallowed hard as I stared down at her. Two hours ago, I thought I would never see her again. And now she was lying on my bed, taunting me with a fantasy that sounded so good I wanted to drop to my knees and start begging. “Would it bother you if I wanted to Jet Ski?”
It was a loaded question, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked directly into mine. “It wouldn’t bother me.”
She was killing me. “Then I wouldn’t be bored.”
Her smile was slow, but worth the wait. “I think we’d holiday well together.”
I bent over my bag, mostly to hide how much this conversation was affecting me. She made me want things I knew I could never have. “How could you know that?”
She turned one of my phrases back on me. “I just know.”
It had been years since I’d allowed myself the luxury of a real vacation, and suddenly I wanted exactly that—but only if this woman was by my side. “You’d need to learn to pack faster.”
She laughed. “Or maybe you could do something really radical and slow down.”
Our eyes met. Something crackled between us, a warning zap that promised sparks and electricity. “I’ll think about going slow.”
Her eyes widened. “And I’ll work on moving faster.”
She was making it almost impossible to resist her. With willpower I didn’t know I had, I turned away from her gaze.
“Don’t even think of falling asleep.”
“You know, I missed your bossy ways.”
“We’re leaving in ten.”
On our early-morning flight From Ho Chi Minh to Singapore, I sat three rows behind Blaire and one row over. We both had an aisle seat, so she was clearly in my line of vision. Without shame, I had been staring at the side of her head for the past hour. Between picking up my new fake passport and waiting at the airport, neither of us had grabbed more than a couple of minutes of sleep.
Now Blaire’s head was lolling to one side, indicating that she had fallen asleep. I had insisted that we sit apart and pretend we didn’t know each other, but now I regretted that decision. I wasn’t beside her to tuck a pillow under her head or cradle her neck while she slept.
I scoffed at myself and tried to quell this urge to attend to her every need. No one who knew me would recognize my behavior. I rarely gave thought to my own comfort, much less anyone else’s. Now Blaire’s safety and comfort seemed to be my only obsession.
I shifted down in my seat, working to stretch my legs while pulling my hat further over my eyes. It was safer that we were traveling apart. Anyone looking for us would be looking for two people. Splitting up made the most sense, but I regretted not having the foresight to buy her a neck pillow. Every time she jerked awake, I winced.
I watched as she stretched and then rubbed her face. She did another bigger, faker yawn before looking over her shoulder at me. Her eyes widened when they met mine. Then she gave me a little smile and a wiggle of her fingertips before turning away.
God, she was the sweetest human being I had ever met.
I was acutely aware that our journey would soon be coming to an end. Tomorrow, everything was coming to a head. Even if we made it past tomorrow and I somehow managed to keep both of us alive until the end, I would still be forced to release my control and let her go live her own life. Once the danger passed, there would no need for me to stand guard over her.