The Ruthless Caleb Wilde
Page 82
But then, she didn’t know Caleb Wilde at all.
Right now, he was all business, reading, then answering what she assumed was a series of text messages. When he’d finished with them, he made a couple of quick voice calls that consisted mostly of terse commands.
And just when she’d decided he’d forgotten she was in the room, he looked up, saw her, and gave one more terse command, this time to her.
“Pack,” he said. Then he turned his back. “Ted,” he said crisply, “how soon can you—”
“Why?”
“Hang on, Ted.” He smiled politely at Sage. “Why, what?”
“Why did you tell me to pack?”
“So we can get out of here ASAP.”
“Where are we going?”
He gave her a long look. Then he spoke into the phone again, told Ted that he’d see him in an hour, and ended the call.
“We’re going to the airport,” he said. “You don’t need much. A change of clothes, perhaps. Toothbrush, comb … although, come to think of it—”
“What are you talking about?”
“What you’ll need. Or what you won’t need. The bathroom on the plane is fully stocked. Toothbrushes. Shampoo. What I’d guess you’d call toiletries—”
“Are you deliberately playing stupid? What airport? What plane? Did you actually think you could order me to do something without explaining what that something is all about?”
She’d surprised him. It showed on his face. Apparently, not many people spoke back to Caleb Wilde.
A couple of seconds went by; she could almost see him deciding how best to handle what surely was his idea of mutiny.
Finally, he nodded, even managed a smile.
“I suppose I should explain.”
“An excellent plan.”
“We’re flying to Texas.”
“We, as in you and this guy, Ted?”
“Ted is my pilot.”
“Your pilot. As in the pilot of your plane.”
“Right.”
His own plane. His own pilot. And how, exactly, did that involve …
Oh, God!
“Wait a minute. Do you think I’m going somewhere with you?”
“Of course. To Texas.” He paused. “You have a problem with that?”
She stared at him. “You’re the one with the problem,” she said coolly. “Because I am not going anywhere.”
“Look, I don’t have time to argue. I have to get back to Dallas.”