“We’ll let the sheikh know, see what actions he wants to take. And let a few folks in Bashiria know, so they can take out their own trash. If they don’t, well, two can play at these kinds of games, and if they know they’re exposed, they’re going to be too busy covering their tracks to make trouble.” He smiled. “No one likes to lose aid from Uncle Sam due to being put on the terrorist country list.”
Talib ended his video call. Trent glanced from Chloe to Slade—Slade was looking grim, and Chloe still had that rumpled, sleepy look. She was waking up fast. Slade stood. “You two should try to get some sleep. I imagine Kam will be calling shortly. We’ll work out a strategy to make sure whoever is behind this gets what’s coming to them.”
Trent stood. He took Chloe’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Get me if anything changes.” He led her to the rear of the plane.
“Where are we going?” she asked. They passed a small galley and the bathroom.
He opened the door at the end of the hallway and gestured for her to enter. She did, stopped, and gasped. He’d been expecting that. He was pretty sure she hadn’t expected the bed complete with canopy and drapes. The room looked like a sheikh’s tent, which wasn’t surprising, given that this had been a gift from a grateful Kamal for services rendered to him, his family, and his country.
Chloe stepped in and touched a velvet drape. “Wow!”
“Pretty cool, huh?” Trent stepped in and closed the door behind him.
She turned to him. “I didn’t even know things like this existed.”
“The plane used to be Sheikh Kamal’s. Slade’s was nice, but this one’s over-the-top; but that’s the way they do things in Jawhara. Kam gave this to Slade to use.”
“Better than flying coach.”
Trent laughed. “Get comfortable and I’ll go grab us a snack. Slade was right. We need to rest. Landing with jetlag dragging at us isn’t going to help anyone once we arrive.”
“I’m not really tired.” Chloe tried to smother a yawn. “Well, I wasn’t tired.”
“Power of suggestion. I have a few more I’d like to make, but those will have to wait. Be right back.”
***
Chloe eyed the huge bed. She yawned again. She was still tired. She had no idea if her body’s clock was telling her it was night, or if it really was night, but she was exhausted. She slipped out of her clothes and crawled into the bed, sinking into the mattress and comforter. She hadn’t gotten much sleep lately—having Trent in her bed had definitely kept her awake at night.
She closed her eyes and tried to forget that she was on a plane. It was impossible. The engines rumbled, the plane dipped and rocked. It was amazingly smooth, but she wanted to be on the ground again. She could sympathize with Slade’s urge to kiss the ground.
She heard the door click open and shut. She pried opened her eyes. Trent was staring at her.
“What?”
He smiled. “Now that is a sight I will always remember. You look ready to be ravished by some desert prince, all right.” Hands full, he still held up a finger. “Don’t you be getting any ideas about getting swept off by some guy on an Arabian stallion.”
She grinned. “You think that kind of guy has a chance with me?”
“No, I think you’ll be thinking he has a great horse you’d like to ride.” He waved at her. She scooted up and settled her back against the headboard. He set down two cans of ginger ale, and something in a paper bag that smelled good. “This’ll keep you hydrated and settle your stomach.”
She took the can of soda. “That, thankfully, is not the problem. Sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t be. When we get ready to land, I’ll be sure to distract you.”
Land? Chloe felt the color drain from her face as a new fear took up residence in her mind, “Uhm…I…”
Trent sat down on the bed and pulled her onto his lap, “I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Don’t worry. That’s hours away. Right now, we need to catch a few hours of sleep.”
Chloe chewed her lower lip and asked, “Don’t most planes crash on landing?”
He clasped her head between his hands and brought her mouth to his. He peppered kisses across her mouth, her nose, and her jaw line. When he reached the sensitive spot behind her ear, he pulled back. “I told you I would distract you.”
She kissed him and leaned back. “Promise?”
He kissed her one last time and pulled away, “Are you hungry at all?”
She licked her lips. “Getting there.” She hid another yawn behind her hand.