“She’s one of our pilots. She’s no longer on your detail, but we need her to co-pilot on this flight.”
Ava looked skeptical, but nodded her head.
“Have a seat, baby,” he told her, pointing to several in what looked more like a luxurious living room than the inside of an aircraft.
“We usually have a flight attendant, but I didn’t think it was necessary for such a short flight.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“We’re flying into Eugene, and then we’ll drive to the coast.”
“Yachats?” she asked.
He nodded and smiled, making her mouth water.
The first time she saw him, he’d been in board shorts and a t-shirt. Him in a tuxedo at the wedding had almost brought her to her knees. Today he wore a simple pair of Levi’s jeans that showed off his ass, and his front too, but she couldn’t let her gaze linger there too long. She already yearned to be with him again, and it hadn’t been much more than an hour since he’d had his hands on her naked body.
The first two buttons of the burnt-orange Henley shirt that strained taut across his muscular chest were unfastened, and his black motorcycle boots looked well-used, but cared for at the same time.
Tabon exuded a power and confidence that made her long to walk into his arms and beg him to wake her up from the bad dream her life had recently become.
“Have a seat,” he said for the second time, obviously waiting for her to choose first. When she did, he sat beside her.
“Gunner should be here soon,” he said, looking at his phone. “I expected him to be here before we were.”
“He was,” said Onyx from the cockpit. “He said to tell you that he and Monk would be right back. Sorry, sir, it slipped my mind.”
Tabon nodded, but didn’t answer. He seemed distracted.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He nodded and looked up from his phone.
“We may need to rethink protection for your sister and your friends.”
“Why?”
He hesitated, obviously struggling with what he could and couldn’t tell her.
“We shouldn’t have brought you to the duplex. None of you. That was my mistake.”
“Are you saying someone knew we were there?”
“Not necessarily, but from now on, I need to be more careful.”
Ava could see the worry etched on his face. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.
“You’re too hard on yourself,” she murmured.
“How do you know exactly the right words to make me feel better?”
Did she? How was it that she could read his expressions after spending so little time with him?
“After we land, we’ll stop and get you some warmer clothes. If there’s anything else you need, that will be the time to get it.”
“What is your fixation with buying me clothes?”
He smiled. “You don’t have anything suitable for where we’ll be staying.”