Read Online Blue Skies by Robyn Carr - Free Book Online

loud.“The pilots in this company are facing a madrid of problems with our management,” Bob would complain, when he obviously meant myriad. Or, “I wouldn’t have any quelms about participating in a slowdown if it came to that.”
    But any humor she felt was quickly disappearing at this moment. While Nikki was in the cockpit, tapping her fingers impatiently on her knee, Bob slowly, oh so slowly, completed the outside walk around preflight inspection of the aircraft. If he were any slower, he’d be going backward, she thought. She finally heard him in the forward galley. “Well, I guess I better strap this baby to my butt and get you ladies back to Phoenix,” he said to the flight attendants. Then he sauntered into the cockpit and took his place…as second in command.
    â€œMind if I come along, Bob?” Nikki asked.
    He looked at her crossly, but forced his lips into a smile. “You’ve got the cutest little sense of humor, Nikki. I love flying with you.”
    Yeah, you love it because I keep saving your life, she thought. But she didn’t say anything. This trip was almost over and there was no need to make the last leg miserable.
    The ops supervisor came aboard and stuck her head in the cockpit doorway. “Captain, I have two air marshals preboarded and waiting in first class. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll board the rest of the passengers.”
    â€œI’m more than ready,” she said. “I don’t want a late push back. I’ll go talk to them and you can tell the gate agent to get the passenger preboards ready.” She jumped out of her seat. “Bob, prepare to run the checklist while I brief the air marshals and crew.”
    Ever since the tragedy of 9/11 and the impending threat to future commercial flights, the undercover armedair marshals were part of the new routine. They were only on random flights, and the crew didn’t know if they were coming until they showed up and flashed their credentials. Dressed as ordinary passengers, they would preboard via the air stairs from the ground outside, not through the jetway at the gate where all the passengers waited. They would be seated close to the cockpit, either in the first class section or the first rows if there was no first class.
    The captain’s job was to check their IDs and badges, make sure the numbers matched, and then they would go through a little briefing with the cabin crew. The air marshals would advise the crew that they weren’t on board to handle passenger disruptions, since that could obviously be a tactic to breach the cockpit, and that their positions should not be disclosed to passengers, even if they asked about undercover marshals on the flight.
    These two looked like a couple of ordinary guys stashing their carry-ons in the overhead bin. “Welcome aboard, gentlemen,” she said. “IDs, please?”
    The first man produced his picture ID and his badge. She turned over the badge and confirmed the numbers were the same as those on the ID. “Sir?” she said to the second.
    He opened his wallet and flashed her the ID, then tapped his chest and said, “I’m wearing my badge on a chain around my neck.”
    â€œI’ll have to see it, sir.”
    â€œI can vouch for him,” the other said.
    â€œSorry. Rules are rules.”
    The air marshal got a disgruntled look on his face and then began to slowly thread the chain out of the neck of his polo shirt. Finally the plastic-encased badge poppedthrough the neckline and smacked him in the jaw. “Ow! Jesus!” he exclaimed.
    Nikki gave him a second. Another. She did not roll her eyes, though the temptation was powerful. Finally he removed the chain from around his neck and handed it to her. She compared the numbers and handed it back. “You seem to have…uh…nicked yourself. You might want to step into the lav and dab it or something.” It was all she could