Read Online The Libra Affair by Daco - Free Book Online Page B

then headed toward the galley.
    A man rose from his seat at the front of the business class section. He moved directly toward the first-class section and stopped at Ben’s seat, where he, too, spoke to the elderly woman.
    Gut instinct: trouble.
    Jordan slid into an empty seat alongside three young children huddled together. Seeing a toy on the floor underneath the seat in front of them, Jordan bent down to pick it up, while also keeping an eye on the man. He slowly walked through the rest of the first-class section as if studying each of the passengers, but didn’t speak to anyone else.
    He was no ordinary man. He was packing; she saw the weapon in his jacket. The way he moved said he wasn’t just an ordinary cop, he was undercover. And since he stopped only at Ben’s seat, it meant just one thing: the Iranian authorities were onto Ben. He’d been red flagged. Making her move, Jordan zipped back into the aisle and returned to the bathroom. Just as Ben opened the door without a word, she pushed him back inside the small room and joined him.
    â€œThat was quick.” He smiled stupidly.
    She shoved him down onto the seat and said, “Shut up and listen to me.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    â€œDo you have your passport on you?”
    â€œNo,” he answered. “It’s in my bag.”
    â€œWhere’s your bag?”
    â€œIn the overhead cabin.”
    â€œRight above your seat?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œI need you to trade seats with me.”
    â€œYou think?” he replied playfully.
    â€œI’ll make it worth your while.”
    â€œPromise?”
    She stared into his face. None of this was part of the plan: protecting Ben, saving his life, and making out with him a mile high. Nevertheless, she quickly agreed, saying, “Yes, I promise.”
    â€œSay it,” he said.
    â€œSay what?”
    â€œSay, ‘I promise to make it worth your while.’”
    â€œWhat? Are we in second grade again?”
    Ben angled his head.
    â€œOkay, yes, Ben. I promise I’ll make it worth your while. Does saving your tail count, too?”
    â€œOh yeah.”
    â€œAnd if I bend your arm and break it, you cool with that, dude?” Because that was exactly what she was going to do — to make it worthwhile — to save his life.
    â€œJordan, I never knew you had that kind of kink in you, you dirty girl.” He pulled her close.
    â€œBen, you … you … ” She forced herself to bite her tongue, all the while thinking
how dense could he be
?
    Someone knocked on the door.
    Speaking in Farsi, Jordan responded with indignation, saying she needed two minutes. A man returned his apologies, but he didn’t go far because she heard the door to the bathroom directly across from them open and close. It had to be him. “Someone’s looking for you,” she whispered in Ben’s ear.
    â€œWho?” he returned the whisper.
    â€œWell, that’s a good question. I didn’t get his name, but I can assure you this: he doesn’t work for the airline.”
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous. No one is looking for me.”
    â€œI’m guessing somewhere along the way someone pinned you as a person of interest, maybe even a terrorist. I wouldn’t be surprised if this man is on this flight to take you out, so I wouldn’t say that’s ridiculous. If you want the truth.”
    He hugged her waist and kissed her belly. “Jordan, Jordan, you watch too much television, you know that, girlfriend?”
    She freed herself and turned toward the door. Ever so slightly, she pushed on the door until she could see into the aisle. The handle on the bathroom door across from them still said Occupied. She released the tension on the door and faced Ben. “He’s over there,” she mouthed.
    Ben nodded playfully. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’m scared.”
    â€œLook,” she said sternly.