“Emerald told me ye apologized to her for what ye did,” McTavish says as he pulls our suitcases out of the car for us. “I thought that was decent o’ ye. Unexpected, mind, but decent.”
I smile weakly.
“It was the least I could do,” I tell him. “The very least. And I really am sorry, McTavish. I just wish there was something I could do to make up for it all. I wish—”
I stop short as all the emotion of this weird morning catches up with me at once, making my eyes sting with sudden tears.
“You take care o’ yerself, Lexie,” McTavish says, his blue eyes filled with concern as he hands me my bag. “Oh, and if ye could get that Violet King’s autograph for me, that would be grand,” he says, winking. “Or her phone number, even. Well, see ye, Lexie. It was nice to meet ye, Jett. Mr. Carter, I mean.”
He shakes hands cheerfully with Jett, whose mouth has settled into a thin line at the mention of Violet’s name.
“I haven’t said anything to him about you and Violet,” I try to reassure him as we walk into the airport’s tiny terminal. “It’s just a coincidence, him mentioning her right then.”
Jett nods tightly, not looking at me. He must know I wouldn’t tell anyone what he confided in me about Violet cheating on him. I mean, even if I’d wanted to, it’s hard to imagine when I’d have found the time, what with all the drama that’s been going on. All the same, though, the mood between us has shifted imperceptibly.
The silence between us in the car — and in my room, while we packed our stuff — was natural; comfortable, even. The one that descends as we enter the airport, though, and hand over our passports to the man who comes forward to meet us, is altogether different. All of a sudden, the man next to me feels like a stranger again, and my stomach clenches with anxiety as we sit down on a sofa in the waiting area, and he immediately resumes whatever it is he’s been typing into his phone all the way here.
I know I said I didn’t want to talk, but this is getting ridiculous.
“Miss Steele?”
I look up from my increasingly frantic thoughts to find the airport employee who took our passports standing in front of me with an apologetic look on his face.
“Yes? Is there something wrong?”
Something in his expression tells me the answer to that question is going to be yes, but it still comes as a shock when he says it.
“I’m afraid your visa for the U.S.A. is no longer valid,” he says, handing the passport back to me. “I’m sure it’s just some kind of misunderstanding, but I’m really sorry, we’re not going to be able to let you board until it’s sorted out.”
* * *
The next few minutes pass in a blur.
Jett argues with someone on the phone, while airport staff hover anxiously around us, offering glasses of water and other things that would be completely useless. I don’t need a glass of water, or a nice, comfortable seat. I just need to know what’s going on, and why I’m being told I’m not welcome in the United States any more, when the issue with my visa was supposed to have been long-since fixed by Jett’s lawyers.
And itwasfixed, I’m sure of it. Asher told me it would be, and I have no reason to doubt him… and yet, here I am.Doubtinghim. Doubtingeveryone, actually. I’m even starting to doubt Jett, who’s still speaking animatedly to whoever’s on the other end of the phone, his voice too low for me to hear his side of the conversation.
What’s going on? Why won’t he tell me what’s happening?
“I don’t understand,” I say for what has to be the one hundredth time so far, turning to the man who seems to be in charge. “I know I’d overstayed my visa by… well, by a little bit. But that was all sorted out. I didn’t have any problems on the way here.”
“Well, no, you wouldn’t have, Miss,” he says apologetically. “You’re a U.K. citizen. Your passport is valid for here. It’s the other end that seems to have the issue.”
“Am I… am I going to be arrested?” I ask, looking around in horror, as if armed police might be lurking around every corner.
“Oh, no.” He laughs nervously. “At least, I wouldn’t think so, anyway.”
He frowns, and my heart tries to escape my body through my mouth.
“Normally you’d just be banned from entering the U.S. for a period of time,” the man goes on, clearly trying to sound reassuring. “But, like you say, I’m sure it’ll all be worked out. Look, your… companion’s… off the phone now.”
He takes a tactful step back, looking relieved to be out of the firing line, and I turn round to see Jett striding towards me, his jaw set.
He looks furious.
Something tells me this isnotgoing to be good news.
“Jett, what’s going on?” I ask, jumping in before he can speak. “I thought the visa thing had been dealt with? Asher said—”
