“I’m glad to see you’re actually mobile,” Reese said, smiling. “The master of understatement I know you to be, I figureda little banged upcould be anything from busted ribs to a broken neck.”
A corner of Bran’s mouth edged up as he turned to introduce her. “Reese, this is Jessie Kegan. She actually got the worst of it. Pretty bad cut on the side of her head, and it looks like she’s got a concussion.”
Reese nodded. “We’ll take care of it once we’re aboard.” He extended his hand to her. “I’m Reese. It’s nice to meet you, Jessie.”
“You as well, Reese. I can’t thank you enough for coming to help.”
He just shrugged. “The plane belongs to the family. Let’s get aboard and get the hell out of here before trouble finds us.”
She nodded, turned, and climbed the stairs, liking the middle Garrett brother on first meeting. Bran got her settled in one of the honey-colored, butter-soft leather seats, then took the seat across the aisle.
Configured the way it was, the cabin was roomy, with club seating for four and a sofa along one wall. Two pilots manned the cockpit.
“Once we’re in the air,” Reese said, “Dr. Chandler will take a look at both of you.” He sat down in a seat opposite Jessie, across the aisle from a distinguished-looking gentleman with thinning silver hair. Even before their seat belts were in place, the plane began taxiing down the runway.
Bran looked out the window as the jet gathered speed, the landscape soon roaring past in a blur. “You sure this strip is long enough to get this little beauty in the air?”
Reese grinned, and suddenly Jessie saw the resemblance between the two brothers.
“That’s the nice thing about a Citation. Requires shorter runways, ranges over two thousand nautical miles, and cruises at five hundred miles an hour. Plus it’s more economical to run a light jet as opposed to a midsize, which we don’t really need.”
Bran chuckled. “Count on you to think of saving money.”
Reese smiled. “Goes with the job.” Silence fell as the jet engines roared and the plane tilted upward, pressing them back into their seats.
For an instant, Jessie’s mind strayed to the moments yesterday before the plane hit the ground, and her heart started racing. Bran reached across the narrow aisle and his hand covered hers, lacing their fingers together. She released a slow breath. Bran was there. Everything would be okay.
Twenty minutes into the flight, Dr. Charles Chandler had diagnosed her with a slight concussion and put three stitches in the side of her head. Bran carried miscellaneous cuts and bruises, but he was okay. Reese retrieved ham-and-egg croissants, fruit, and coffee from the refreshment center.
Bran declined the coffee but quickly downed a couple of croissants. As soon as he’d finished, he headed for the sofa, feeling safe for the first time in days. In seconds, he was asleep.
Jessie’s heart squeezed as she watched him, this man she had come to respect and care for, a man willing to protect her with his life.
Feeling Reese’s eyes on her, she turned in his direction. “You’re worried about him,” he said.
She felt a stinging behind her eyes, quickly blinked it away. “People have tried to kill him. He was thrown in jail. He survived a plane crash. He hasn’t slept in days. All because of me.”
Reese’s gaze held hers. “Your brother was his best friend. As far as Bran’s concerned, you’re family. Besides, it’s what he does.”
She swallowed past the knot in her throat. “I know. I just...I wish this was over.” Except that as soon as they found the men who had killed her father and stolen the munitions, Bran would go back to Dallas and she would never see him again.
“He’ll feel better when he wakes up,” Reese said.
Her gaze swung back to the man on the sofa, far too tall to actually fit comfortably. Still, she had never seen him sleep so deeply. “He trusts you to protect us.”
Something moved over Reese’s dark features. “He’s my brother. He needs me to keep you both safe, and he knows that’s what I’ll do.”
At any costwere the unspoken words. She thought of her brother, Danny. They had shared that kind of bond.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for everything.”
