I wonder if he’s talking about Reid, the one who died.
“What happened to him?”
He silently studies me for a few moments before looking away. “He died.”
“I’m sorry...when?” I feel guilty asking a question I know the answer to.
“A couple of years ago.” He shifts in his seat, finishing off the drink and rising.
I resist the urge to pry. I can’t imagine how it would feel to lose Mel. I can’t shake the uneasy feeling in my gut from learning about the unusual circumstances surrounding Reid’s death that Becky described. I’m insanely curious to know what happened.
“If you need anything, just ask Rachele,” he says, leaving me alone.
He disappears into the abyss of the jet, going behind a door opposite of the bedroom he directed me to earlier.
I wait for another thirty minutes, finishing off my wine and inconspicuously listening for any concerning noises. I feel like I’m back in the office the first day his sister came to visit, wondering if they were going at it on top of his desk.
You’re not together. You have Fred now.The thought depresses me even further.
I stand up, retreating to the back of the plane. I find the bedroom, opening the door to reveal a king-size bed in a room that I can hardly believe is inside of an airplane. There are windows circling from floor to ceiling, similar to the ones in the main cabin. There’s a mirror, nightstands, and an actual closet.
Who needs a closet on their private jet?
I open the door leading through the back to find a bathroom with two sinks and an entire shower.
“Sweet baby Moses . . .”
After exploring, I figure this could be my only chance to take a shower on an airplane. The water gets hot instantly, and I nearly forget where I am.
After changing into a tank top and boy short underwear, I crawl into the luxurious bed with silk sheets.
This is insane.Who knew people actually lived like this?
My mind won’t rest. I lie awake for hours, trying to make sense of the information Becky gave me and refusing to thinkabout what Mr. Bradshaw could be doing with Rachele.Is he going to sleep somewhere else? Does this plane have a servants’ quarters they’re snuggling up in?
With anxious thoughts about the location of the other passengers, I finally drift into a fitful sleep.
CHAPTER 18
LUKE
The bugI put on Kate’s phone has been forwarding all her texts and emails to me. I have to know who she’s working for and what exactly her endgame is. The obvious reason would be to eventually kill me, but it’s really difficult for me to accept that she could really be attempting that with so many believable relationships in her life.
Could she be here as a part of the investigation into Reid’s death?I’ve been interviewed numerous times, but I wouldn’t put it past the FBI to plant a woman directly in my personal and work life to see if they could extract more information.
If the FBI didn’t plant her, it could have been Garrison. He has contacts in Russia and the US. The prospect of him using Kate to find out what I know is...beyond infuriating.
I can’t let my guard down, no matter how many times I feel the urge to kiss her.
My blood boils faster each time a man named Frederick Thomas sends her a text. I’ve already had Jackson run a background check on him. He seems clean besides a public indecency charge three years ago. If she truly intends to go on a date with him, I’ll have to somehow send her the report—anonymously—so that she’s aware of his criminal record.
I slept on the sofa in the main cabin for a few hours, going over my proposal for Mr. Lim and sipping on bourbon. I might be a little drunk when we land in the French Polynesian islands right before dawn.
She emerges from my bedroom, looking gorgeous in a short pale blue sundress. Her long blonde hair is in loose waves around her bare shoulders. She stares at me with those wide, faux-innocent eyes for a few moments before blinking and looking away.
Don’t engage. Don’t show interest.
I allow her to go ahead of me down the stairs. We should be going through customs, but I made friends with a politician in France last year over a business deal. They don’t enforce their usual policies on me.
