“Where are you going?”
“To follow my gut.”
“I should come with you.”
I shook my head. “You couldn’t be stealthy if you tried. I’ll just be a few minutes. It’s probably nothing.”
Calling myself all kinds of foolish, I exited the SUV, pulled up the hood of my sweater, hunched my shoulders, and tried to walk like a man—AKA as if I had some big balls between my legs while controlling the roll of my hips. Did I succeed? Nobody yelled at me, which I took as a good sign.
Ding.
I glanced at my phone.
Tutu: Did you shove a stick up your ass? Why are you walking funny?
Sigh. Okay, maybe I should just act normal.
As I neared the jet, its engine began to rev and the exterior lights blinked on. No airport workers hovered nearby, but under its belly, I could spot a staircase still in place. Waiting for a passenger?
A few paces away, over the hum of the engine, I could barely make out someone talking. Whoever it was began shouting.
“I don’t care what you have to do. I want that MRI machine in my lab before I land.”
Malone! I almost hit the tarmac face-first, as if that would hide me. If I couldn’t see him, he couldn’t see me. Even better, he’d not yet boarded for take-off. I still had time to save my baby dragon.
Dropping into a crouch made movement slightly more challenging but allowed me to traverse under the jet, the stairs camouflaging my approach. When I reached the rear of them, I dared to take a peek. Malone had his back to me as he tapped on his phone.
A man in a pilot’s uniform exited the hangar. “Sir, looks like we’ll be cleared to leave within the hour, possibly less.”
“About time,” Malone snarled. “I was ready to depart hours ago. Stupid storm.”
I think he meant fortuitous.
“If you’re ready to board, I can seal us up so we’re good to go soon as controllers clear us to go.”
“In a few minutes. I’m going to use the bathroom first.”
“There’s one on the plane, sir.”
“I don’t think either of us want to marinate in what I’m about to eject from my bowels.” Crude, but also to the point.
“Appreciated, sir. In that case, I’m going to pop into the office and see if they’ve got any donuts left. Just give me a holler when you’re done.”
Malone needing to have a stinky shit provided the perfect opportunity for me to get on board. Soon as the pair disappeared into the hangar, I flew up the steps and stepped into the jet. It wasn’t a big one, four seats in total. A briefcase lay across a spot in the first row, while the one behind held something square covered in a blanket.
I whipped off the fabric to reveal a cage holding my orange dragon. “Tigger!”
“About time,” he grumbled, looking annoyed but unharmed.
“You know, you could say thank you,” I muttered, but without rancor.
“I’ll thank you once we’re away from this place.”
“That is the plan.” I grabbed the lock holding the door of the cage shut and pursed my lips. “I don’t have a key to unlock it.”
“Break it.”
“With what?”
