“Shawn, this is your plane. I’m small. I can sleep in one of the chairs.”
He swiveled to give me the same expression he’d given me before, the one that said this wasn’t up for discussion. A half-second later, Elsie clipped a privacy curtain to the ceiling, separating me from them.
I could hear them talking to each other quietly, and although I didn’t understand the language, it didn’t matter. There was a seductive tone to Shawn’s words, and in response, the woman chuckled. He said something else, and the woman murmured back her words.
I climbed onto the bed, trying not to listen to their flirtatious banter, although it didn’t last long. Elsie’s footsteps grew quiet, followed by Shawn’s business-like German into his phone. Occasionally, I’d hear words I recognized.
American. Passport. Immigration.
It was one in the morning Central time when we prepared our descent into New York. Elsie opened the privacy curtain and asked me to take a seat with a seatbelt, and I glanced at Shawn at his desk as I buckled in.
If he was tired, he didn’t look it. He continued working on his phone throughout the entire thing, like he hadn’t noticed the landing, the refueling stop, or the next takeoff.
I broke down and took an offered sleeping pill, then returned to the bed when we climbed to cruising altitude.
What a cruel turn of events had led me to this moment. I’d woken with Jason beside me this morning. Tonight, I’d sleep on his family’s plane, a different Dunn only a few feet away.
Every second that passed took me farther away from him, and I wondered what Jason was doing at this moment. Was he at the marshals office, poring over evidence and evaluating every detail he could to aid in Frey’s capture?
God, I hoped so.
It didn’t take long for thought to become difficult. My brain was sluggish from the sleeping aid, and the roar of the engines helped lull me to sleep.
Shawn let out a sigh when we touched down on German soil, like he was relieved to be home. He tapped the screen of his phone and passed it to me. It rang, and then a familiar voice came on the line.
Jason didn’t bother with a greeting. “Are you on the ground?”
“Yeah, we just landed.”
“L,” he sounded startled. “I thought you were Shawn. How are you? Is he behaving?”
“Mostly.” My gaze flitted to Elsie, and I lowered my voice into a teasing hush. “He’s been flirting with the flight attendant.”
Shawn overheard and made a noise of amusement. “I have done no such thing.”
“That’s fine.” Jason’s tone was flat, even. “As long as he’s not bothering you.”
“No.” I shifted in my seat, eager for an update. “Have you made any progress with Frey?”
“Some, but I can’t discuss it at the moment.” There were other voices in the background. Voices that kept him from saying much. “I’m glad you had a safe trip. Get yourself situated and we can speak later.”
“Okay.” I wasn't sure what else to say since nothing was private. “Stay safe.”
“You, too.”
Once he hung up, I handed the phone back to Shawn.
Lines creased around his eyes, and his dark hair had grown unruly like he’d run his hands through it a few too many times. He looked tired, and guilt welled inside me. I should have refused the bed. He’d done so much for me and was about to do a lot more.
Couldn’t I have let him get a few hours of sleep?
He peered out the window behind me and grumbled it to himself. “Where the fuck is he?”
“Who?”
“The man who was supposed to meet us with your passport.”
There wasn’t time to dwell on it because Elsie opened the cabin door and cold air seeped in. The temperature plummeted further when two men boarded the plane, wearing black slacks and sweaters with official-looking white embroidery over the left breast.
