Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) - Roy Johansen Page 0,99
crouched beside a small TWA jet.
“That’s the guy we saw leaving Noah’s plane,” Lynch whispered.
Kendra peered around the edge of the barrel. “He’s giving cover to Noah. He and Dee are just a few feet away.”
“I don’t see them,” Lynch said.
“Their shadows are just over the gunman’s left shoulder.”
“Got it.” Lynch shimmied back a few feet. “I’m going to try and get between them and the plane. Keep them here for as long as you can.” He stood up and sped away.
Kendra shouted, “Let Dee go, Noah. You’re making a mistake. The FBI knows all about you. As long as you have Dee, they’ll never stop looking for you.”
“You’re lying. I have contacts. I can handle anything you throw at me,” Noah yelled. They still could only see his shadow. “Where’s Charlotte?”
“No use you calling out for her expecting her to save you,” Jessie answered. “I made sure that she won’t be helping you ever again.”
Noah cursed. “You bitch. Do you know how valuable she was to me? I may make you pay for that one day when you least expect it.”
“Let Dee go,” Kendra said. “Let her go and we won’t stop you from getting on that plane. You’ll be the FBI’s problem, not ours.”
“You’ve got to be kidding, Kendra. We’ve all come too far for me to just give up now. Delilah is what this is all about. It’s not as if I can’t still win. With all the money I’ve got, I can still find a way to have anything I want. All I have to do is—”
The gunman cut loose with another barrage from his assault weapon!
Kendra and Jessie ducked. When they looked up again, the gunman was gone and there was no sign of the shadow that had been Noah.
Kendra jumped to her feet. “They’re on the move. Come on.”
* * *
Noah pushed Dee ahead of him as they neared his jet. “I remodeled my plane’s interior, Dee. I even hired that Italian designer you like so much. Storaro?”
She just stared at him in disbelief.
“Nice man, even though he doesn’t speak a word of English. He appreciated the honor I did him. And it was all for you.”
“Stop this,” she hissed. “You were right not to have believed those lies I told you. I never wanted this, Noah.”
“Sometimes we don’t know what we want. Or what we need. I’m sorry the past few days have been so uncomfortable for you. We needed to be in position to hop aboard my jet as soon as my arrangements were finalized. But when you see the place I built for you, I think you’ll agree the wait was worth it.” He spoke to his pilot, who was leading them down the row of planes. “You’ve fueled the jet for the trip, Chester?”
They’d finally reached the airstrip where his plane was positioned and warming for takeoff. Chester gestured toward it. “Yes, only one more refuel in Maui.”
She wasn’t getting through to Noah. He seemed to have lost touch with reality. “Didn’t you hear what they said, Noah? You’ve lost. It’s over.”
“I never lose. Though it may be more difficult now that they’ve taken my Charlotte away.” His lips tightened bitterly. “The first thing I’ll do when we get in the air is contact my friend Nick Parillo in Las Vegas and arrange a contract on both of them.”
Dee stopped short and whirled to face him. “Leave them alone! I’m the one who took her away, you idiot. I knew all I needed to do was give Jessie the opportunity to make her move. I knew that bitch was going to kill her, and there was no way I’d let that happen.”
He flinched. “You shouldn’t have told me that. I really preferred to ignore the possibility. I’m afraid I’ll have to punish you, too. I really owe it to Charlotte. But not before I’ve enjoyed you in all the ways there are. I’m afraid some of them will hurt very much, Delilah.”
“Go to hell, Noah. So much for—”
“Hush.” Noah stiffened and then turned back toward the rows of old planes behind them. “Do you hear that?”
Chester nodded and raised his assault rifle. “They’re right behind us, sir.”
“Not for long.” Noah whirled toward Dee and jerked his thumb toward his jet’s open loading stairs. “Get inside and move toward the back of the plane. Stay away from the door and all windows.”
“No.” Her hands clenched into fists. “It ends here. I’m not going anywhere.”