Chapter Four
1391 Words
The first leg of the trip was over. Samantha made it to Dallas and would be heading to Heathrow and finally Edinburgh from there. She walked to her gate and took a seat in the first-class lounge. The waiting area wasn’t entirely full, but she figured not many people could afford to fly first class to Europe. She accepted a soda from the helpful airline worker and took a seat by the window.
“Is this seat taken?”
Sam glanced up. A man, probably in his thirties, smiled down at her. Dark hair cut short, almost military style, framed a strong jaw, and chocolate-brown eyes widened as he waited for her reply. He was attractive, in a quarterback kind of way. Her heart raced as she pondered why he’d want to sit next to her when the room was nearly empty.
“No.” She bit her lip. “Feel free.”
He took his seat and dropped his carry-on. “Are you flying to London?”
Sam shook her head. “Edinburgh.”
He grinned. “Me too.”
She forced a smile. “Great.”
“Have you ever been to Scotland?”
“No.”
“I go several times a year. It’s a great place.”
“Good to know,” she said quietly and pulled out her iPod. She hadn’t planned on Chatty Charlie sitting next to her.
“What are you listening to?” he asked.
“Nothing right now,” she said, irritation giving her courage.
He chuckled. “Sorry. I’m a talker. I’ll leave you to your music.”
He pulled out his laptop and powered it up and Sam slipped her headphones on.
Finally, the doors to the gate opened and it was time to board. Sam gathered her things and made her way down the gangplank. The flight attendant showed her to her seat and Sam settled in for a long flight.
“Hello again,” someone said.
She glanced up to see Chatty Charlie standing in front of her. “Hi,” she said in suspicion.
“It would appear we’re seatmates.”
Of course we are.
He sat next to her and secured his seatbelt. As the flight attendant walked by, Sam flagged her down. “Excuse me, could I get some water please?”
“Of course, Dr. Moore.”
The woman returned quickly with a bottle of water. Sam located her Valium and popped a pill.
“Dramamine?” the guy asked.
She shook her head. “Stronger.”
“Ah. You don’t fly well?”
“That’s an understatement.”
“This leg of the flight’s a breeze. I’ve done it a few times, and believe me, in first class you won’t even know you’re in the air.”
“Let’s hope so.”
He held out his hand. “Cole Drake.”
Of course it is. Would that be a soap opera name or a porn name? No, if you were a porn star, you’d be Randy Steel or something like that.
She tried not to giggle as she shook his hand. “Samantha Moore.”
“Nice to meet you.” He smiled. “I heard the flight attendant call you “doctor.” What’s your specialty?”
“Research.”
“Are you on your way to the UK for business or pleasure?” he asked.
Nosy much?
“Sorry. Force of habit. I used to be a cop.” He opened a magazine and smiled. “I’ll sit here and keep my questions to myself.”
Before the Valium kicked in, Samantha read and reread the Gunnach Pharmaceutical dossier cover-to-cover twice. She just couldn’t get a handle on exactly why she was needed. The company had invented some ground-breaking medications and devices that had saved a lot of people, but none of it was related to blood. She was beginning to wonder if her decision to throw caution to the wind might have been a mistake.
She blinked, her eyes feeling heavy as her body started to calm.
Her last coherent thought before she faded off to sleep was how nice Cole Drake’s smile was.
* * *
“Ladies and gentleman, we’ll be collecting any rubbish you might have as we prepare for landing. Please let us know if you need help with your customs forms as we come around.”
Sam yawned, even though she’d managed several hours of sleep. Her soap star neighbor had, in fact, kept his questions to himself for the most part. When they’d both been awake at the same time, he’d struck up light conversations, and Sam found him funny and sweet, not to mention interesting. He’d spent several years as a cop before being recruited into private security and now, as an expert in his field, Edinburgh University had hired him as a guest lecturer. She was surprised to find out they were staying in the same hotel in Edinburgh.
“Dr. Moore? Do you have any rubbish?”
Sam glanced up at the flight attendant and smiled. “No. I’m all set, thank you.”
“Excellent. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
Sam nodded and settled further into her seat. She glanced over at Cole. His quiet snore indicated flying didn’t bother him one bit.
“Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”
Sam’s heart raced. This was it. No turning back now… not that she could have, midair, but still, this seemed final somehow. As the pilot gave everyone instructions and the crew took their seats, Sam gripped the armrests and waited for the plane to crash.
Stupidly, she’d thought she could do without a Valium for landing.
She felt a warm hand cover her wrist and she glanced at Cole with what she suspected was a grimace. “You’re awake,” she said, then under her breath, “Thank God.”
He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I hope you don’t mind. I know I’m a virtual stranger, but you looked like you might need a little support.”
She bit her lip. “No, it’s okay. I’m too scared to object. Take advantage of it while you can.”
He laughed and the sound put Sam at ease. “You’re doing great.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and was genuinely surprised when the plane landed and came to a stop without incident.
“See? We’re alive and the plane is intact.”
Samantha smiled. “We’re alive, yes. Plane intact? Can’t be proven until we disembark.”
“Don’t you mean deplane?”
“Who are you? Tattoo?” she retorted.
“Off you go, then.” Cole nodded toward the doors. “Enjoy your stay on Fantasy Island.”
Samantha giggled and gathered up her carry-on bag and purse, heading down the gangway once the all-clear was given. Cole followed. Even though the day was crisp, Sam wrapped her hoodie around her waist and headed for baggage claim. She slowed her pace and was glad Cole took the hint and caught up with her. He was cute and seemed like a good guy. It might be nice to know someone on this new adventure she was on.
“Would you like to share a cab?” he asked.
“Thanks, but someone’s actually picking me up.”
“Oh. No biggie. Maybe we can meet for a drink at the hotel bar sometime.”
She smiled. “Maybe.”
“I’ll leave a message for you at the front desk and we can plan something.”
Sam took a deep breath. “Um… okay.”
Arriving in the busy carousel area, she noticed a tall man holding a sign with her name on it. She approached him and hoped her smile didn’t look like a frightened grimace. “I’m Samantha Moore.”
“Welcome, Dr. Moore. I’m Duncan MacKenzie.”
He was tall, close to six feet, and had dark red hair, blue eyes, and looked… well… very Scottish. She stared up at him, wishing Pepper were there. Pepper would have said something witty and smart, and charmed the pants right off him.
Okay, he’d keep his pants on, but still, she would have talked to him.
Which Sam wasn’t doing.
She was standing there… staring.
Like an i***t.
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