Rylee scanned the lot and saw a couple, obviously late arriving to the ship, bolt from their taxi. She called to the man.
“We have a situation here. Mind sending security over to deal with it?”
Looking at her and then her prisoner, he hesitated.
“Hey, we’re fine, getting along splendidly. Find someone to take over, okay?”
He nodded, backed away and headed toward the big building where multitudes of people were all milling around in lineups, minding their own business.
“You do this often, DJ? Come and steal from people leaving on vacation?”
Crying softly, his voice full and quivering, DJ answered, “No ma’am. Me and Harold never done this before. But this friend of ours says it’s easy. Taking candy from a baby. He’s a liar. I ain’t never gonna do it agin.”
“You promise?”
“Saints alive, Ma’am. I promise on my mama’s soul.”
“Whose car is this?”
“We borrowed it.”
“Right – borrowed. If you were to escape my hold, are you going to find a job and earn your money, you and your little buddy Harold?”
Hope entered his voice, and it rang in with truth. “Officer, I promise you. I ain’t never gonna break the law agin. I promise—”
“Yeah, sure. Get lost, DJ, and smarten up for Christ’s sake. Quit while you’re ahead. You only get one chance in this lifetime, don’t waste it.”
Seeing the heavy-built guard heading their way followed by the stranger who fetched him, she pretended to be pushed aside while she released her charge and whispered, “Git and remember, only one chance.”
Hours later, Rylee, settled in the balcony suite she’d upgraded from a regular room, sauntered out to the small balcony and watched the sunset. She thought about DJ and wondered what had possessed her to let him and Harold go? Something about the hopelessness she saw in their shared look. Maybe the sorrow she sensed from both for embarking on such a stupid crime. Whatever, she just had a feeling, like she got sometimes, that she wasn’t dealing with hardened criminals. Just kids making poor choices. Shaking off her melancholy, she looked around.
Gorgeous colors filled the warm evening sky and a sigh of delight escaped. Maybe this assignment wouldn’t be so bad after all. Really, how much trouble could one sexy billionaire get into when no one knew he was even on board?