I folded myself into the seat—my knees were pressed into my chest. I had no idea how Merc was going to fit into one of those seats—and Adrianne immediately put her free hand into mine. She kept it low so that it would be out of Ryan’s gaze. She didn’t look at him, but it gave me a connection to hold onto. My rapid heart rate slowed for a second, and then the plane’s engines began to turn.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
The pilot, a smiling man with silver hair, turned and greeted us. “I’m Captain Steve Perkins,” he said. “I’ve been flying for thirty years, and I love what I do. You just sit tight, and we’ll be in Coober Pedy in a little over an hour, all right?”
Then, Steve turned around, and we began to move, and I gripped Adrianne’s hand tighter. She squeezed back just as hard, but her conversation with Ryan never faltered. “Have you been mobbed by the paparazzi?” she asked Ryan. “I haven’t had a moment to relax.”
“They’ve been pretty bad,” he agreed. “Had one hiding in my bathroom when I got to my hotel.”
The plane began to rush down the runway, and I ground my teeth together as the front wheel left the ground. My chest was suddenly four sizes too small, but I did my best to keep breathing until we pulled level in the sky.
“Uh... is your man okay there?” Ryan asked. I looked over, and he was staring at our linked fingers.
Adrianne glanced back at him and smiled. “Cal doesn’t like flying overly much,” she said.
“You’re so... sweet to hold his hand through it.”
His tone implied that it was anything but, and to her credit, Adrianne didn’t flinch. Instead, she held out her free hand. “Do you need a hand too?” she asked.
Ryan laughed but waved her off. “Nah, I’m man enough to sit on a plane without holding someone’s hand.”
Fuck you, pretty boy, I thought, but I bit my tongue to keep the sentiment inside my head. “Where’s your security team, Mr. Jacobs?” Foster cut in. “If we’re going to be guarding you as well, we’ll need to do a temporary contract.”
“I don’t have one,” Ryan said. “I don’t need one, I promise.”
I could almost hear Merc’s teeth grinding. “With the level of paparazzi we’ve seen in just the last twenty-four hours, you do,” he said. “We’d be happy to take you on temporarily.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, thanks,” he said. “I’ve had security details in the past, and I’ve always felt suffocated. I do just fine on my own.”
He probably had the same bullshit security system that Adrianne had when we met her. Maybe a handgun registered under his name that he didn’t know how to use. Merc would set him straight. I could already tell. By the end of tomorrow, Mercado Security would have another client... though Merc would get a different team on him. One that wasn’t 24/7 like we were for Adrianne.
The flight wasn’t long, but just as we started to descend, we hit a patch of turbulence that bucked the entire plane. Adrianne squeezed my fingers, a little afraid herself, and it wasthatthat allowed me to remain calm. If she was scared, I had to be strong. There wasn’t any other option.
When the plane was finally on the ground, I could breathe again, and I lessened my grip on Adrianne. “Are you okay?” I asked her.
Adrianne shook out her hand. “I’m fine, Cal.”
The plane taxied for a moment before coming to a stop, and a moment later, we were able to deboard. Putting my feet on solid ground took a weight off my shoulders. “All better?” Foster asked. If it had been Merc asking, I would have told him to fuck off, but Foster’s questions were very rarely anything but genuine.
“I’m fine,” I said. I’d survived, in any case, and we hadn’t had to bail out. Wins all around.
Lee had sent a car to the airfield to collect Adrianne and Ryan. There was only room enough for one more person in the car. “Cal, come with me to the set? Ethan and Foster can take the bags to the hotel?”
Merc didn’t look thrilled about that—he didn’t like the idea of splitting up right now—but he and Foster agreed. She couldn’t be late to set, after all, and as long as at least one of us was with her, she was as safe as she could be.
“Keep your cell on you,” Merc said, and I nodded and patted my pocket. “Call if there are any problems.”
“Let’s hope I don’t have to,” I said before climbing into the passenger seat by the driver. Ryan had climbed into the back with Adrianne and shot me a smug look as he did so.
Ireallyhated that guy.
The drive from the airfield through Coober Pedy was like landing on Mars. Everything was red and dusty. “I can see why Lee wanted to film out here,” I could hear Adrianne say from the backseat. “It’s amazing.”
Ryan made a noncommittal sound at her, but otherwise, he didn’t look up from his phone. “Do you have service?” he asked. “I’ve got nothing.”
Shit. I pulled my cell from my pocket. I had a single bar. It would be enough to call for help if need be, but it would be an iffy thing. When we got to the set, Ryan was swept away to hair and makeup—he was up first, apparently—and one of the production assistants pointed Adrianne and me toward a group of tents that had been erected just outside the filming area.
We found the tent that was assigned to Adrianne and dipped inside. It was surprisingly cool and stocked with snacks and water. “This is nice.”