She signed off the phone after everyone else did. “I need to go take care of a few things. You okay to handle this?” She waved at the bomb and the bulkhead.
Smith straightened and rolled his shoulders. “I am. You don’t need to worry; I won’t let you down.”
She glanced at the curtained partition to the central part of the plane. “You could never let me down, Smith.” She lifted onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “When they ask where I am, I’m in my pod, crying in a huddled heap of nerves. Got it?”
Smith fought the urge to smile. “Not a fainting flower, huh?”
“Keep your earpiece in.” She winked at him and hurried to her pod. It was time to become someone else.
4
Smith ensured the backpack was stable before heading to the curtained-off area between first class and the main cabin. He opened the curtain, and when the covey of attendants turned, he motioned to the one who’d been in first class with him and said, “Sabrina.” At least, that was the name on her uniform.
She came over immediately, saying, “We’ve been cleared for an emergency landing, but the captain is waiting to find out if he can descend.”
“He can. The explosive has been neutralized. You can tell the air marshal he can resume his duties.”
Smith grunted when Sabrina hugged him. “Thank you. You’re a true hero.”
“Is she hugging you?” Val’s voice was tinged with a bit of humor.
“Yeah, I’m not. Thanks for the hug.” He patted her on the shoulder, answering Sabrina and Val. “I need to get back in there until the marshal takes control of the situation.”
“Of course.” She let him go and grabbed the phone as he slipped back into the first-class cabin and went to the front. The doctor was sitting beside Donnie, who was obviously dead. “You okay, doc?”
The doctor lifted his head. “No. Not really. This is senseless.” The man waved at the dead hijacker and then Donnie. “What type of madman does this?” The doctor’s eyes fell on the bound hijacker. “His hand is swelling. Soon, the blood will be cut off, and he’ll have permanent damage.”
“Yeah, the way it’s crushed, he’ll probably have that no matter what.” Smith nudged the hijacker. “You want your hand to fall off?”
“Fuck you.” the man hissed back.
Smith looked at the doctor. “He’s good. I’ll help you back to your seat.”
The doctor shook his head. “Let me clean up. If I walk back there like this, I’ll terrify the entire plane.”
Smith sighed. “Hate to tell you this, doc, that button was pushed when we evacuated first class because of the bomb.”
“A bomb?” the doctor squeaked.
Smith reassured him, “We determined the triggering device, and it’s been neutralized. Go out and grab a pod. Law enforcement will want to talk with you, too.”
“Actually, we’ll be detaining the entire flight. No one is going to make their connections today.” The air marshal walked into the area. Smith was pretty damn sure the guy had been listening to their conversation, but Val hadn’t said anything. “My name’s Geoff Parker. Air marshal. Good work in here.”
“Smithson Young. Guardian.” And now, he felt like an imposter. Guardian was a company with integrity and status. He was a nobody who’d survived on the streets.
“Yeah, we checked. My people contacted yours when this first started to validate your credentials. Sorry, I had to be sure.” Geoff bent over the dead hijacker. “How did this happen?”
Smith cocked his head at the statement. When they spoke, Guardian didn’t say anything about the air marshal checking his credentials. But they were working a crisis. “You dislocated his elbow, swept his feet, and he landed awkwardly, breaking his neck.” Val’s words filled his ear.What? Ah, Geoff had asked a question, hadn’t he?Smith repeated her words.
Geoff nodded to the living hijacker. “And this one?”
“He got a shot off before I grabbed his hand and crushed the gun.”
“How did bullets get through security?” the doctor mumbled from the floor where he sat beside the deceased cabin crew member.
Geoff shook his head. “Two bullets are easy to miss. They process thousands of bags an hour through security.”
How it happened was the question of the day. Only air marshals could carry a weapon with ammunition on board a plane. Smith blinked at the marshal as he kneeled and rolled the hijacker. Geoff sneered at the man. “Amateur.” Geoff released his grip, and the man rolled back on his face. A hair-thin thread of logic started to develop.Who told you there were only two bullets?Smith moved his stance and put his weight on the balls of his feet as a tingling sense of dread curled around his gut.