Tremble (Denazen #3)(49)
I braced myself against the wall as a wave of fatigue washed over me. It only lasted a moment before passing, allowing me to stand on my own. “This way, I can go out and have a better look around. They could be out there somewhere, and we’d never see them from in here.”
I turned and started for the door, but Kale grabbed me. “What am I supposed to do?”
Kale could easily move through the room unseen if he wanted to—he just didn’t remember. “If you have to ask, then you’re probably safer staying put and waiting for me.”
He lifted his free hand to my face and ran his index finger along my cheek. “I get the feeling that you find trouble often.”
“How do you know it doesn’t find me?”
Finger trailing down to my chin, he tilted my head toward his, frowning. “No. I think I was right the first time.”
I slipped free and made my way out to the floor. The crowd was thicker now, which would make it easier for Denazen to hide. Passengers were coming down the escalator and I took the spot at the end of the hallway, following the lead of another attendant as she thanked passengers and wished them a safe trip home.
Clumps of people came and went, filing down the gangway and embracing their waiting loved ones. I waited as the crowd thinned and, after a few minutes, caught sight of a familiar mop of long dark hair and a weathered leather trench coat.
Aubrey stood in the back, and a few feet in front of him, Kiernan stood to the side. Looming on the outermost edge of the crowd were three additional agents. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to pick them out due to their trademark blue suits. If not for their clothing, they would have blended perfectly into the chaos.
When the last of the passengers trickled down, I started to panic. I’d seen a blurry picture of Ben next to his name on Ginger’s list, and no one even remotely resembling it had exited the plane. And I wasn’t the only one getting edgy. Kiernan rose on her toes, shooting Aubrey a worried look. He shrugged in return and started forward. He had a choice between me and another airline employee. Luckily, he made a beeline for me.
“’Scuse me,” he said, Kiernan coming up beside him. “We were waiting on a friend. Is everyone off the plane?”
“Is it possible your friend took another flight? Or maybe he’s already been through. Could he have been picked up by someone else?”
“Over my dead body,” Kiernan mumbled.
I pretended not to hear her and turned back to Aubrey. This was my opportunity to get them to leave. “You might want to check with the gate agents. They’ll know more than I would, I’m afraid.”
Aubrey nodded and turned, but Kiernan stayed put, staring down the hall. “You sure they’re all off?”
“I’m certain, yes,” I replied, fighting the urge to physically shove her in the other direction. It said a lot about my self-restraint—to be so close and still be able to resist decking her.
She hesitated, then turned to follow Aubrey, but it wasn’t fast enough. A hair-curling scream rocked the terminal, freezing everyone—including Kiernan and Aubrey—in place. The three of us whirled toward the gangway where two burly security officers escorted a tall guy in a bright red hoodie down the gangway.
A guy who looked freakishly like the picture in Ginger’s file.
“Let go of me,” he screamed, pulling against the taller officer’s grip. “I didn’t do anything!”
“What happened?” I asked when they reached the end of the hall. Kiernan and Aubrey waited off to the side for their chance to pounce.
“He went nuts halfway through the flight from Paris,” one of the officers said. “Started yelling about blood and brains or something.”
“Sent the entire cabin into an uproar. Everyone panicked,” the other said with a sneer. He gave Ben a good shake. “Police are on their way to have a little chat with him.”
They turned and started down the hall, and I followed. No way was I letting Ben Simmons out of my sight. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw Aubrey and Kiernan trailing behind. They obviously had the same idea I did.
Stopping, I turned to them and flashed my sweetest—or the attendant’s sweetest—smile. “We’ll take care of your friend and let you know what’s going on. There’s coffee and cookies in the lounge. Feel free to make yourself at home.”
Kiernan looked like she wanted to argue, but Aubrey put a hand on her shoulder and pulled back. I doubted they’d given up—or that there were any cookies to be had—but I needed to stall them. Hopefully this would buy Kale and me the time we needed to get Ben out of the building and to safety.
Security led Ben down a side hallway and into a room at the end. I hovered in the doorway as they cuffed him to a bar beside the small table and closed the door. “You boys seem to have this under control,” I said with a smile. “Call the office if you need assistance.”
I turned on my heel and started walking, headed in the opposite direction we’d come. Think. I needed to think. I was fairly confident I could take out one, but in order to do that I needed to get rid of the other.
Slipping inside the first door I came to, I found myself in a small waiting area. There was a couch and coffee pot as well as a slew of outdated garden magazines—no cookies, though. There was also a bathroom. I ducked inside and looked in the mirror. First thing that had to go were the clothes. The material hugging my skin twitched and changed, morphing from nylons and pencil skirt to the sturdy leather of combat boots and an itchy black police uniform.