Fatal Justice (Jack Lamburt #1)(41)
He sat down in his aisle seat, loosely fastened his seat belt, and thought of Margie. Seven days of uninterrupted quality time spent with his soul mate. Margie’s uplifting energy was the perfect remedy to his marital woes.
His daydreaming was interrupted by his vibrating phone. He took it out and saw a text message from Margie.
Margie: Room is awesome Kevin: not flying to HNW for the room
Margie: Me neither. Taking a bath.
Kevin: alone?
Margie: Ass
Kevin: hot crew on board this flight Margie: Bring 1 with u
Kevin: ur a perfect girlfriend!
Margie: Make sure he’s young AND fit
Kevin: uhm…meant SHE crew!!!
Margie: Oh! How silly of me. Just kidding…tee hee
Kevin: now Im bringing 2
Margie: Ha! Better take your Viagra!
Kevin: we’ll c
Margie: Might have 2 nap, wake me when u come
Kevin: I will w/ XOXO all over
Margie: Sleep on the flight, NO flirting! Bring energy. NO excuses!
Kevin: kisses baby
Margie: XOXO!!
Kevin heard the solid thunk of the cabin door as it was closed and secured in place. A few minutes later, he felt the firm nudge as the tug connected with the nose gear of the big airliner and pushed it back from its gate. He heard the familiar soothing sound of the jet engines starting, and the aircraft started its taxi.
One of the ladies from the cabin crew came on the intercom and began her preflight announcements to the passengers, which included the locations of the emergency exits, the reminder that your seat cushion was a flotation device, and best of all, instructions on how a seat belt worked, just in case there was a Neanderthal on board.
Captain Roy came on the mike and, with the authority that only a seasoned airline pilot possessed, advised the flight crew to take their seats: “We’re number one for takeoff.”
On the runway, the two engines spooled up smoothly and the familiar feeling of being pushed back in his seat as the airliner accelerated made Kevin feel at home. The tires bumped along the runway expansion strips, getting softer and softer as the wings started to rise and take on the weight of the big airliner, and then silence as the nose rose and the massive two hundred and fifty tons of machine defied the laws of physics and took flight. The landing gear was raised, completing its journey into the wheel wells with a solid thunk, and the flaps were retracted.
The symphony of events that culminated in flight helped Kevin shake off the negativity of the past, and he plugged his headset into his iPhone and relaxed to some classical music. He closed his eyes and thought of Margie, and his mood elevated even higher. He relished the feel of her breath on his cheek, the excited way she hugged him when she saw him, the tenderness in her touch. She was perfect for him in every way.
Except that she was married.
Airliner Down Chapter 4
One hour and fifty minutes before the event
“Good evening, young man, may I offer you a beverage?” the flight attendant asked the young man that sat next to Kevin. He asked for a Coke. Kevin opened his eyes and looked up to see if he recognized her as part of a cabin crew he’d worked with. She was tall, midtwenties or so, with fair skin, blue eyes, and strawberry-blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Her face was symmetrical, her body lean. Her voice and features were familiar, but he didn’t recognize her. He lingered a little too long on her name tag.
“How about you, sir? Can I get you anything?” Her voice was flat and uncaring as she smirked down at him with both hands on her hips, confirming that he had been caught red-handed admiring her physique.
“Hi, Beverly.” Warmth rose in his neck and he started to blush. “Maker’s Mark with ice.”
“Sure.” She handed him the miniature bottle of bourbon along with a cup of ice. No napkin. She unlocked her cart and moved it forward to serve the next row.
Kevin closed his eyes and rested his head on the seat back to think. The way she’d handled their interaction was odd; something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It couldn’t be that she’d caught him admiring her breasts. She must get that all the time, and she should be immune to those weak male transgressions by now. He’d read in a magazine once that, while woman were reluctant to admit it, they loved when their breasts mesmerized the opposite sex. The “hello, look at me, I’m right here,” while they pointed to their eyes during conversation with a lust-stricken man who stared at their chest was really just a socially expected reaction. Deep inside, it excited women to have that control over the weaker male sex. For a woman to be walking down the sidewalk and have men trip over their own two feet as they passed by was empowering. Didn’t seem like Beverly was too excited though.
Maybe Playboy shouldn’t be his go-to read for learning about women…
He studied her as she served the other passengers and saw that her cold demeanor had disappeared. Her smile was genuine and her laughter, while subdued and professional, was real. What was up with her?
“Daaaang,” an accented voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’d love to hit that.”
Kevin turned and saw a young man, about eighteen, sitting across the aisle from him. The guy was thin with light brown skin and short dark hair. His arms were covered in tattoos, so many that they ran together and Kevin couldn’t figure out where one ended and another started. Maybe that was the point. The only thing that he could make out was the one that read “209” in big bold numbers down the back of the guy’s forearm.