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Well, fuck me sideways.
I’m speechless as he laces his fingers through mine, tugging me to him.
“You good with that, Miss Morgan?”
Leif doesn’t give me time to argue, and I don’t want to, either.
CHAPTER 4
LEIF
Ithought we were going to end up spending the weekend at the airport because Cassidy is just that stubborn. So, her capitulation comes as a complete surprise. Although, it does make me wonder how hard the events of the day have hit her. I’m not the kind of man who takes kindly to sudden changes, even if life has forced me to bend on occasions. I’m a planner, but the follow through is as important for me as the rest.
Learning all flights are grounded until Sunday evening—possibly Monday night, depending on how quickly the storm moves west—has completely scarpered her trip to Turkey. I don’t know why, but I can sense it’s important to her, which only makes it harder to stand by and watch while she argues with the airline clerk at the information desk.
“What am I supposed to do without my case?” Cassidy looks between the airline clerk and me. Panic flares in her dark eyes, giving her a deer in the headlights expression that has me inching closer in case she has another breakdown. “My clothes, my…my…everything is in there.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the clerk replies, placing a handful of slips in front of us. “This is a voucher for fifteen percent off any of the hotels listed here.” He circles the list before removing on to another slip of paper. “And here are the details on reimbursement for any essentials you need to purchase. There is a list here on what items are eligible.”
“This isn’t what you were asked,” I interject, taking the slips so that the clerk has to look me in the eyes.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t tell you anymore about the luggage status except that once we have located it, we will call your girlfriend. In case we can’t locate it before your flight, we will ensure it is sent back to Heathrow.”
“You couldn’t write this shit,” Cassidy grumbles under her breath. Tears are brimming in her eyes, so I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me.
“We’re going to get your case back, I promise.” Scrunching the papers in my hand, I place them back down on the desk. If Cassidy needs anything this weekend, I’ll be the one giving it to her. “When do you expect to know more about the luggage situation?”
“Unfortunately, the only information I have right now is that the baggage handlers are working as fast as they can. However, with the snowstorm coming in a lot stronger than we expected, for health and safety reasons we may not be able to sort through all the bags.”
Cassidy slumps before she roughly combs her hands through her long hair and tugs through the knots with a vigour that makes me wince. “I can’t… this is fucking ridiculous. I just want my case with my things, and—”
The instant her voice breaks, I snatch up the information the clerk gave us and guide Cassidy to the side, along with my carry-on luggage. The crowd of people behind us is growing by the second, their complaints adding to the tension in the air. There’s only one thing that matters to me right now, and that’s protecting Cassidy.
“Let’s get out of here. When we get to the hotel, I’ll have them chase the issue along with us. Is that all right?”
“All my stuff,” Cassidy whimpers, her glassy stare flickering to mine. “It’s all in my case. My clothes and… and my dad.”
“What? Your dad?”
“His ashes, Leif.”
Fuck. “We’re going to get him back to you. Trust me, Cassidy. I’m a man of my word.”
Hitching our backpacks higher up my shoulders, I then lead her to the pick-up spot where the private hire car is waiting for me. One of the great things about allowing my brother to make all the arrangements for this trip is that his wife thinks of all the small details, including getting around the city in the most time efficient way. The taxis here are a nightmare, and public transport is unreliable at best. The last thing anyone wants is to spend a long weekend waiting for cabs, buses, or trains.
When we exit the terminal, the driver is waiting with a big sign reading: Grizzly. He’s wearing a thick black coat, hat, and holding gloves in his free hand. He looks part Russian spy, part Arctic explorer. I feel cold before we’ve even left the terminal, and with Cassidy’s highly emotional state, I bet the cold draught blowing through the automatic doors is assaulting her bones.
Wrapping my arm tighter around her, I quickly guide us to the waiting black SUV. The driver’s attire and the vehicle he’s driving are all the warnings I need to know that this blizzard is going to get really fucking bad. Before we both freeze our asses off, I hand the guy our bags and make quick work of getting Cassidy inside just as the first thick, cotton-ball-like snowflakes start falling, slowly building in intensity when I get in beside her and we head off to the hotel.
Thank God for in-suite check-in. The lobby was so busy it verged on chaotic—something that is highly unusual for this hotel. Every time I’ve stayed, it’s always been pretty calm. Granted, I’ve never visited during a giant snowstorm. Regardless, I’m over the moon that we don’t have to wait around for room keys and what not.
“Can I leave that with you?” I ask the concierge taking us up to the club level, referring to the situation with Cassidy’s luggage. “We’re going to keep chasing, too. The contents of the case are really important.”
Cassidy gives me a small, one-sided smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, and a part of me wants to reach over and tickle the hell out of her to see something other than her moroseness. However, I also understand that she’s scared there’s a possibility she might not get her case back, and as with all shitty scenarios in life, in those times, all you need is some peace and quiet to work things out in your head.
“Don’t worry, sir, you can leave it with me. I will keep you updated on the lady’s luggage,” he says as the doors ping open and he introduces us to the butler who will be assisting us during our stay.
The concierge tells the butler about the issue with the luggage while we head down the corridor to our suite. The entire time, Cassidy walks in-step beside me, as if she knows she’s safe and that I will do everything and anything in my power to fix things for her.
