He brushed a tear from her cheek. She gave him a sharp nod.
"We need to get to Anchorage if we're going to stop this." She got up and went out the door before he could grab his bag.
By the time he got to the car, she was already in the driver's seat. Fine by him. This gave him time to come up with a plan on how to procure a plane to get them there faster. He knew of a guy in Copper Mountain who might let him borrow his craft.
When Taylor got to Route 1, she turned south toward Seward, not north toward Anchorage. Kam turned to ask her where she was going, but one look at her kept his mouth shut.
A few minutes later, they were pulling into the Seward Airport.
"Know where we can get a plane? My license is still good even if I am a dead guy."
"No need." She pulled next to a small building with a deck off the front. There were Adirondack chairs gathered around a small table, and a husky dog lying in the shade next to a man who sat in the last chair. The dog lifted his head when they opened their doors, but made no move toward them. The man rose, though, and moved toward them with thunder in his expression.
Paul VanKirk showed no signs of his injuries that Kam had given him while they were both undercover. Kam braced for whatever wrath he had coming from Paul. He deserved nothing but the man's distrust and hatred. Paul said nothing as he fell in stride with Taylor.
The bell above the door chimed as they entered. A woman in her mid-thirties came out from the back. "I'm sorry, but all flights up to the glacier are cancelled today due to weather on the mountain."
"We're not here for a tour. Is your pilot, Luca, here?" Paul flashed her a warm smile.
The woman smiled back. "He is. Is there something I can do to help you?"
A solid-looking man with aviators stepped up beside the woman. "Is that you, Agent VanKirk? It's good to see you up and moving."
Luca stuck his hand out and shook Paul's. "Thank you doesn't seem like enough," Paul responded. Taylor cleared her throat, and Paul dipped his head before asking. "I was wondering if you could take us to Anchorage?"
"I was getting ready to head that way. One of the dogs needs some medicine that's being held up in Anchorage."
"Great. We need to get there as soon as possible." Paul offered no reason.
Kam wasn't sure why Paul was here, except he seemed to know this pilot, which solved a huge problem for them.
Luca looked at each of them in turn, then picked up the clipboard lying on the counter in front of him. "We'll be lifting off in five."
The woman followed Luca out to the tarmac, whispering as she went. She helped him fuel up and prep the helicopter.
Paul turned to face Kam. "Thanks for getting us a ride to Anchorage."
"I'm going to be very clear. I did this for Ertz. Not you. I'm still not sure we should be taking you, but Schulz seems to trust you."
"I'm sorry for what…"
Paul put up his hand. "That's between you and God. For now, we've got a traitor to capture and military secrets to get back."
Paul pushed out the door to the tarmac, and Taylor followed him. Paul was right. Kam needed to keep his head in the game; the woman he loved's freedom was being threatened. He andVanKirk didn't have to be friends; they just needed to work together to keep Taylor safe.
CHAPTER 7
Taylor did not like large airports. When she flew to Seattle, Senator Schulz had her fly with him which allowed her to bypass all of this. People being herded through security. Parents trying to keep their toddler entertained while in the throws of a meltdown. The impatient businessman throwing disgruntled looks at everyone that slowed him down. So many people.
She blew a stray hair out of her face while picking up the book on the table. Kam's contact was able to find that Wyatt Nixon booked a one way ticket to Costa Rica. Now all she had to do was spot the social media manager coming through security and confirm that he still had the USB drive.
She was still having a hard time believing that Wyatt was the one who betrayed them all. He seemed so kind, but more importantly, patriotic. He was a fourth generation serviceman who was medically discharged. After a quick search, Paul discovered that Wyatt was drowning in debt. There were other ways to get out of debt. You didn't have to betray your country.
Paul had spent the whole ride here silently scowling at Kam in the back seat of the helicopter. Whatever had happened between them while they were both working to take down Ianwas something big. She hoped that some day they'd be able to realize they were both on the same side. Paul was her friend and Kam was quickly becoming the man she wanted to love for the rest of her life. She hoped that the two parts of her life would at least tolerate each other.
She connected to a three-way call with Paul and Kam via the phone and bluetooth set that Max gave her. "I can't wait to see him again."
"I'm sure he'll be excited to see you," Kam responded with the fake conversation. She smiled to herself. He remembered the story about how she and her best friend used to have secret conversations on the phone when they knew one of their parents or her siblings were listening.
