CHAPTER
4
TWELVE HOURS LATER
LONDON HEATHROW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Follow me.” Jessie stepped in front of Kendra as the steward opened the plane door that led to the jetway. “You’re in my territory now. I’ve always found that you can never tell what you’ll find when you get off a plane. You’re caught either in a bright shining happy ball or in a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s better to avoid both of them.”
Kendra grinned as she followed Jessie down the jetway. “Okay, I’ll let you get away with making me walk two steps behind you until we get out of the airport, but the picture lacks a certain dash when you’re not roaring around on a motorcycle. This has to stop soon.”
“We’ll play it by ear,” Jessie murmured. “But I can alwaysrent a cycle if you prefer. Londoners have an appreciation for the finer things like speed and convenience.” She frowned thoughtfully. “But we’ll have to rent a place where I’ll be able to store it.”
“An ordinary car or van will do me just fine,” Kendra said. “I suppose we can rent one here at the airport?”
Jessie shook her head. “No, we won’t have time. We’ve got to get out of here right away. We’ll arrange transport later. Go to the right at the next turn.”
Kendra frowned. “But that’s an exit. We need to check in with the passport control desk first. It’s required.”
“No, we don’t.” Jessie was turning right herself. “Just move fast and follow me when I go out that door on the left.”
Kendra’s eyes suddenly narrowed on her face. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Most of the time.” Jessie opened the door. “But when I don’t, I usually know someone who does.” She jerked her thumb at Kendra. “Out! Then take the next exterior door that leads to the parking lot.” She turned to a short, red-haired young man who had just come through the door and suddenly appeared beside her. “Thanks for coming, Fitz.” She gestured to Kendra. “Kendra Michaels, this is Fitz Marley. Now get us out of here, Fitz.”
“You called. I came.” The man had a distinctly cockney accent. “But you could have given me a little more notice, luv.” He was looking critically at Kendra. “I’ve never seen or heard of her before. You’re sure she’s worth it? I could get in trouble, you know.”
“She’s worth it. Get her into your van.” Jessie pushed Kendra toward the exterior door. “And if you have a problem, I’ll have Brice talk to your boss.”
He nodded. “Just checking. I know you’ll take care of me, Jessie.”
He smiled at Kendra as he took her arm and half nudged, half pushed her out into the parking lot. “No offense. I’m sure you’re okay, but I do have to be careful.” He guided her quickly toward a sleek, bright red van. “We’ll have you nice and safe in just a few minutes.” He opened the passenger door and helped her and then Jessie into the backseat. “And you can see that I had a right to question you. After all, you’re no Beyoncé.”
She gave him a stunned glance. “No, I’m certainly not Beyoncé.”
“But I bet you’ve probably got something going for you or Jessie wouldn’t bother with you.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and started the van. “I’ll give her the chance to tell you how awesome I am while I get us out of here. That’s not my job.” As he spoke, he pressed a button that caused the glass privacy barrier to rise between the driver and passengers. “We don’t want anyone asking you questions, do we?” He took off across the parking lot toward the exit to the street.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kendra murmured to Jessie. “I’d like to ask a few questions myself. A huge van with blacked-out windows? And an escort who is evidently going to whisk me away? What the hell is happening?”
“Like Fitz said, we’re trying to get you away from the airport without you attracting too much attention.” Jessie shrugged. “If someone’s looking for you, they know you have to check in at passport control first. It’s a requirement. They could put a tail on you there and follow you until they could corner you at their leisure. Once we’re away from here and lost in the city, we’ll bemuch safer.” She added simply, “So I called Fitz and arranged to make it happen.”
“And was there a reason why you didn’t tell me about this?”
“Well, I thought it would save time and effort, and sometimes you have problems with doing things that aren’t exactly legal. I decided a fait accompli might be better.”
“Because the British government might get upset with me disobeying their rules and regulations?” Kendra wearily shook her head. “I don’t even know how you’re going to get away with it. I take it that this isn’t the first time you’ve done it?”
“It’s only a little infraction,” Jessie said coaxingly. “And if handled correctly, Fitz can usually get a pass from the control people. It’s always who you know and if you’ve shown you’re trustworthy. It’s not as if it doesn’t happen frequently when celebrities come to a foreign country. The last thing they want is a mob scene at the airport when fans recognize someone world-famous like Jake Brice.”
“Or Beyoncé?”
Jessie nodded. “Fitz has probably already taken discreet care of her or Taylor Swift’s arrival a few times. The country’s economy booms when they’re on tour here. I just kind of took advantage of an existing condition to make our arrival a bit safer. I promise this is the last time I’ll do something like this without telling you.”
“It had better be,” Kendra said grimly. “I don’t relish the thought of being tossed in the Tower of London on an espionage charge.”
Jessie chuckled. “You really don’t know much about London. There hasn’t been anyone held prisoner in the tower since 1941. But that was Rudolf Hess, and since he was the deputy to Hitler, you were in the right ballpark.”
“I’m glad to know that,” Kendra said caustically. “I wouldn’t want to be left completely in the dark.”
