“Yes. Always.”
“I wish I could be there with you,” he said softly.
Her heart squeezed. “You are.” She did her best to steel herself. “Ready?”
“Are you?”
She gripped the bottle tightly. “I’m ready.”
“OK, let’s do it.”
“God reise, my sweet babies,” Jannie whispered.
“Good journey” in Norwegian felt better than goodbye.
She looked toward the horizon where the sun had started its final descent, then nodded at Nick. “One … two …”
“Three!” Nick said, and Jannie sent the bottle sailing.
It glinted golden in the setting sun over the water before landing, bobbing a few times as if in farewell before it disappeared into the endless waters of the Atlantic.
CHAPTER 29
Nick
“Damn, man, you look like shit.”
Nick smirked. “Nice to see you, too.”
He moved aside, allowing his three friends to step into the luxurious hotel suite he’d called home for the past five months. The company’s new owners had been generous, offering every benefit to keep him on board, but they had also been stringing him along. They repeatedly promised him time off soon, but “soon” never came, and five months later, he was more frustrated than ever.
“Nice digs,” Colt said, glancing around and heading straight for the minibar.
“It’s like a fucking sauna out there,” Max grumbled, striding in. “I broke a sweat just walking from the car to the hotel door.”
“I know.” One thing Nick hadn’t gotten used to was Singapore’s heat and humidity. Most of the time, if he wasn’t working and was out and about, it was a three-shower day.
Jordan slapped Nick on the back. “Working like a dog, I take it?”
Nick gave him a wry smile. “You know it’s bad when you dread putting on your uniform in the morning.”
Max shook his head.
“Shit.” Jordan looked concerned. “That bad?”
Nick grimaced. “Worse.”
They’d been working him just short of what was legally allowed, and their promise to hire two pilots to replace the two who had quit remained unfulfilled. So, he was it for every flight, and he was runningon fumes. Any more hours, and he would become dangerous.
Jordan eyed him critically. “You’ve lost weight. When do you think you’ll get some help?”
“No idea.” In all honesty, he hadn’t only lost weight, he had lost patience. “Supposedly, they’re conducting interviews.”
“What’s the holdup?”
“I think they’re just fine with me and my FO doing the job.” Not for long, though. He had other plans, and he couldn’t wait to put them into action.
“Bee Cheng Hiang,” Colt read, picking up a red box out of a snack basket on the counter and turning it over. “The fuck is this?”
