Page 64 of Final Approach

Like recognizes like.

I turned my head to see him fully. A cheeky grin tilted his lips upward. “I grew up royal,” he emphasized. “A whole new level of wealth and pretentiousness. But don’t worry, I threw away that card a long time ago. I’m just like the common folk now.” His laugh was light, but tinged with a soft bitterness.

“Like, actual royalty?” I asked incredulously, my interest piqued. A royal flight attendant. Get fucked. “My mom was obsessed with the royal family. Obsessed, man. We had the china tea plate sets in a special cabinet and everything.”

She’d passed from cancer when I was in my mid-twenties, and my father had the maid painstakingly clean each piece of the set every month to keep it in pristine condition. Theresa had expected to inherit it one day, but not anymore.

He chortled. “Father would give anything to be on someone’s china set. But barons don’t get that kind of attention. The best he got was a small painted portrait in the Queen’s Palace, and I think it got moved to a renovated lavatory on the bottom level.”

A baron’s son. Nikki could be lying through his teeth, but I’d known people who came from established money all my life. Some men wore it like armor and bragged about it every chance they could like it was the only facet of their personality. Other men let the money do the talking for them in the way they moved and spoke without saying one word about their assets at all.

Clearly, Nikki was the latter.

Why would he give all that up? What skeletons was he hiding?

“So, do I address you as sir, or something?” I teased. My mouth dried up when his eyes darkened behind his glasses. It lasted a second, maybe a millisecond, but I’d seen it. What the fuck was going on with me?

“I only answer to Sir Nicolas in the bedroom.” He winked, then promptly changed the subject like he hadn’t noticed me squirming under his stare. “How come you have a $40,000 watch? What do you do for work?”

Great. I’d rather talk about attacking jaguars.

Sighing, I reached to run a hand through my hair, but the wrenching pain through my ribs stopped me.

“I own a software company,” I said, dropping my hands to my lap. “I was in Brazil to sign an important deal and”—I waved my hands in front of me like a burnt-out Vanna White—“I went on a jungle safari as a side quest.”

Nikki’s abrupt snort blew an errant ringlet curl out of his face. “I like that. This is our side quest.” He nodded. “What kind of software?”

“We designed an algorithm to analyze predatory behavior on the internet. It can identify patterns that supersede risky behavior—anywhere from consumer scams to pedophile escalation. We’re marketing it to private enterprises right now to increase our stock value, but my goal is to sell it to law enforcement at some point. The technology can save companies a lot of money, but it could save real lives.”

The board wasn’t in agreement with that, but it was my end goal. The money wasn’t in government contracts with restricted spending. It was in the private sector with unlimited dollars. Like Ravi, who had 300,000 employees and his own agenda for spying. Until I had paying customers and a board that believed in my leadership, it wasn’t my call.

Nikki’s low whistle cut through the dense air. “That’s pretty cool, mate. You must be one smart fucker.”

Right. One smart fucker who was useless to help today, and had become our royal attendant’s pity patient. The smart fucker who needed to get home to the board of directors in two days, or else I could lose my entire company. My father’s legacy. A lifetime of expectations imploding in a single two-hour meeting.

But … I sagged. There was nothing I could do about it. No call I could make, no money I could throw at the problem to speed up a solution. The stash of cash I’d packed was still on the plane, covered in a pile of jaguar leftovers. My laptop and cellphone were completely useless. I was completely useless, and Marley had said as much to me today by leaving me behind.

I would sue Aileron when we finally got out of here, but it wouldn’t change my fate. I had danced with the devil named Erik Lancaster, and by the time I got out of here, I wouldn’t have anything at all.

Useless, useless, useless.

Acid soured in my gut, mixing with the leftover avocado I’d just eaten.

As if sensing my change in mood, Nikki shifted his weight. A small bottle fell out of his shorts pocket. We both stared at the mickey of vodka on the ground before he scooped it up and shoved it back where it came from.

Was that for sterilization, or—

“Hey,” I hesitated, knowing this was none of my business. “Are you okay, man? You’re taking care of us, but—”

“I’m great, mate.” He flashed another wide smile and finished standing, but this time, he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “I’m glad you’re doing well. I’m going to check on Danny.”

He turned his back on me and slammed the door on the conversation. A gnawing feeling ate at my insides as I considered his retreat. I’d keep a sharper eye on our flight attendant.

Blowing out a breath so hard my ribs screamed in protest, I grimaced and shifted to my knees, then to standing. I needed something to do, or I’d go insane waiting for Marley and the madman to get back.

What was she doing right now? Madman lumbered around her like a protective bear every chance he got. With the way he’d wrenched the jaguar off me, he’d jump in to shield her from anything that tried to make them dinner. But anyone with eyes could see he was interested in more with our captain.

Who was protecting her from him?