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And he had feeling this time wasn’t going to be any different.
* * *
Maggie lookedaround the plane in amazement. She had never been on a private jet—honestly, she didn’t know if she had ever been on a plane at all. She had seen them in movies, but…it was another thing entirely to know that she could enjoy the luxury, even just for a few hours.
And I might be flying to my impending imprisonment at the hands of a bunch of religious zealots. But hey, at least it came with a good Manhattan.Ally—Rinaldo’s partner—was seated at a table. She was a beautiful blonde woman in her early thirties. She was dressed modestly—in a long-sleeved shirt and a skirt that reached down to her ankles. She wore a simple gold cross on a thin chain around her neck.
Her smile was warm, friendly, and sincere. She was the type of person who just exuded a sense of kindness around them. Maggie couldn’t help but smile back at her. Ally patted the arm of the thick leather recliner next to her. “Look at you, you poor thing. You must be exhausted.”
“I…um…I’m all right, thanks.” She sank down onto the leather chair. More accurately, she sank into it. It was one of those over-stuffed poofy things. “I guess.”
“I’m so sorry about what Rin had to do.” Ally reached out and put her hand on Maggie’s wrist. “I told him to just try to talk to you, but he’s not the gentlest communicator.”
“I’m right here, lady.”
“I know.” Ally smirked at him and turned her attention back to Maggie. “I’m glad you decided to come with us.”
“Until a second ago, I didn’t know I had a choice. Still not sure if I do.” There were drink holders in the leather chairs—probably pretty smart for a plane. She put her glass in the holder and folded her legs under herself like she usually did when she was nervous. She shouldn’t down her drink too quickly. Last thing she needed to do right now was get smashed.
“I don’t think you’d let yourself get dragged anywhere and still be conscious.” Ally shrugged. “You strike me as the type to go down swinging.”
Maggie chuckled. “Too bad I can’t fight.”
“It’s true. You can’t.” Rinaldo grinned cheekily from where he sat, happily taking a glass of red wine from the stewardess.
She shot him a glare. “Still wish I had managed to stab you.”
Ally laughed and shook her head. “Don’t mind Rin. When he teases you, that’s how you know he likes you. Otherwise, he just communicates in grunts.” She locked the brakes on her wheelchair. “Once we take off, there’s a full bathroom in the back of the plane. It’s weird, taking a shower in the air, but it’s fun once you get used to it. We have clean clothes and whatever else you might need.”
Maggie couldn’t resist the temptation to take another sip of her drink. “I mean, there are less subtle ways to tell someone they stink, I guess.”
Rinaldo barked out a laugh. Ally looked mortified. “Oh, Ally-girl, she’s just playing with you. She’s that type. You get to look forward to the two of us mouthing off all day.”
Ally sighed. “Great.”
“The truth is, the past few days have been a wild ride.” Maggie let out a breath, trying to get her shoulders to untense. “I could use a shower, some clothes, and some sleep. Ever since Captain Break-In McTranquilizer-Dart over there showed up, things have been a little messed up.” She shot Rinaldo another stiff look. Rinaldo opened his mouth to argue, and realized he didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. He grunted and folded his arms, muttering angrily to himself.
It was Ally’s turn to laugh. “Oh, I like you already. Well, since we have some time to kill, do you have any questions? I promise I’m more helpful than our friend over here.”
“How much do you know about me?”
“Sadly, not much.” Ally picked up a basket on the table in front of them. It had a few single-serve bags of treats in them. She offered the basket to her. “We have only a few traces of you. A blurry picture here, a mention of a person who matches your description there—a few eye-witness accounts of previous members of the Order. So, we know you have an unnaturally long life. Apart from that, only that Raithe seems to always dog your heels. He’s always involved somehow.”
Maggie leaned in, unable to resist the temptation. She picked up a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies and sat back. She was still pretty hungry, and she loved cookies.
Screw it.
Screw it on both fronts. On not trusting them just a little, and not eating a bag of cookies. “It’s not that my life is unnaturally long, it’s that I just keep winding up with more of them.”
“What do you mean?” Ally frowned.
“I thought until very recently that I was a lunatic. I’m still not certain I’m not. But I…can’t remember my past. I don’t know who I am, or where I came from, or any of it. Eighteen months ago, I woke up in a hospital bed, confused and terrified. Since then, I’ve suffered blackouts and…seen things.”
“Like what?” Ally placed her hand on Maggie’s arm again, trying to be comforting.
“Dying. Me, dying. Again, and again, and again. And every time I die, he’s there.”
“Is that bastard killing you?” Rinaldo sat forward.
