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“I’m only trying to make things easier for you,” she said through clenched teeth. Her emotions took over, and she gripped the yoke a little too tightly. The plane dipped, and Jarik reached over to touch her wrist lightly.
“Focus on the kids,” he murmured in a soothing voice. It centered her, and she readjusted her positioning.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “It’s way too important that I succeed this year, and I’m a little worked up.”
Just then, the radio sparked to life. “This is King Khalid International Airport Control to Flight 446. We have a message from a Sebastian Walken.”
“Sebastian!” Maria gasped. She flipped the communications switch. “This is Pilot Maria Walken of Flight 446.”
“It’s been requested that you change your course to Riyadh to pick up some extra crates for your delivery. You have clearance to land.”
“Riyadh?” Maria said with a frown. “Is there any more to the message? I’m trying to get to Syria.”
“No, ma’am.”
Maria sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t get a hold of her brother, and now she had to reroute her entire plan? Anger surged in her, but she tried to keep a lid on it. She had to trust Sebastian. If he’d managed to rustle up more donations, that was awesome.
“Very well. Please provide new coordinates—we are changing course.”
After adjusting her coordinates, she turned her head and looked over at Jarik. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m sure we can find you a direct flight to wherever you need to be in Lebanon once we land.”
“You think it’s going to be that easy to get rid of me?” he asked without looking at her.
She couldn’t help but smile. Most men tended to bolt as soon as she gave them an opening, but Jarik seemed determined to stick around. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she liked it. A lot.
As soon as they landed, she left Jarik with the plane to figure out what Sebastian had left for them. When she tried to call him and still got no answer, she started to get anxious.
While she waited for a customs official, she called Tessa. Her friend picked up immediately. “Maria! Where are you?”
Was that a note of stress she heard in her friend’s voice? “Why? What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”
“Sweetie, relax,” Tessa laughed. “I tried to call you a few hours ago and couldn’t get you. I assumed that you were in flight.”
“Iwasin flight, and I was on my way, but apparently Sebastian had some donations he wanted me to pick up in Riyadh. That’s where we are now. As soon as we load the plane, I’ll be on my way. How is everything in Syria?”
“Good. Everything is all set up and waiting for you. I’ve put up the Christmas decorations, and I actually think we can pull something special together for dinner for the families. All we’re missing is Santa and his, or rather her, presents.”
Sighing, Maria tried to peer through the window blinds into the office. She could see shadows moving around, but no one had come out to talk to her yet. “Is Sebastian there? I’d like to have a word with him.”
“Sebastian?” Tessa cleared her throat nervously. “Maria, Sebastian isn’t here.”
She felt her blood run cold. “You mean, he stepped out and you won’t be able to get a hold of him for fifteen or twenty minutes?”
“No. I mean that I haven’t seen him since I got here. Sebastian isn’t in Syria.”
“What?” Closing her eyes, Maria started to pace. “What do you mean that he isn’t in Syria? He’s not in his office. He’s not at home. If he’s not in Syria then where the hell is he?”
“Breathe,” Tessa instructed. “Stop pacing. I know you’re pacing. Just stand still for a second and breathe. Are you breathing?”
“I’m trying.”
“Everything is going to be fine. You have the crates. I’m here taking care of everything at this end. Even if Sebastian is late, it’s still going to be okay,” Tessa said calmly.
Maria plopped in the chair and squeezed the bridge of her nose. She could feel tension knot in her shoulders. “What if something happened to him?” she whispered.
“I’m sure he’s fine, Maria. He was able to get the message to you, right? He’s probably buried in last-minute paperwork, and he’ll call you when he can. Or maybe he’s already on a flight. There are a hundred explanations that don’t involve Sebastian being in any danger.”
Leave it to Tessa to be the voice of reason. As she calmed down, she realized that her friend was right. There were plenty of innocent explanations for why her brother might be hard to reach. For one, Sebastian had a bad habit of ignoring her when he knew that she would be mad at him, and at this point, she was furious. He was no doubt avoiding her phone calls on purpose. “Thank you, Tessa.” The door to the office opened, and she immediately stood up. “I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know when I can get back in the air again, okay?”
