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Something flew across the cabin, hitting Big Tag right inthe noggin.
“Hey, I meant Erin. I know you’re a delicate flower,” BigTag shot back.
It was usually funny to watch the Taggart brothers squabble,but she was feeling… She wasn’t even sure how she was feeling. She’d avoided TJafter she’d fled the conference room. She’d spent those last hours in Bavariahelping Zach make sure the handover of the guard to German intelligence wentsmoothly.
All the while she could feel TJ’s eyes on her.
When they’d found their seats on the luxurious jet, she’dpicked one of the single seats instead of the doubles, or the comfy couch-likeseating Tasha and Kenzie were currently occupying. Kala was sleeping in thelounger across from Lou, having taken the seat before TJ could.
Cooper was in the cockpit along with Zach, who could fly theplane but not the way Coop did. Cooper had been fascinated with airplanes sincehe was a kid. He’d gotten his pilot’s license at sixteen, though he’d beenflying with supervision before then.
They were the only team who had their own plane and pilot.Mostly because the plane wasn’t the property of the Agency, and Ian Taggart wasallowed a kind of freedom with this team no other handler had.
No wonder everyone called them the Princess Team.
Big Tag and Theo were arguing and she heard something aboutleaving the kids alone and Big Tag saying he wished he could leave them alone,but they were on his freaking team, and poking to make sure they were alive washis literal job.
She wished she could sleep, but she worried if she did shewould see that blood on her hands again.
Or she would dream about TJ and make an idiot of herself bydrooling and calling out his name.
Kala’s eyes came open, and she yawned. “You okay?”
She was getting a lot of that today. “Sure.” She leaned overand snuck a peek at the front of the plane.
TJ was sitting by himself on the couch across from whereKenzie was napping and Tasha was working on her laptop. He sat there, staringout the window at the night around them.
He looked sad and lonely and remote.
“You’re not okay.” Kala stretched and leaned forward.“You’re weird, and I’m wondering what’s going on in your head. You know no onereally believes you two were playing at the conference table. What did he do toyou? Try to pull your skirt up and touch your thigh or something? You know youcan punch him in the face. Or tell me and I’ll do it for you.”
She wasn’t ready to have this conversation with her bestie,but she suddenly remembered one she did need to have. “I didn’t think youneeded my permission to do that.”
Kala frowned. Lou could tell a lot from Kala’s frowns. Somepeople had a bunch of different smiles, but Kala’s mood could always be mapped byher frowns. This one was her “what do you know that I should have hidden betterfrom you” frown. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was good to have Kala on the ropes for once. She wasn’ttruly pissed about what Kala had done in high school, but she wanted to makesure she wasn’t still doing it. “I had a date with Dennis Sims right beforethis mission.”
There was Kala’s “I should know this, but I don’t” frown.“Going to have to refresh my memory.”
“Prom.”
And a “yeah, I got caught” frown. “I told that asshole whatwould happen if he told you.” She shook her head. “Wait. You had a date withthat asshole? How did you have a date with him?”
“We matched on a dating app and I was curious,” Louadmitted. “And I don’t think he’s an asshole. I think he was young and stupid.He seems nice now. He pointed out that you and TJ kept a lot of people awayfrom me in high school.”
Kala’s eyes hooded. “I was trying to protect you.”
Lou reached out and put a hand over hers. She’d been soyoung, and she’d clung to Kala. Now she realized how much Kala had clung toher, too. “I know and I appreciate it. You were right. It was better for me tothink he was just a jerk. I would have been so embarrassed had I known the restof it. I wasn’t calling you out.”
The hint of a smile hit her best friend’s lips. “Youweren’t?”
“Maybe a little, but I do appreciate everything you did toprotect me while we were in school. But we’re not in school anymore, and I needyou to be more receptive to me bringing other people into our circle.”
“People like Dennis?” Kala asked.
“I don’t know. Probably not. I met with him because I wascurious, but I do know that I need more than this job. I’m lonely.”
A sad expression crossed Kala’s face. “I thought that waswhy we had each other.”
