Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
“Nice to meet you. I’m Tuck, Emily’s security.”
“Ah, great. Well, I don’t expect any trouble in the skies today, but you never know,” he said on a laugh.
Emily and Charlie bustled in, Cory behind them draped in garment bags and holding a suitcase in each hand. Russell stepped aside and I looked out the window at the airfield as they got situated across the aisle and then greeted the pilot.
“Want me to toss that up into the overhead bin?” Cory asked, nodding to my duffel bag at my feet.
“Oh, ah, sure,” I said. I removed my current paperback from the side pocket before handing it to him. “Thanks.”
Cory wished us a good flight and headed out the door, and Russell closed it behind him and returned to the cockpit, only separated by a short, navy blue curtain.
“Tuck, I’m going to grab myself a beverage. Would you like anything?” Charlie asked.
“A water would be great. Thanks.”
Charlie stepped to the back of the plane and returned a minute later with a water for me and Emily, and a soda for himself.
“Buckle up,” Emily said, turning her head my way as she stretched the belt across her body, her arm accentuating her breasts. I looked quickly away, clicking my own seat belt into place.
We taxied to the runway, and as the plane started lifting into the sky, I glanced over at Emily, who was staring straight ahead, eyes wide, knuckles white as she gripped the armrests. Next to her, Charlie calmly sipped his drink, completely oblivious to the fact that she was clearly a nervous flyer.
Which was confusing since he had to have flown with her at least a few times before this. And he’d never noticed what I could see in a single glance?
I turned my head and looked out the window. I already knew that Charlie was more than met the eye. And not in a good way.
The plane rose, and then leveled out, and though it was a small aircraft, the ride to cruising altitude was mostly smooth.
It was a beautiful day, the sky powder blue and dotted with silver-tinged clouds. I felt strangely free, as if all my problems were still on the ground, and up here, I was only me, completely washed clean of all I’d left behind.
Part of me wanted this flight to last forever. Nothing would take away what I did or who it affected, but racing through the clouds, it felt as though none of that existed. As if I’d never fucked up anything. As if I didn’t have a past that would be a proverbial manacle for the rest of my life. I’d been somewhat unwilling to “go there” in my head as of late when there were more pressing matters to address—namely, the ability to eat—but I knew I’d have to, eventually. I knew I should, eventually. But up here, the temporary sensation of freedom felt more than welcome.
I sighed, glancing over at Emily, and her eyes widened slightly as though whatever was on my face had surprised her. She gave me a small, wobbly smile.
Charlie said something to her, and she leaned into him, laughing softly and then taking his hand in hers, squeezing it. I turned toward the window again, removing my paperback from the pocket on the wall and cracking it open. For the next couple of hours, I buried my nose in my book, tuning out the soft murmurs and occasional laughter from Emily and Charlie.
“Darn, I left my lip gloss in my purse,” I heard Emily say from next to me. “My lips always get so chapped on flights.”
“Do you want me to grab it for you?” Charlie asked.
Emily unbuckled. “No, it’s fine. I’m right here. I think my purse is near the front.” She stood, opening the overhead bin, her ass in my face as she began rustling through the bags overhead. I dog-eared the page I’d stopped on and placed the book on the seat next to me. “Shoot,” she said just as a number of items fell to the floor and rolled beneath my seat. I leaned down to start gathering them.
Emily bent too, and our heads bumped, both of us letting out a sound of surprise, and then laughing as we pulled back.
“Sorry,” we both said at the same time. She laughed again, shaking her head and picking up a bag that was at her feet. It must have been upside down because as she lifted it, a pile of small baggies fell out, fluttering to the ground.
Emily gasped, squatting and bending toward the contents. “What is this?” she asked, her hand hovering over what I could now see were baggies of pills and powders. Oh shit. Charlie had brought the drugs I’d heard him discussing aboard this flight. And the shocked look on Emily’s face answered any questions I might have had about her knowledge of Charlie’s drug use.