Chapter 3

He’d touched her. Held her trembling arms. He’d started out with choices—to leave Sri Lanka on an earlier flight and keep an eye on a mother and daughter. A cakewalk. So, why did this feel like so much more? Catching a glimpse of Pearl’s fragility beneath her bravado ramped up his vigilance. She’d be fine. Once he got her to the States, she’d seek out her family and settle into her new life. And he’d get back to his D.C. routine. After his recent break-up with Bianca, Antonio would be staying away from the opposite sex. His ex-girlfriend had slipped under his defenses and wreaked havoc in his family.

Antonio settled back and devoured the light meal. His gaze ran over Pearl’s casual attire—jeans, sneakers, and a gray t-shirt—which looked completely different from the photos in her file. He’d also looked her up online. While married, she’d hung out with international celebrities and attended endless red-carpet events. Her polished make-up was in stark contrast to the bare-faced woman sitting beside him, whose flawless skin didn’t need layers of foundation. At twenty-nine, she still looked so young.

Unlike how he felt at thirty years of age—wars took their toll, and Antonio had spent a decade on the battlefield.

Judging from what Antonio had seen, Rajin would soon be caught and arrested for his war crimes. Those revealed tapes had placed him in a dangerous position, and self-preservation would dictate his next move.

The farther away from the bastard that Pearl and the kid got, the better. They’d be fine.

“How long have you been divorced?” He hadn’t just asked that.

“Three months ago, but we’ve been separated for over a year.” Pearl covered her mouth and yawned. “I was proud of the way we handled the divorce—amicably. And then I stumbled upon his secret life.”

“If you hadn’t….”

“I would have been blissfully unaware of the danger.” Pearl glanced over at her sleeping child. “We all have secrets, except some don’t involve killing other humans.”

Antonio raised his brows at her cryptic statement. Growing up in a family that demanded brutal honesty, he sure didn’t have secrets. The mystery surrounding Pearl Bandara grew, and he shoved away his growing interest as he stood and gestured towards the exit.

“Time to go.”

He waited while Pearl woke the kid, and then they were moving towards the gate. As they joined the departure line, Antonio spotted two men watching Pearl. Their focus never wavered as they spoke, and Antonio weighed up the threat. Well-built and capable. No carry-ons.

She looked up, and the taller man immediately turned away—his back blocking his friend.

Fuck.

Antonio stepped to her side and spoke softly. “Stay close, and if I tell you to do something, do it.”

“What’s happened?” Pearl grabbed his jacket, and he eased closer.

“Nothing yet. I’m just reading the crowd.”

The gate agent started checking in passengers, and Antonio used his body to shield the mother and daughter from general view. As they moved closer to the entryway, he began to sweat. The airport provided exfil options—escape funnels, but once they stepped onto that steel tube, they were sitting ducks on the tarmac. Escape and evade opportunities were then limited, and yet this was their only out.

If Pearl remained in Sri Lanka, Rajin would use his mercenary army to find her. She had little hope on Rajin’s turf.

A few minutes later and they were in their seats. Pearl sat across the aisle from Antonio, her child, at the window seat. Following his instructions, she slumped down, and kept her head turned away from the aisle as remaining passengers filed past. Antonio remained standing, and when the two men walked by, he tensed, anticipating a possible confrontation. Both men paused and glanced at Pearl before heading down to the economy cabin. Antonio watched them and noted where they sat. Once the doors were closed, he finally took his seat.

“Thank you for doing this, I really appreciate—”

“Don’t keep thanking me. I was due to return to the States anyway.”

Pearl blushed, and he cursed his abrupt response. Antonio wasn’t good with civilians—a disadvantage in his role as a diplomatic agent. That’s why he wanted to apply for the MSD position. He was born to be a hammer in the field. Niceties and flowery words were not his strong suit. Pearl handed over an iPod and placed a headset on the tyke’s ears.

After clipping his seatbelt, Antonio waited for pushback. When the plane moved, he released a tense breath. His pocket buzzed, and Antonio pulled out his phone. Martin.

Ducking his head, he answered. “What’s up?”

“Rajin is making waves. He knows about Pearl’s discovery. We have a problem. We didn’t get permission from both parents—for travel out of the country—based on the best interests of the child.”

“Rajin knows she’s leaving the country?”

Pearl looked up, fear evident in her wide blue eyes.

“Yes, but he’s not sure when and how. And he’s shouting about parental child abduction and wanting to invoke the protection of The Hague Abduction Convention. He’s mobilized the police and customs. They’re shutting down the airport… train stations… any exfil options out of Sri Lanka. Ambassador Durant has bought you some time, claiming that Pearl is still at the U.S. Embassy. Where are you?”

“Approaching the runway. This is going to be tight.” Antonio glanced back at Pearl’s pale face as she white-knuckled the armrest.

“Sir, you need to turn off your phone.” A flight attendant paused in the aisle. “We’re about to take off.”

Antonio nodded.

“Now, sir.”

“One second.” Antonio reached into his pocket and flashed his badge. He turned his attention back to his phone. “What about the charges being brought against him.”

“Happening in the next few days, but for now, he’s still in charge of the Department of Justice.”

The flight attendant returned to her jump seat and glared at Antonio.

“What’s Martin saying?” Pearl leaned into the aisle.

“If we don’t take-off, I can’t hand them over.” He ignored Pearl’s sharp intake of breath.

If Rajin got hold of her, she wouldn’t be seen alive again. Antonio couldn’t allow that to happen.

“You’ll have no choice but to step back.”

“Martin… no.”

“Once we’ve filed charges—”

“He’ll take the kid, and Pearl, and will disappear.” Antonio spat out the whispered words. “I said I’d watch out for them.”

“If you get arrested by airport police, I can’t help you.”

“Then let’s hope this bird gets in the air. I’ll call you from Doha.” Antonio hung up.

Eavesdropping passengers shot him fearful glances, but his entire focus was on the plane, which rolled to a stop.

“Rajin won’t let us leave.” Pearl’s whispered words had his heart stuttering.

Antonio never failed in the field and always completed the directive. This time would be no different. How much power did Rajin hold? Even if they departed, would the plane turn back? Pearl and her child were listed under their actual names. Easy to find if you knew where to look. Would Rajin buy into the ambassador’s lie?

Pearl and Antonio collectively held their breaths as the plane waited. Unable to resist, he reached across and offered his hand. Their eyes met, and he tried to smile reassuringly into that turbulent gaze. Her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath, and she looked ready to bolt. Instead, she curled her fingers around his outstretched hand.

“I miss Brussels.”

She frowned at his confusing words. “Brussel sprouts?”

“No—the city. In Belgium. I also miss Madrid. I grew up in Europe. My father worked with NATO, so I spent most of my time in that international community. Most of my friends were American—like my mother.”

Her grip on the seat relaxed ever so slightly, and Antonio continued with the distraction. “My father is a famous Spanish general. As a family, we eventually moved to the States.”

“How old were you? When you moved?” Her voice trembled.

“Fourteen. I hated leaving my friends, and it took a long while for me to find my feet in the States.”

“I’ll be the same.” Pearl shot him a shaky smile. “I haven’t been back in a long time, but I’m thankful for new beginnings.”

Antonio stroked a thumb over her soft skin. “You seem to be a strong woman. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

The plane inched forward, and he released her hand and resettled. Pearl visibly swallowed, and then they were rolling down the runway towards freedom.

A joyous laugh had him turning back to his pretty travel partner. With a fist pump, she grinned, and he returned her smile. God, she was beautiful. Antonio could see how she’d fallen into notable circles. There was this irresistible energy, and he couldn’t look away. Antonio had to look away. He wasn’t getting emotionally involved in her situation, not after what he’d been through with Bianca.

Thirty minutes into the flight, he finally relaxed and eased into a sleeping position.

***

“Hello! Dory. Doreee! Hello?”

Pearl woke to her daughter’s voice. Aysha now stood in the aisle, yelling in Antonio’s sleeping face. She held her damp teddy and her travel coloring kit.

“Aysha! What are you doing? You’ll wake him! And I told you to leave Shreddy in the bag!”

“I wanted to ask Dory a question.”

“Dory?”

“Yeah! That’s his name. Agent Dory.”

Pearl tried not to laugh. “Agent Torres, Lovebug. But you can call him Antonio.”

“I prefer Dory—like from ‘Finding Nemo.’”

“I don’t think he’ll like that. Use his name.”

“Fine.” Aysha stuck out her lip and turned back to the agent.

“Neo… hello.”

“Not now, bug. Let him sleep. And his name is Antonio.”

“That’s too hard.”

“I’m awake.” Antonio stretched and opened an eye.

“Not that hard.” Pearl folded her arms. “Both your names start with an ‘A.’ Aysha… Antonio.”

“Neo, can I sit here?”

The seat next to him sat empty, and Pearl picked up on Antonio’s brief panic. The guy clearly wasn’t used to kids. Pearl purposely kept quiet, waiting to see how this played out.

“Um. Sure.”

Aysha grinned and handed him the wet toy and coloring kit. “Hold that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Shreddy dangled by a grubby paw as Antonio searched for a space to deposit the wretched bear.

“My name is Aysha. Not ‘Ma’am.’ Not ‘Lovebug.’ Not ‘Ladybug.’ And don’t call me princess.”

“Noted.”

Pearl pressed her lips to keep from smiling. Aysha climbed onto the adjacent seat and reached for her toys. “I actually wanna be a fairy, but I think I’m too tall. A faerie can fly. A stupid princess just wears a crown.”

“Sure.” Antonio handed over the bear and coloring kit.

“Faeries need to be small enough to fly.”

“That makes sense.” Folding his arms, he stared at the tv monitor showing the flight progress.

Amused by the conversation, Pearl opened a magazine and pretended to read.

“Although unicorns can fly….” Aysha folded her little legs and pulled out her crayons.

“Well… like faeries, they could if they were real.” Antonio latched Aysha’s seatbelt.

Pearl shot him a warning glance which he ignored.

“Unicorns are real!” Aysha frowned and pursed her lips.

“In a way. They’re not all sparkly and pink.”

“Yes, they are!”

“I’ve seen a real unicorn, and it’s not pretty. It’s sturdy and sweet. Not pretty, though.”

“Where?” Aysha asked.

“In South Africa,” Antonio answered. “It’s gray and covered in mud. It has a big butt.”

“That’s not a unicorn.”

“They’re called rhinos.” He leaned towards Aysha. “Which are unicorns in disguise. They’re too heavy to fly back up to the clouds, so they hide their wings and walk the earth. They’re much stronger and braver than flying unicorns. I prefer them.”

“Well, I don’t.” Aysha glared his way.

“You should. Rhinos need our protection because there are so few of them left. And they can’t see very well. They have teeny, little eyes.”

Pearl covered her mouth when a giggle escaped.

He continued. “Just because an animal isn’t covered in glitter and sparkles doesn’t mean it can’t be loved. Did you know that rhinos can run really fast! And that they always have a bird friend with them—called an oxpecker. If their friend sees danger, it will make a noise and protect the rhino.”

“Okay. That is pretty cool.” Aysha turned to a blank sheet of paper.

“Told ya.”

“Neo, can you draw me a rhino?”

“Haven’t you seen one before?”

“Yes, at the zoo. But I want you to draw one—with his birdy friend.”

After only a slight hesitation, he took the coloring pad from Aysha and began to draw.

“Can you fix Shreddy for me? He no longer speaks.” Little fingers pressed on the teddy’s belly.

Antonio glanced over. “I think he needs time to dry out. Give it a few days.”

After stroking Shreddy’s matted fur, Aysha slowly nodded, seeming pleased.

Pearl watched them for a while before relaxing back in her seat. Her child certainly took after her mother—a social butterfly. In normal circumstances, Pearl and Aysha were a force to be reckoned with. The noisy team kept everyone on their toes. Pearl needed to try harder to get back to her old self. Aysha had already picked up on her mother’s distress, and Pearl refused to allow their circumstances to affect her daughter’s innocence.

Pearl knew how lost innocence felt—how a kid’s crashing world could crush their soul. She’d rather die than let that darkness touch her child.