Smith reached out and took her hand in his. “I don’t believe people can be graded by goodness. People are moldable based on innumerable influences and pressures. Goodness is only one facet of a complex formula.”
Val threaded her fingers between his. “How do you categorize those who are good versus those who are bad?”
He hummed and nodded his head. “I try not to do so. I’ve been taken advantage of by people I thought were good and helped by those I knew were bad. Good and bad can be mirages. In my experience, a person is a threat, or they’re not. Assuming shades of anything beyond that leaves you vulnerable.”
Val stared at him for several long seconds. “I am not a threat to you.”
He smiled. “I believe you don’t think you are. However, this attraction between us makes me vulnerable. Therefore, you are a threat, but you’re one I’m willing to engage, and any damage done will be accepted as a consequence of my attraction to you.” One thing he knew, there would be payment rendered. He just didn’t know what the cost would be.
The cabin crew announced prep for takeoff, and they strapped on their seatbelts. The wall between them was lifted for the taxi and takeoff. Smith closed his eyes and felt the vibration of the aircraft around him. “I don’t want you to think of me as a threat.” He could hear Val’s words but not see her. It was eerie. He smiled, although she couldn’t see him.
“I understand, but I cannot change what I see.”
“Then I’ll be vigilant to mitigate any consequences you may face due to the attraction between us.” Val’s words vibrated in his ear.
“Are you mocking me?” He chuckled when she groaned.
“No, I was trying to be reassuring,” she huffed.
“Thank you.” Most people would overlook his opinion or not give a damn. In the short time he’d been in her company after Mrs. Henshaw passed, Val had treated him with respect, friendship, and humor. A heady combination.
3
Val stared at the lifted partition between her and Smithson. His analysis of the relationship, the fact that she’d leave him vulnerable, was probably true. But she needed him to understand she was leaving herself vulnerable, too. Together, they could be stronger. “You’re not the only one who’ll be vulnerable.”
There was a hum of agreement from him. “Then I’ll return the pledge. Based on our developing relationship, I’ll endeavor to mitigate any vulnerabilities to you.”
Val cringed. “That sounds like a transaction. I want us to have fun.”
“As do I. And I believe I’ve been negligent. Thank you for the surprise trip to Europe. The planning must have been intense.”
She laughed. “Do you know how hard it was to get your clothes measurements? I dug through the hamper in your bathroom.”
There was silence. “That night about two months ago, when you said your stomach was upset?”
She giggled. “Yes. But I was able to get the measurements I needed.”
“And will you tell me how you knew where my passport was located?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I was hungry, and you had nothing in your fridge, so I looked in your freezer. Which leads to the question, how do you stay so bulked if you don’t have food in your apartment?”
The cabin crew announced they were free to move about the cabin and instructed them to stay belted in when seated. The partition lowered, and Smith reached his hand out. She laid hers in his. His eyes were closed. He had to be exhausted. The hour in the car was the only sleep he’d gotten last night.
“Genetics, I assume, play the majority role. If I’m hungry, I go to the corner bodega. The woman makes fresh meals.”
“And you what? Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there?”
He shrugged, still not opening his eyes. “It’s reasonably priced.”
“Smith, do you know how to cook?” She squeezed his hand, and he opened one eye.
“Do TV dinners count?”
Her mouth dropped open. “No, they most certainly do not.” She shook her head. “We’re going to rectify that.”
He chuckled. “The best-laid plans …”
“Oh, don’t even try to dampen my optimistic ideas of grandeur.” Smith laughed, a full-on, deep laugh that resonated through her like a tympany drum in the orchestra pit, finding her center and making her vibrate. Magical.
“I’ll use caution on my hydroponic pessimism.” He let that half-smile of his slide out for a moment.
“Be sure that you do.” She held his hand as he fell asleep, and as his grip loosened, she stared at his relaxed face. A wisp of his dark brown hair strayed from the swept-back appearance and dangled over his brow.
Val waived off the offer for the first meal service, letting Smith sleep. About two hours outside of Heathrow, she gently woke him. “Dinner will be served soon.”
He opened his eyes, and his warm hazel gaze found her. She smiled at him. “Did you sleep well?”
He sat up and rubbed his neck as the seat retracted back into a lounger instead of a bed. “I did.” Looking around the cabin, he asked, “Quiet trip?”
“Except for your snoring,” Val quipped.
His attention snapped back to her. “I snore?”
She chuckled. “No.”
He rubbed his face. “Okay.” He stood up and stretched, although he had to tip his head, so he didn’t hit the aircraft ceiling. “Be right back.”
Val watched as he moved up the aisle. She saw him stop, stoop over, then rise. He handed something to the man in the pod at the front of the cabin before disappearing behind the bulkhead. “Val, 3D printed plastic guns have the same mechanisms, but plastic, right?” Smith’s words came through her earpiece.
Val sat up straight in her chair, instantly alert. “Yes, and if disassembled, would make it through screening. Where?”
“Front right. A firing pin, I could see a barrel when I handed it to him. The rest was covered with a magazine. Come up the other aisle. I’m standing by the restrooms.”
Val slipped out of her pod and made her way up to the bulkhead, taking her time and making sure she examined every person. A man sat in the front pod with a magazine opened and spread across his lap. He glanced at her and then away when she smiled, his hand moving to cover the periodical. Val glanced across the space and caught the individual Smith had identified staring across the cabin at her—or at the man with the magazine.
She found Smith and stopped out of sight of both men. “There’s a second person of concern. Also with a magazine in his lap. When I made eye contact, he warded and covered whatever was under that magazine.”
Smith nodded, whispering as she was. The earpieces had been for convenience. They’d become a necessity. “How far out are we from London?”
“About two hours.” Val glanced at the cubbies on either side of the bulkhead where the crew for their cabin were visiting. “We need to alert the crew.”
“If we’re wrong?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “It draws attention to us and has possible ramifications.”
Val put her hands on her hips and stared at the ground for a moment. “And if we don’t act, the ramifications could be horrendous for the people on this plane and possibly others. Tell me what your gut says.”