Jill Shalvis - Smart And Sexy

Nope, when Alan’s will had been read, it had turned out he was flat broke, and worse, owed his investors big-time.

Which had been especially bad news for Bailey, because now she was about to be flat dead if she didn’t come up with some serious dough for them.

They’d come to her, late two nights ago, and had demanded the money, prepared to kill her if she couldn’t provide it. So she’d lied, said she could get it but she needed time.

They’d bought that.

Now if she didn’t come up with the money, they were going to take it out of her skin, and with the scare they’d given her, when they’d broken into what she’d thought was the impenetrable fortress of their Burbank Hills house, she believed every word.

Especially since they hadn’t been nameless strangers, but some of Alan’s longtime friends, his “investors,” led by the smooth, elegant Stephen Stonehelm.

At first she couldn’t believe that Stephen, whom she’d entertained and socialized with on numerous occasions, was going to seriously turn on her.

But he had, with ice-cold eyes and a colder voice, making it clear that if she told anyone, especially the police, then she, along with Kenny and her students, would start appearing as dead as Alan.

It was simple, really-pay them back or die.

Slowly, painfully.

And yet she couldn’t pay back what she didn’t have. She’d called Kenny, terrified for his safety. Since Alan’s death, he’d been moving around, working carpentry here and there, not sticking in any one spot.

Bailey had said nothing about how much she missed him because he seemed content with his new direction or lack thereof. But now she was worried that wherever he was, he wasn’t far enough away.

“Get out of town,” he’d said urgently when she’d told him what had happened. “Get out of town and stay out until this thing blows over. I’ll come back and-”

“No. That’s what I wanted to tell you.” Terror had filled her at the thought of him being anywhere near Alan’s thugs. “You’ve got to stay away. Please, Kenny. I can’t lose you, too.”

“Bailey-”

“I’ll go,” she’d promised him rashly, knowing that was the only way to guarantee he stay gone. “I’ll go if you promise to stay far away.”

“Check in with me,” he’d demanded. “Text me if you can’t call, let me know where you are.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Promise. Promise me, Bail.”

She’d made that promise, and they’d been in touch by text messages at least every other day.

Small comfort.

She’d called into work for a substitute teacher, saying she had a horrible flu and needed at least a week off. No way was she going to endanger the children she’d come to love and care about as her own.

That had turned out to be a good decision, because now she had the feeling that she was being followed-everywhere she went she experienced an itch between her shoulder blades.

They were watching her, waiting for her to find the money.

She needed to get on that.

She’d thought long and hard. If Alan had stashed money-and he’d been just tight enough to do something like that-then where? Their house was too obvious; plus it was now up for sale, and every inch of it had been gone over, cleaned, redone. It had to be at one of his resorts. All had been sold except the ones in Mammoth, Catalina, and Cabo.

Kenny agreed that it was entirely likely that the money was in one of those last places. She’d started with Mammoth simply because when she’d gotten to Sky High Air, that was where Noah had been going.

She’d put out word that she was going to Aspen to throw the thugs off her tail and had hitched a ride with him.

So to speak.

Noah kept his gaze straight ahead, dividing his concentration between the horizon and his controls, flicking switches, doing whatever it was he was doing to keep them in the air.

“The sooner we’re there,” she told him, “the sooner you’re free of me.”

“How did you know my name?”

“I-I don’t.”

“Liar,” he said very softly. “You called me by name a few minutes ago.” Apparently no longer afraid of her, or caring that she had her “weapon” pressed against him, he turned his head and looked right at her.

And she let him.

Maybe it was exhaustion, or the fact that her head hurt from all that was racing through it. Or maybe she simply couldn’t make room for one more fear-that being that he would let them crash.

He wouldn’t. He loved living too much.

She was banking on that.

His gaze traveled from the hood low over her face, to her jeans, to her boots and back, before he looked at the horizon again, jaw tight.

She knew why. He’d looked, but he still couldn’t ID her. That was what happened when she wasn’t all vamped up; she was a nobody. If she lived through this mess, she was going to love being a nobody. She’d spend the rest of her days happily being a nobody.

“You might as well have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the spot at his right. “Now that I can identify you to the authorities.”

“Now who’s the liar?”

He swore, and kept flying. “You’re not going to get away with this.”

“I have to.”

He glanced over at her, utterly bewildered and baffled. “Why? Why do you have to do this?”

“It’s complicated.” The understatement of the century.

“You’re late for a manicure?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said grimly.

“Try me.”

She stared at him, wishing she could. Wishing a lot of things…

“I know. You’ve got a hot date on the slopes.”

“No, that’s you.” She knew he planned to ski his brains out, then hopefully screw his brains out. That the thought had given her an odd ping didn’t matter. What he did after he got her to Mammoth didn’t concern her.

“At least it’s not a date with the cops,” he said. “You’ve committed quite a few felonies today, Ms. Hijacker.”

She’d wondered, several times today alone, if being dead would be easier than being in prison. But despite appearances, she’d never taken the easy way out in her life.

Inside her pocket, her cell vibrated, signaling an incoming text message. She pulled it out and read Kenny’s message: R U in Aspen yet? K

She swallowed the lump of fear. He was still safe. Safe, she repeated to herself, and that was all that mattered. For now, at least, they were both safe.

Inhaling a deep breath, she thumbed a yes in answer, because she needed the world to think she was in Aspen. Carefree. She hoped to God that Kenny was carefree on an island somewhere soaking up the sun, free of trouble.

She didn’t want her trouble landing on his head.

Unfortunately, Kenny attracted trouble like a moth to flame. He always had. He’d probably gotten that special gift from their father, she thought with some bitterness.

Thanks, Dad.

Ironically enough, Kenny had stayed trouble-free while working for Alan, but now he was directionless again, and that terrified her. But that was a worry for another day.

Say if she lived.

“Please,” she begged Noah, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be in charge. “Please, just do this. Just get me to Mammoth.”

“And then…?”

And then, she would hopefully find the money, hand it over to the bad guys, and go back to teaching second grade, go back to her quiet, sweet little world where bad things didn’t happen to good people.

He was waiting for an answer, so she swallowed hard. “And then you’ll land and let me go.”

“And you’ll what, ride off into the sunset?”

“You’ll never hear from me again, I swear. No need to turn me in.”

“Other than the whole kidnapping thing.”

“You were going to Mammoth anyway,” she pointed out.

He looked at her, his green, green eyes utterly unfathomable, cool, and assessing, his mouth in a tight line of unforgiving grimness. “Just for curiosity’s sake, why don’t you tell me what else I’d be turning you in for? You know, besides hijacking and assault with a deadly weapon.”

Deadly weapon, with a fat Bic pen.

He was going to be royally pissed if he ever figured out that her gun was nothing but blue ink and plastic. At the thought, a half-manic giggle bubbled up, but she managed to swallow it. God, she was so tired, exhausted really, and she gave in to her trembling legs, sinking into the seat next to him.

Noah was watching her, his aviator sunglasses shoved to the top of his head, which kept his hair out of his eyes.

His oddly mesmerizing eyes.

Yeah, she was losing it if she was noticing his eyes. She’d had enough of men. In fact, if she lived, she never wanted another man again.

Never. Ever.

The sheer, bone-deep exhaustion weighed her down. Staying alive was damn hard work. Too hard, and for a second, just a second, she let her head fall back to the seat. The movement had her hood slipping off. She jerked upright immediately, but it was too late.

He’d seen.

“Jesus Christ.” His eyes widened in recognition and shock, but his attention was jerked forward when the plane bobbed and dipped. He spent a moment dealing with keeping the plane steady in the sudden turbulence.

But what was lethally turbulent was her stomach.

“Bailey Sinclair.” He shook his head, his body tense as he continued to handle the plane, his legs working the rudders on the floor, his arms taut on the steering wheel, or whatever it was called on a plane, his entire body piloting while his eyes remained focused on her. “What the fuck sort of game is this?”

She drew a deep breath. “No game,” she said quietly. “I swear to you, this is no game.”

He took a moment to run his gaze over her features. “Goddamnit.” His jaw tightened. “I don’t get this. Start at the beginning.”

“I need a ride to Mammoth.”

“Earlier than that.”

Right. Yet another bubble of hysterical laughter tickled her throat, but she held it back because she was afraid that once she started, she’d never stop, and then she’d probably cry, and then…well, she didn’t have time for any pity.

Hadn’t in a good long time.

“This is where you talk,” he prompted.

He had his sleeves shoved up, his forearms corded with strength, his hands working the controls like a pro. He wasn’t a man who did anything halfway. He knew his way around a plane, the way she imagined he knew his way around anything he set his mind to. He was sharp, intelligent, and street rough.

If anyone in her world could possibly hear her problems and help her figure them out, it was this man.

But still, she hesitated. Yes, telling him would release a burden, and maybe, just maybe, get her some desperately needed help.

Good plan.

Except it could also kill him.

Bad plan.

No way was she going to jeopardize another person.

She was unequipped to deal with this. She’d grown up in a quiet, affluent neighborhood and had gone to a small, private college before marrying Alan and moving to yet a different quiet, affluent neighborhood.

She was so out of her league. She had no idea what to do. She knew she needed to tell Noah just enough to ensure he wouldn’t turn her in, but not enough to get him involved.

Was that even possible?

Looking into his stormy eyes, she had to wonder if she could get anything past this man, especially a lie. “It’s not important for you to know the details.”

He swore again.

“Just get me there,” she said. “You’ll never see me again, I promise.”

He didn’t say anything to that.

Good sign. Or so she told herself, and a ridiculous amount of an emotion she nearly didn’t recognize burgeoned through her veins.

Hope. He was going to do this, and he’d be okay.

Then he looked at her. If she’d been standing, she’d have staggered back.

Jaw tight, eyes flashing fury and a promised retribution that made her swallow hard as a little frisson of alarm buzzed through her, he said, “I won’t make this easy for you. That’s my promise.”

Noah still couldn’t quite believe his eyes, but she sat there in the flesh, wild strawberry blond hair rioting around her proud, terrified, nervous-as-hell face.

Bailey Sinclair’s face.

He should know; he’d stared at her often enough. Those aristocratic cheekbones, the fantasy mouth, the eyes that said she was so much, much more than a model and sex kitten wife of a playboy. The baggy, oversized sweatshirt and jeans had thrown him, but still, he kicked himself for not realizing.

The odd thing was, he had known. Somehow, deep down, some hidden away part of him had recognized her, which really got him.

Women didn’t get under his skin. In fact, not much did. Until six months ago, he’d been Sky High Air’s most requested pilot for a very good reason-he’d traveled far and wide all his life and exuded those experiences he’d had in every step he took. He’d never settled down, never called one particular place home, and had never wanted to.