Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

and pen onto the seat next him, sat up straight, and held out his hand to her. “Ray Collins. It’s a pleasure to meet ya…”

The stewardess rolled her eyes and shook his hand, playing along. “Louise.”

“Louise, eh? Tell me, Louise, what’s a knockout like you doing waitressing on a private jet? Ya should be on the catwalk.”

Julie closed her eyes and muttered, “I think I’m gonna be sick…”

Collins ignored her. “How’s about ya let me fix you a drink, and ya come and join us for the rest of the flight? Ya can help me with my crossword.”

Louise smiled politely. Her teeth were perfect and white, accentuated further by her olive skin. She squatted beside Julie’s chair, using the arm for balance. Her thighs strained against her pants, showing the muscle and definition that was previously obscured. She rested her elbow on her knee, then her chin on her fist, and looked at Collins.

His smile faltered a fraction as he noticed further muscle on her arms, straining against the suit jacket.

“Ray, this is easily the ninth time you’ve hit on me in the last twelve months. The fact you never remember would be insulting if your attempts at charm weren’t so laughable.”

Julie clamped a hand to her mouth a split-second after a loud laugh escaped.

Collins shifted in his seat, his confidence fading.

“Now please understand,” continued Louise, “I could bench three of you. So, I suggest you grab your pen and make a note of this so that it doesn’t happen a tenth time: if you try to hit on me again, or act unprofessional in any way toward me, I will break you in half and mail the pieces back home to your mommy, ’kay?”

She stood, still smiling.

Collins swallowed hard, struggling to keep the color from his cheeks. His shame vanished a second later, and he looked up at her, smiling. “Heh, take it easy, She-Hulk. I meant no offence. Just… admiring a strong woman is all.”

Julie watched him fight to keep face. He managed it, just about.

She looked up at Louise. “Actually, can I grab a beer? And… can I please keep you?”

The two women laughed together, then Louise walked away to fetch the drink.

Collins looked at Julie. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he held up a hand. “Not… a bloody word. And nothing to Jerry, either.”

Julie threw her head back and howled with laughter. “Oh, Ray, if you think this isn’t being mentioned at every possible opportunity for at least the next year, you are sadly mistaken!”

Collins sank into his chair with a heavy sigh. “Bollocks.”

Louise returned a moment later with Julie’s beer. As she handed it to her, she said, “Just to let you know, we’re about ninety minutes away. We’ve secured a private landing strip at JFK, and a local two-man unit will meet you on the runway.”

“Thank you,” said Julie, “for all of your exceptional work.”

They shared a smile. As Louise turned to walk away, she placed a hand on Collins’s shoulder. “Chin up, Skippy. Bigger and better men than you have tried and failed.”

Julie laughed so hard that no sound came out, just a low wheeze.

Collins looked over. “Aye… laugh it up, missy. I hope ya choke on ya damn beer.”

The moment of reprieve passed, and silence fell again for almost twenty minutes. Julie finished her beer and placed the bottle on the chair beside her. She wiped away the small ring of moisture from the arm of her own chair, where she had been resting the cold drink.

“Ray, can I ask you something?” she said.

Collins had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, resting without sleeping. He opened them, blinking hard to clear his vision. “Go for it.”

“This place we’re going to visit, Mama’s Bakery. How do you know about it again?”

He smiled uncomfortably. “As I said, Jules, we all had a life before the Big G, ya know.”

“Ray…”

He sighed. “Fine. Ya remember Patty?”

Julie’s mind flashed back to Patty Velasquez, standing in the port of Nova Scotia, pointing a gun at them all almost eight months ago.

“How could I forget?” she said dryly.

“Well, ya know me and her were… ya know…”

“Yes…”

“Before I was on the straight and narrow, I worked with her. She was on the up, building her reputation and establishing herself. I was her go-to guy for… well… for things I ain’t all that proud of.”

Julie shrugged. “You were a merc, Ray. It’s okay. We’ve all done questionable things in our time. You’ve put that life behind you, and now you’re with the good guys. It’s admirable.”

“Aye. Well, you ever needed work, you went to see Mama. She was the in to the true underworld. The world Adrian Hell ruled as King before walking away from the life. If Herrera’s assassination was a contract, Mama would know about it. Trust me.”

Louise appeared from behind her curtain. She pointed at the large screen mounted on the wall of the cockpit, which currently showed their flight path.

“Guys, you have a video call coming in,” she said.

They spun in their seats to face the screen as it flickered with static. A moment later, Jericho’s face appeared, looking down into the camera on his phone. The sky behind him and what was visible of his surroundings bounced around as he walked.

“It’s me,” he said. “Where are you?”

“On a plane, flying to New York,” said Julie. “Where are you?”

“In the courtyard of the presidential palace.”

“Well, could you stop walking? You’re making me dizzy.”

He stopped, smiling briefly. “Sorry.”

Julie smiled back. “Thanks. How’s it going?”

“It’s… interesting. Just had a confrontation with the Palugan military.”

“Aren’t ya stuck in there with the Palugan military?” asked Collins.

“Colonel Ramirez is essentially running the part that was loyal to Herrera,” said Jericho. “The people who came knocking are loyal to the general.”

“Ah, got ya.”

“What did they want?” asked Julie, concerned.

“They wanted in. They had orders from the general to relieve us of our post.”

“Sounds like it’s escalating out there. What did you do?”

Jericho shrugged. “I explained his orders don’t mean