Latest from the Janitors, Asps, and Other Books - Bear's War (Asps Sereis) - Patty has a terrorist aboard her charter flight.

 

Today’s excerpt is from Bear’s War, Book #5 of the Asps Series.  Patty has most wanted terrorist on her charter plane and calls Jim for help.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day.

m.j.

 

While Kye, Dusty, and Pete were being briefed, Patty was flying ever more southward, toward Miami.  She had taken time to plot her course from Miami to Los Angeles and knew she’d be very tired by the time they arrived, but wasn’t overly concerned.  Rolfe had told her the trip was about trying to close a major business deal and, since he was such a good customer—his interest in her as a woman aside—she decided she would be happy to accommodate the change in plans.  When she announced over the intercom they would be landing in about twenty minutes—as he had requested she do—Rolfe called ahead and told the man he was meeting of their impending arrival.

When Patty landed, she taxied to where she was told to go for refueling.  She had called ahead and arranged for fuel, down to having already given her credit card number, to avoid an over-long stay on the ground.  After she stopped the plane, Patty went to the cabin and opened the door for Rolfe, who left the plane to wait for the man who was going to Los Angeles with them.  Patty stayed at the door until the fuel truck arrived, before she went back to the cockpit to check on Harry VI, who was sleeping soundly.  Nothing else to do, she sat down in her seat and waited for the fueling to be completed and the new passenger to arrive.  When he did arrive, Patty’s eyes flew wide open and she felt a chill run down her spine.  The man meeting Randal Rolfe was none other than Ibn Mohammad…one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.  As a matter of course, Patty looked over the pictures of wanted terrorists on Jim Scott’s computer every time she visited the Asps complex on Jim’s ranch.  There was no doubt who she was looking at.  She thought of the Asp Jim had given her, which was in a mostly hidden holster on the left-hand side of her seat, but knew she’d never risk firing it…especially while refueling was going on.  She had no intention of risking her son’s life by blowing her plane up with him in it.  She thought of running back, shutting the plane’s door, and calling the authorities…but she felt she might not make it in time.  So she just sat there, took three deep breaths, let them out slowly after each was taken, and did some fast thinking on what to do.  By the time she got up and went back to greet her new passenger, she had her plan more or less figured out.

Rolfe introduced Mohammad using a Hispanic name that went right over Patty’s head, as she tried her best to remain calm and friendly.  After signing off on the fuel slip, Patty closed the door.  “Er, Randal…you two—as always—help yourselves to anything you want from the bar and fridge.  But do it early on.  Looks like after about an hour out and for some time after that, we’ll be running into a few pretty tough headwinds, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your seat belts fastened most of the time.  I’d hate for either of you to go bouncing off the overhead.  An uninjured customer always pays better.”

Rolfe laughed as Patty turned for the cockpit.  As much as she wanted to do so, she left the cockpit door open as she always did with a small load of people.  Then she stopped, went back to the door, and asked, “Randal, would you like me to shut the door, in case you two have any business to talk over?”

Rolfe glanced at Mohammad who gave a brief nod, then Rolfe answered, “That would be a good idea, Patty.  Thanks for your consideration.”

“You’re welcome.  Oh, one more thing.  I’ve got a few friends in L.A. who have never seen Harry.  Will I have time to spend a few hours with them…if I have them meet me at the airport?”

“That will be fine, Patty.  We’ll probably be there two days or more.”

Patty just nodded, as she pulled the door shut and let out a sigh.  While she would still be careful in what she said later on in the flight, a slip of her tongue would be less likely heard and, as she arranged things with various control towers along the way, she didn’t want to be overheard.  When she took off, she set her course directly for Montana, having no intention of ever landing in Los Angeles…at least not in the next several hours.  She did, however, call ahead and make arrangements for landing at the small airport in Los Angeles, and for having a spot to park her plane for a few days.  When her course was set, she immediately called Jim Scott.  “Hi, Hec—Patty Chickamunga here.  I’m on my way to Los Angeles and, since you and Joyce have never seen Harry, I thought it’d be nice if you met me at the airport when I get there.  Maybe you could bring Dan and Ethel along, also.  They’ve never seen him either.”

Jim, who was at the computer in the Asps compound with his wife, Holly, and Sarah Turner, Bear’s wife, sat bolt upright in his chair.  Before he spoke, he snapped his fingers and pointed at the phone near the terminal Holly was using, then the one near Sarah.  Jim asked, “You got a problem, Patty?”

“Yeah, Hec, I do.  Really looking forward to seeing all four of you.  Your two kids, too.  Haven’t seen Billy since he turned ten last year.”

“Okay, you can talk, but might be overheard.  What I say is okay…that is, they can’t hear me?”

“Yeah, that’s right.  Just missed seeing you the one time I came out there.  Sorry about that…of course it would just have been the two of you, since Dan and Ethel were in Hawaii at the time.”

“Okay, I’ll ask three things at once.  Any of them are wrong, you let me know and I’ll ask them one at a time.  You on your plane?  And there’s a bad guy on there, too.  And you’re headed to L.A.?”

“Hold on, Hec.  I want to see if I’ve got my plane on the right course.  I just set the autopilot.  Yeah, it’s okay.  Wouldn’t want my two passengers to get mad at me for taking them someplace besides Los Angeles.”

“Good girl.  Two bad guys on the plane.  They think you’re going to L.A.  Where are you going?”

“I’m not sure about the time.  I might have to make a stop along the way.  I’ve got plenty of fuel to make L.A. without the headwinds I may run into.  They’re too bad, and I may have to make a pit stop.  Thought I’d stop at Jim’s place.  I know he carries extra fuel, and that way I wouldn’t have to waste a bunch of time.  Think my passengers would appreciate it.”

“Okay, Patty, I got it.  You’re gonna tell them you’re up against stiff headwinds, want to err on the side of caution, and make a fast refueling stop at a friend’s landing strip, where you’ll be able to get in and out without wasting a bunch of time.  When you land here, we nab the bastards.  I take it you’ve got someone pretty hot.”

“Oh, yeah.  Harry’s right here in the cockpit with me.  Sleeping like the baby he is right now, thankfully.”

“Okay, Harry’s with you.  We’ll figure it out.  You just come on in, honey.  Let me know when you’re getting close.”

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