Laurie unbuckled her seat belt, taking the hand he offered her. He helped her out of the truck, straight into his embrace. They stood in the open car door, holding one another. Neither wanted to let the other one go.

Dante heard a jet engine above him. He turned to see an unmarked, grey plane landing. It was nothing like the military planes that lined the runway. It was nondescript, neither old nor new. It was forgettable, and exactly the type of plane his dad would send for him.

It was time. He grabbed their bags and took Laurie’s hand. They walked toward the small, square building to meet their pilot.

The inside of the building was just as bleak as the outside. The concrete walls were exposed, unpainted, and bare of all decoration. A few plastic chairs were scattered in the largest room, which led out onto the field. There was no security, no stores or restaurants, just a couple of vending machines on the right wall. No one was there. Dante could see why his father chose it. They walked out toward the landing strip to meet the pilot that sauntered up toward the building.

Dante kept one arm around Laurie and one as close to his gun as he could without looking like a threat. As the pilot came into clear view Dante laughed, his face relaxing into a wide grin. He eased his grip on Laurie’s shoulder, taking a deep breath for the first time all morning.

“Your father told me you needed a lift,” his uncle called in greeting.

“Uncle Bob! I wasn’t expecting to see you.” Dante gave him a hug.

“Well, who else would your father trust to bring you home? Especially with such precious cargo.” Bob turned his eyes on Laurie, with a wink and a smile.

Bob had soft brown eyes like Dante’s, like all Stark men. Bob’s grey hair was wispy and thinning, his face was plump. He was broad shouldered, but he had gained a few extra pounds around his waist since Dante had last seen him. His dust colored jumpsuit was tight, covering every inch of his distended belly.

“I thought you were still on duty?” Dante wished he’d called his uncle instead of his father.

“No, no, no. I’m retired now. They sent me packing about a year ago.” Bob gave a smile that was neither happy nor sad. A typical smile for a dedicated public servant who ages out of service.

“Seems retirement is suiting you.” Dante slid his eyes down to Bob’s stomach, then back up to meet his uncle’s gaze with a mischievous grin.

“Just wait to you get over forty, just you wait.” Bob gestured to Laurie. “Now don’t be so rude, son, introduce me to the girl.”

Dante rolled his eyes and turned to Laurie.

“Uncle Bob, this is Laurie. Laurie, my Uncle Bob.” Dante felt the stiff muscles in his neck relax just a hair.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Laurie shook his hand. “Thank you so much for helping us.”

“Of course. Public service is practically the family business.” Uncle Bob held onto her hand. “Dante, you never told me you got to meet such pretty women at your job. No wonder you love it so much.”

“Uncle Bob, Laurie’s a witness.” Dante flushed, stuck between embarrassment and offending Laurie. “She’s one of the few women I’ve had under protective custody. Can we please get on the plane?”

“All right, son, all right.” Uncle Bob winked at Laurie.

Dante groaned inwardly.

“But if you’re smart, you’ll keep her.”

“The plane, Uncle Bob! Let’s go!” Dante said, throwing his hands in the air. His uncle hadn’t changed at all.

Uncle Bob chuckled as he linked arms with Laurie to lead them toward the plane.

“Now tell me about yourself, young lady. What do you do?”

Laurie smiled, wrapping her hand around his arm as she walked with him.

“Well, I used to work at a resort on the west side of the island. But I’m working my way through law school.”

“Law school? A lawyer, Dante. Did you hear the girl wants to be a lawyer?” Uncle Bob tossed him a look over his shoulder.

“I’m well aware.” Dante picked up their bags and hurried after them.

“You know, Dante’s never brought a girl home with him before. You must be very special.” Uncle Bob raised his voice so Dante could hear him.

“She’s a witness! I had to—” Dante exclaimed.

“Calm down, son. There’s no need to yell. I’m just getting to know the girl.” Uncle Bob led them to their seats in the cramped cabin.

“Please, Uncle Bob.” Dante gave him a pointed expression.

“All right. Now buckle up. Since your father is completely paranoid, we’ll be making a few stops before our final destination. I think two interim stops will make him happy.”

Bob went toward the cockpit and closed the door.

Dante buckled his seat belt, sinking back into the seat. He and Laurie were going to get off the island safely. That thought released all of the pent up adrenaline in his body, which pooled in the back of his chair.

Laurie on the other hand sat up stick straight, her eyes darting around the plane.

Laurie turned her head toward the window as they began to charge down the runway. When the plane began to lift off the ground with a roar, Laurie’s eyes went wide. She clutched at his hand with one hand, and his thigh with the other.

“Haven’t flown in a while?” He dropped his arm over her.

“Never. I’ve never been on a plane. Never been off the island.” She was breathless, as the engines hurtled them toward the sky.

“Ahhhh,” Dante said. Since Bob was gone, he kissed her left temple. “Relax. Just take a deep breath.”

Laurie nodded. As the plane leveled out, she sank back into Dante’s arm. She looked out the window to find herself among the clouds. She leaned forward, almost pressing her face against the glass. Laurie watched out the window as the wind built and shaped the puffs of white into swirls.

“Wow.”

Behind her, Dante grinned. He enjoyed her wide-eyed fascination. The scene captivated Laurie for several minutes, until they hit some mild bumps and she jerked back.

“What was that?”

“Just some turbulence.” He ran his hand down her back.

Laurie must have decided that pressing back into her seat was a safer location, so she relaxed against Dante again.

“I like your uncle.” She smiled up at him.

“He hasn’t changed at all. He got older, but that’s it.”

“Is he like your dad?”

Dante laughed so hard he sputtered and started to cough.

“No. He’s not at all like my dad.”

Laurie’s brow furrowed.

“Is your uncle from the CIA too?”

“No, he’s been in the Air Force his whole life. Both had incredible careers.”

“Like you?”

“Yeah, until I met you.”

“It is not my fault.” Her eyes turned to daggers.

“Uh huh.” He touched his forehead to hers. He kissed her, running his hand through her hair. Then he rested his chin on the top of her head. “I’m so relieved to get you off the island. I had no idea what I was going to do if my father didn’t call me back.”

“You would have found a way.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad I didn’t have to.” He squeezed her tighter. “I hope you brought some more books though. I don’t know where we’re going, but we’re at least five hours from the rest of the U.S. We’re gonna have a long flight.”

They did. At first, Laurie watched outside the window, but half-an-hour of cloud gazing is plenty for anyone. She had Dante pull out one of her books on criminal justice. She read for a few hours before falling asleep on his shoulder.

Dante had a much more tedious flight. He fidgeted in his seat, then got up and wandered around the cabin for a little while. Then he spotted a few magazines someone had left. He flipped through them listlessly. The hours dragged by. When Laurie fell asleep beside him, it forced him to sit and think of the last time he saw his parents.

It was his graduation from Marshals training, and his parents had come to Georgia to see it. His father had arranged for them to fly in only the night before the ceremony. It had irritated Dante and his mother made her disapproval quite clear. He had been away for more than four months of training. His father had refused to visit him at all, saying it “would be too obvious a target.”