Page 94 of Trust No One

She drew in a deep breath. Blew it out. “After a while, I thought I heard some noises from the back of the plane. I wasn’t sure what they were, but I wanted to distract Cliff. So I asked him where we were going. Got him talking about the Maldives and his house there.”

She shrugged. “All of a sudden, you were behind him with that tie. And you know the rest.”

Dev took her hand and threaded his fingers between hers. “I am so, so sorry I couldn’t stop Kingsley from drugging you and dragging you onto that plane,” he said. “I was too far away, and I didn’t want to fire a gun with all those people around.” His hand tightened on hers. “You looked back at me right before you disappeared down the jetway. I saw complete certainty on your face. Like you were sure I would save you.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “When I saw your confidence in me, how you were absolutely certain of me, I knew I’d do anything to save you.”

“I knew you’d save me, but I was terrified,” she said, gripping his hand more tightly. “Cliff was melting down, and I was afraid that if he lost it completely, he’d kill me and make a break for it.”

“He wouldn’t have gotten far,” Dev said. “The gate area was swarming with FBI agents and DC cops. He wouldn’t have gotten past them.”

“Yeah. But I’d still be dead,” Mel said.

Her whole body shivered, and Dev slid closer. “No one’s going to have to worry about Kingsley ever again,” he said.

“I sure hope not. But Cliff is smart and slippery. There must be lots of people he corrupted. I wouldn’t be shocked if he somehow got away and disappeared.”

“Not gonna happen,” Dev said immediately. “He’s going into the most secure facility around. With guards twenty-four seven. A suicide watch. And he’ll need a public defender, because I’m betting the CIA is already tracking down the money he stole.”

“He had cash in the briefcase,” Mel said. She tightened her grip on Dev’s thigh. “A lot of it, judging by its weight. He bragged about it.”

“They’ll confiscate that, too,” he said.

Mel tilted her head and studied him for a long moment. Touched the side of his face. Brushed her fingers over his lips. “Thanks, Dev,” she said after a long moment. “For coming to my rescue. For stopping Kingsley.” She swallowed and looked away, remembering her fear. “I knew I was a dead woman walking.”

“That was never gonna happen, babe,” he said. “I was pretty sure we could grab him at Dulles. I knew you’d keep him distracted so I could sneak up behind him. And once I had that tie around his neck, it was all over but the crying.”

Mel swallowed. “I was so afraid he’d pull out his gun and shoot you. Or grab that syringe and try to jab it into you.” She sucked in an unsteady breath. “I was steeling myself to lunge for the gun. Or the syringe.”

Dev smiled. He cupped her cheek for a moment, and she savored the rasp of his palm over her skin.

“I was afraid you’d try something like that,” he said. “But I wasn’t worried that Kingsley would go for a weapon. Once the tie was around his neck, that was all he could think about. When you can’t breathe, you don’t think about going for a weapon. All you’re thinking about is getting some air.”

Mel began to shiver, and he curled his arm more tightly around her. “You’re cold,” he said. “Want me to make you some coffee?”

She nodded jerkily. “Coffee sounds good.”

A few minutes later, he eased onto the couch beside her again, then handed her a cup of the blend she liked, fixed the way she liked it. She smiled as she took a sip, then squeezed his arm. “Thanks, Dev.”

They sat quietly while they drank their coffee, Mel nestled against him. She’d almost finished her cup when her phone rang.

She froze in the act of lifting the cup to her mouth. Dev took it away and set it on the end table, and she scrabbled for the phone in her pocket.

She pulled it out and pressed the green button. “Hello?” she said cautiously.

“Ms. Melbourne? Bradford Allen.”

Mel swallowed. “Mr. Allen.” She touched the ‘speaker’ icon and said, “You’re on speaker so my partner Dev can hear you. What can I do for you?”

“You’ve already done all the work,” he said, surprising the hell out of her. “I’m calling to apologize to you. Diana Redfield called me and told me what went down at Dulles Airport this morning. And that her agents took Kingsley into custody after he drugged you and tried to abduct you.”

Allen took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Diana also told me that Kingsley called you after our meeting. He didn’t get your number from me. FBI agents are interrogating my assistant John right now, because he was the only one who had access to your phone number besides me.”

Allen made a tiny sound, as if preparing to say something distasteful. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Ms. Melbourne. And I want you to know that I’ve looked at all the information you and Mr. Smith and Mr. Wolf supplied. I was preparing to take Kingsley into custody later this morning.” With a rasp, He cleared his throat. “He bolted for the airport because he was tipped off by someone. It’s clear it was John. That’s when I contacted Diana and asked her to send FBI agents to the airport to apprehend Kingsley, since CIA officers can’t operate in this country.”

“Thank you for explaining to me, sir,” Mel said. “And I appreciate your call.”

“I apologize again for not being able to issue that arrest order earlier. I could have spared you that ordeal. But I’m glad you’re unhurt. I regret that you and Mr. Smith left the CIA. We could use more people like the two of you.”

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