Page 3 of Off the Grid
“Thank you.”
“Enough, or you’ll give me an even bigger ego than I already have. Don’t worry about the flights—that was a joke. I’ll figure it out later after I have McKenzie secure. Just tell Jo I expect some cupcakes or brownies, anything gooey and chocolatey really, as soon as I get back to DC.”
“Th—”
Leo hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He hated being thanked for things he felt were common decency to do. Given the choice between a vacation and saving an innocent life, well, there was no contest. If he chose Hawaii only to find out that something serious had happened to Jo’s friend, he’d never forgive himself. Leo had waited months for a break. He could wait a few days more. Manny would understand. It was hardly the first time his job had come between him and his family, and it wouldn’t be the last. Life as a Fed was unpredictable, to say the least.
Leo slung his bag over his shoulder and ran across the business-class lounge, ignoring the not-so-subtle looks from the people around him. He burst through the doors and kept going, not pausing until he reached the gate he’d seen on the board, the one flashingfinal callto New York.
“I need to get on this flight, now,” he said as he barreled into the information desk.
The attendant kept a pleasant smile on her face, unfazed. She probably dealt with more crazy in a day than most people did in a lifetime. “Of course, sir. If you give me your ticket, I’d be happy to scan it.”
Leo flashed her a grin and held up his finger. “About that…”
“You don’t have a ticket, sir?” The attendant’s lips twitched, but she kept that slightly dead-in-the-eyes yet accommodating expression plastered to her face.
Oh, she’s good, he thought.I’m going to have to be better.
“I do haveaticket,” he answered smoothly, and forced the frustration down as he brought his most debonair expression to his face. “It just happens to be to Honolulu. But there’s been a change of plans, and I need to get to New York as soon as possible. Please.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” she replied calmly. “This flight is full, but I’d be happy to get you on the next available one leaving in…” She looked down and quickly clicked a few buttons on her keyboard. “About two hours.”
“That’s wonderful of you. Thank you so much for the help. Really, I mean it,” he said, holding her gaze. The edges of her lips twitched appreciatively. He’d learned in his life a little kindness could go a long way, especially when mixed with flirtation—hell, he could only imagine the amount of mistreatment she experienced on a daily basis from stressed travelers. But sometimes, he had no choice but to play the federal-agent trump card. Abuse of power wasn’t his typical modus operandi, but if those storm clouds he’d been watching from the business-class lounge were any indication, this airport wouldn’t be functioning in two hours. If McKenzie’s life was really on the line, he couldn’t afford to wait. “But I’m afraid I have to get onthisflight, right now. It’s a matter of national security.”
Her eyes popped wide.
Leo leaned in before she got too alarmed and darted his gaze left, then right, as though what he was about to say were some incredible secret. Then he slipped his badge out from his backpack and casually slid it across the desk. By the time he met her gaze again, curiosity lit those dark brown eyes. She leaned closer, lured by his voice and his words. He almost had her.
“I’m Special Agent Leo Alvarez with the FBI, and I’m needed in New York as soon as possible. There’s been an incident. It hasn’t hit the news yet, but I need to be there before it does.” Not a lie, technically, just a very, very exaggerated version of the truth. “And I need you to help me. Please.”
The attendant glanced around before she spoke to make sure no one else was listening, as though the two of them were in cahoots. “What happened?”
He shook his head slightly and grabbed his badge, then stuffed it back into his bag. “I’m not at liberty to say, but trust me, you want me in New York.”
“Well…” She stood straight, looking down at her screen, then up at him, then down again. “I could call my manager, quickly. Maybe there’s something she can do…”
“That’s all I’m asking,” he said, letting gratitude give weight to his words. “Thank you. And your country thanks you too.”
He was laying it on thick, but hey—it worked. Ten minutes later, someone offered up their seat for a five-hundred-dollar credit, and Leo took the man’s place. While the flight attendants prepared the cabin for boarding, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed. There was one more call he had to make.
“Leo?” A muffled, sleepy voice crackled over the line.
He sighed. “Hey, Manny.”
“You do know it’s like four o’clock in the morning on the West Coast, right?”
“I know. Sorry, little bro.”No turning back now.He scrubbed the sleep from his eyes and pressed on.Goodbye, Hawaii. Goodbye, vacation. Hello, frigging New York.“There’s been a change of plans…”
- 2 -
McKenzie
McKenzie Harper woke up the same way she did every morning—to the beep of her 6 a.m. alarm. She didn’t press the snooze button. She didn’t grumble or groan. She simply reached over to her nightstand, pressed theoffbutton, and sat up, ready to begin the day.
Though she’d been born in Connecticut, New York City was her soul mate—it never slowed, never stopped. It was always go, go, go. Yet there was an order to the chaos, meticulous planning that went on behind the scenes to make sure each detail ran smoothly. The trains worked on a strict schedule. The architecture followed a specific scheme. The natives moved to a set of unwritten rules. And McKenzie liked to think she was the same—structured, precise, and constantly moving forward. Which was why she always began her day the exact same way, like clockwork. First, she eased out from underneath her covers and slid her feet into the slippers waiting on the floor. Second, she made her bed and fluffed her pillows, using an old design trick her mother had taught her to give them extra volume. Third, she brushed her teeth, allocating twenty seconds for her top left molars, twenty for her front teeth, twenty for the top right molars, then repeating on the bottom. As a pastry chef, she could never be too careful. Fourth, she changed into her workout clothes and neatly folded her hair into a braided high ponytail. Fifth, she repositioned her slippers by her bed for that evening. And sixth, she ate breakfast before her daily five-mile circuit through Central Park. Since it was the beginning of summer and the sky was a beautiful clear blue, she stepped out onto her private balcony with her morning meal—overnight oats she’d prepped the day before and a single-serving carton of orange juice.
Her true one-bedroom apartment would be considered a luxury size and location to most New York City residents, but this little four-by-ten sliver of paradise with a table for one was her favorite part. Even at six fifteen, the streets were alive with beeping taxis and barking dogs, with bicyclists and early morning risers. The gentle rustle of leaves provided a subtle background and a reminder that Central Park was only one avenue west of her building. She took a deep breath, pulling the energy into her lungs and letting it linger as a smile rose to her lips. A lot of people came to New York to be discovered, but McKenzie didn’t mind staying hidden. In a smaller town, her isolation might’ve been suffocating, but not here. New York was too alive, too bustling, too vivacious. Here, she never truly felt alone.
