A long sigh could be heard, and the plane moved again as Boomer stepped inside. “Tell her thanks for me. I’m starving. I was going to stop and grab something but I got caught in traffic.”
Taggart patted the even bigger guy on the shoulder. “There’s chips and cookies in there, too.”
Boomer picked up the cooler and moved to the back of the plane as Kyle and Deke stepped into the cabin.
“Thanks for letting us use the jet.” Deke looked delicious in a plain T-shirt and jeans. “It’s going to be easier to keep Maddie off the radar this way. I’m worried Byrne knows where she’s been.”
“I’m not,” MaeBe countered. “She showed me what she did to cover her tracks, and it’s a solid plan. Her cousin is even taking the phone with her back to LA this afternoon. According to her phone locator records, she’s had a nice spa vacay and is getting back right on time.”
Her cousin was dropping the phone into her mailbox, and she would be there an hour later to pick it up and resume normalcy.
“That’s good to know. I’m still happy we’re on a private plane.” Deke shook Taggart’s hand. “I’ll update you as soon as I have anything. Thank you, Ian.”
“No problem, man. Tell Kayla hello for me.” Ian stepped back. “And figure out one other thing for me.”
“Why Byrne wants into The Reef.” It wasn’t a question out of Deke’s mouth. It was a statement, proof that he’d been thinking about it for a long time.
“It’s where Jane wants to go,” Maddie explained. For some reason Byrne’s mystery lady wanted to see The Reef.
“But you haven’t actually met Jane,” Taggart pointed out.
“You don’t think she’s real?” It was a scenario she hadn’t thought about at all. “Byrne didn’t know I was reading up on D/s. I don’t see how he could have planned this.”
“Just keep an open mind and let my team do its job.” Taggart backed away. “And Boomer, you ready?”
Boomer already had a sandwich in his hand. He gave his boss a thumbs-up. “I have a rifle and a camera. I’m good with both, boss. I’ll get any shot we need.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what other shot they might need. She knew they wanted a picture of the woman who visited Byrne at the office every couple of months. It was probably best she put it out of her mind. According to MaeBe, Boomer was excellent at a couple of things. All children adored him. He would eat almost anything. And he could take people out from long-range distances.
“We’re good to go,” Kyle promised. He sank down in the chair next to MaeBe’s.
“Don’t worry about anything, boss.” MaeBe threaded her arm through Kyle’s and put her head on his shoulder. “My Master will make sure I don’t do anything fun.”
Kyle’s eyes rolled but he did nothing to detach the woman holding on to him. “Brat.”
“You guys stay safe.” Taggart slapped the top of the plane with an open palm. “And don’t wreck my plane.”
The plane had eight seats, and she’d put her backpack on the seat next to hers. Deke stored his own carry-on and looked down at her. “You okay? The pilot’s finishing up and the flight attendant is getting more food. She should be here in a minute.”
She wished the very sight of that man didn’t make her heart race. Over the course of the weekend, she’d gotten two more texts from Dan. Why couldn’t he do it for her? “I’m good.”
Deke seemed almost disappointed by her answer. He nodded and started to turn. “Let me know if I can do anything.”
She watched as he sank down on the chair in front of her.
Mae and Kyle were quietly chatting. Boomer had what seemed like a never-ending pile of sandwiches to keep him company. Was she going to sit here and…what? Work? She wouldn’t be able to concentrate. She’d been given instructions on what would happen when they got back to her place. MaeBe would take over the security system and the cameras on her doors before they even approached the place. Then Deke and Kyle would enter the house and check for whatever they were going to check for and then perhaps she would be allowed in.
Her stomach was in knots. She had to go in to work tomorrow and act like she hadn’t spent the whole long weekend in a thong pretending to be something she wasn’t.
That might be the wrong way to look at it.
What if she wasn’t pretending to be something she wasn’t but rather finding a part of herself she hadn’t realized existed? What if she’d spent the weekend experiencing something new and exciting? Something she might enjoy if she let herself?
She already felt closer to these people in a few days than she did to her coworkers, and she’d known them for years. The act of being stripped down in the physical sense had done something to her emotionally. She didn’t open herself to people because she was afraid of being hurt. She kept telling herself that friends didn’t matter because she had her work.