Page 51 of Air Force One (Miranda Chase #16)

“What are we forgetting?”

“Our sanity.” Mike was sure they’d left that behind long ago.

“Okay, I’ll grant you that much.” Holly rested her head on his shoulder for half a second, maybe a whole one.

“Didn’t we wake up this morning at Taz and Jeremy’s?”

“Only if you count days since we last slept. By the old American Pony Express method of timekeeping, that was yesterday. Maybe even two days ago, but I’ve lost track.”

“That sounds like one of Miranda’s weird rules.”

“Pony riders said it was the next day after you slept at night or when the sun rose.”

Mike didn’t know why he’d asked. “I wonder what the sensible world is up to.”

Holly flicked her seatback screen to the news channel. They were tucking Air Force One into a dry dock. Two massive wings rested on the pier beside it. Even as they watched, a helicopter lowered an airplane engine close beside the other three.

“They found Number Four.”

“Miranda will be one happy little vegemite, totally in her element.”

“What do you think she’ll—”

“Mike,” she stopped him. “I think we’ve got enough to worry about without her. She’s got Andi, Taz, Jeremy, and all the powers that be in her pocket.”

“Whereas we’ve got us.”

“I wish you hadn’t insisted on coming. This is going to be so damned risky…”

This time he was the one who shut her down. “It’s not open for debate. Besides, what are the chances of this working without me. Repeat after me…”

“Less than zero,” they said in unison.

But it didn’t stop him from trying to figure out how much more than zero their chances were together. Not much. Last time, when he’d let her go on a mission alone, he’d aged by years. That was never going to happen again.