Page 46 of Final Approach

“I’m going to finish the rest of my shift,” Lainie said, “but I’ll check in on you before I leave.”

Kristine gave her friend a hug and Lainie disappeared out the door.

She motioned for Andrew to have a seat. He did, taking in her appearance. Even after the night she had, being shot at and on the run didn’t take away from her attractiveness. With her hair in a messy ponytail, face pale, and worry lines around her eyes, she still exuded a strength he envied. His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. A text from Hank.

Where are you? I need to talk to you. I just remembered something.

In the surgery waiting room. Will meet you at the side exit near the cafeteria? Don’t think you should go out the main door.

See you there in 5.

Andrew told Kristine and she nodded. “I’m going to stay here until I can see Emily.”

“Of course. Text me if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you, Andrew.” She studied him a moment longer, then gave him a small smile. “I hope when all of this is over, we can have our vacation at the beach. I have a feeling we’re all going to need it.”

“I’m counting on it.” More than she knew. Maybe by then he’d be ready for romance and everything that came with caring for someone. He wasn’t ready to use the L-word yet. All he knew was that every time he thought about the future, Kristine was in it. He just didn’t know how that was going to work. Orifit was going to. But he thought he wanted it to.

Just as Andrew was turning to leave, her father walked back intothe waiting room holding two cups of coffee. He passed one to Kristine, then looked at Andrew. “Oh, sorry. I should have asked if you wanted something.”

“That’s all right, sir.” He held his hand out for a shake. “I’m Andrew Ross. Nice to meet you. Sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

“Greg Duncan. Likewise.” He nodded to Kristine. “Any word?”

“No.”

The man sighed and tears came to his eyes. He blinked them away and lowered himself into the same seat he’d been in earlier.

Andrew reached for Kristine’s hand almost without thinking and gave it a quick squeeze before he let go. “I’ll be praying for Emily and Dana.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He left before he was tempted to keep Hank waiting longer and made his way to the door. Footsteps followed him and he turned to get a look at a man in a black hoodie, head ducked, hands in the front pockets of his baggy jeans. Andrew stopped and the guy passed him, but he sure did look like the dude who’d been watching him outside his parents’ bookstore.

He started to ask him if he was following him, but the guy knocked on a patient room, then slipped inside.

Andrew shook off the paranoia and hurried to find Hank. The man was just inside the door talking to Tim Jackson and Sherry Hyatt, the agents assigned to protect him.

Hank looked up and walked toward him. Carefully. He never raised a hand to his broken rib, though, and Andrew almost shook his head. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The other two agents stayed back to give them some privacy but were close enough if needed.

“What’d you forget?” Andrew asked.

“I started thinking about it. You remember I said the television was on and the news report came on about the hijacking?”

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t really paying attention then, but after I talked to you, Istarted asking questions. One of the guys, Hopper is the only name I know him by, asked me why I was so interested in the hijacking. I just shrugged and said it was weird. He said I should focus on what was important and leave stuff that’s none of my business alone.”

“You think he knew Marcus Brown?”

“He didn’t come out and say that and I didn’t want to push too hard, but he didn’t like me asking questions.”

“But he could know something about the hijacking?”

Hank sighed. “I suppose it’s possible. Or I’m reaching and seeing things that aren’t there. But it wasn’t too long after that I felt like I needed to get out of Dodge.”

“Good job listening to your gut.”