Page 36 of Radar (Iniquus Certified Cerberus Tactical K9 #2)

Xander

Sunday

Washington, D.C.

“This is your captain. Ladies and gentlemen, that was extreme. Please stay in your seat. Tighten your belt. If you have sustained an injury, please pull the call sign above your head or have someone do it for you.”

Pings brightened the cabin as people signaled their need for help.

“The situation is over. We received signals indicating that we were in danger of a collision, and I took extreme measures to protect lives. It was difficult for everyone. I want to acknowledge that. Our flight has been given priority to land. We will be met with support.”

There was a buzz of static. The guy was probably giving himself a second to take a breath, gather his next thought, and wipe the sweat from his lips.

“When we land. It will be your inclination to want to leave the cabin or move about, gathering your scattered items. I must insist that you remain seated while we assess and assist the injured. They are the priority. I am in contact with the tower. The instruments and all equipment on the airplane are functioning properly. The sound you are about to hear is our landing gear descending into place. We’re all taking nice deep breaths.

My copilot and I are in control. We will be down in a moment. ”

The sound of the wheels extending was overly loud.

Xander was desperate to get to Elyssa and make sure she was okay.

And White would say it was wrong of him, and he shouldn’t get enmeshed. But here he was digging himself in a little deeper.

“Radar, find Elyssa. Go find her. Find Elyssa.”

Radar hadn’t needed to be told twice.

The woman on the aisle swung her legs out of the way as Radar squeezed by.

There was a stir from the passengers as the massive unaccompanied German Shepherd trotted toward the front of the plane. But honestly, after all that, what was the airline going to say to him?

Lifting up and leaning out, Xander watched Radar drop to the carpet and crawl under the curtain.

A taller man had been watching, then turned to catch Xander’s eyes. “He’s with a blonde,” he called out.

Xander gave him a grateful thumbs up, then sat back down to tighten his seatbelt.

“Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to touch down. It’s all going as it normally does. Ready? Here’s the bump.”

And despite the hand-holding by the pilot, there were still shrieks and gasps that rose, with an understory of soft keening and sobs from the passengers whose nerves had been wound too tight.

Xander bet that a whole new crop of flying phobias had taken root in the last few minutes of the nine-hour flight.

“Rolling to the gate now, everyone,” the pilot used a soothing voice that responders developed to give the impression of control, to keep things calm and to steady nerves.

“Almost there. Everyone will stay in their seat. The paramedics will go to those passengers with the lights on first. Everyone will be checked for injuries. If this causes you to miss your connection, service representatives will be available to ensure that you are cared for with the least inconvenience possible. And here we are. We’ve come to a stop. It’s over.”

There were a couple of people who gave a half-hearted applause.

Most people sat in stunned silence.

The old lady beside him reached over and patted his hands. “Do I ever have a story to tell the girls in my knitting circle on Tuesday.” She pulled a phone from her bosom and snapped his picture.

“Yes, ma’am.”

A woman in a blue suit with a photo badge hanging from her lanyard got on the plane and moved down the aisle to his row. “Mr. Belov, you need to get off now. Where’s the K9?”

“Up front in business with Ms. Kalinsky-Landers.”

“Quickly, sir.”

Xander excused himself as he dragged his pack from under the seat in front of him and stepped over the elder.

She patted him on the butt as he passed by. “Thanks for the strong arm, young man.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He moved forward, careful not to step on the debris.

The blue-suited woman lifted the first-class curtain and stepped through, leaving a gap.

Xander paused to see with his own eyes how Elyssa had come through.

Elyssa was in an aisle seat with Radar between her feet. His paws rested over her lap like a weighted blanket. Radar looked comfortable, which meant Elyssa had to be holding up okay.

She was kneading his velvety ears while she looked up at the staff.

“Ms. Kalinsky-Landers, while we do our assessments of the other passengers, would you mind stepping off the plane with your dog? We have someone to check on you in the boarding area.”

Elyssa got up, and the attendant helped her get her backpack and purse from where they’d been wedged under her seat. “I’ve lost my phone,” Elyssa said.

“I’ll see if I can’t find it after the others have deplaned,” the staffer said.

“This dog belongs to Xander Belov.” Elyssa looked toward the curtain. “I don’t know …”

“Yes, Mr. Belov will meet you after you debark,” the woman said, using a voice that suggested, “Stop stalling, get off the plane.”

As Elyssa headed toward the exit, the first responders moved up the passageway.

Xander side-stepped out of their way and strode toward the boarding area where Finley was waiting for them with an electric cart.

“You made it. Listening to the tower exchange, for a while there I wasn’t sure.”

“Do you know the cause?” Xander asked. “Were comms working?”

“I was on the phone with White. She’s finding out. We’ll have an answer for you probably by the time we get back to our rooms.”

With Radar at her side, Elyssa made her way up the jet bridge, not looking at all surprised to see Xander standing with his hands on his hips. He was probably radiating concern, and he tried to tamp it down.

She looked okay. She was walking fine. She didn’t grip the wall or Radar.

And Radar wasn’t booping her or searching for help.

The look Elyssa shot him wasn’t friendly.

Xander sent a questioning look toward Radar, and Radar lifted a single eyebrow as if to say, “What the heck, bro?”

So now, his dog was mad at him, too?

“You were on my flight,” Elyssa said as she got closer.

“Technically, you were on mine,” Xander rejoined.

“Okay. But you knew I was there. Or how did Radar know to come and check on me?”

She had him there. “Because he’s Radar,” Xander said.

“You just let him walk around the plane like that?” Elyssa asked.

“No.”

Radar looked up to her, and Elyssa, in turn, scratched his neck and whispered. “You, handsome boy, are the best of all best boys.”

Xander held out an open palm. “Elyssa, this is Special Agent Steve Finley, FBI.”

Finley pulled out his badge wallet and extended it to her. “How do you do, Ms. Kalinsky-Landers?”

“It’s Elyssa.” She looked down at the badge, then over her shoulder, and saw that no one else was getting off the plane. She focused back on Finley. “Are you here because of the guy trying to grab me?”

“Yes, ma’am. My team needs to speak with you, please.” He held out an arm to herd her away from the plane as the attendant sent him a hurry-it-along lift of the chin.

“And you know Special Agent Finley?” Elyssa asked Xander, standing her ground.

“Elyssa, I’m on that team he just mentioned. I called Finley from Lumberjack and asked him to get the Fairbanks FBI involved.”

“Yes, that man should be stopped.” Elyssa turned. “Thank you, Special Agent Finley.”

“Finley is good enough. Ma’am, if you, Radar, and Xander could come this way.”

Xander looked down. “Radar, with Elyssa.”

“He knows me by name?” Elyssa draped her hand over Radar’s neck as they walked forward. “Smartest of all the smart boys. I will buy you all the bones that your heart desires. You’re my hero, you know that, right?”

And Radar did know, because he wagged his tail as he ambled beside her.

Xander was glad that someone had thought to get the electric cart for Elyssa, which would be easier on her.

What wasn’t great was that three Zorics were staring at them from where they were posted against the wall across from where the Alaskan flight was now unloading. That meant the Zorics had a way to read tickets and knew Elyssa had switched her plane.

The question was, were those men here to protect one of their own, or were they here to do Elyssa harm?

As Elyssa and Radar climbed onto a seat. Xander was able to surreptitiously get some video, hoping that if his actions didn’t scare the three off, someone could track or apprehend them for questioning.

Once their electric cart was in motion, Xander tapped Finley’s shoulder, raised a brow of warning, then sent him the video.

From Finley’s posture, he recognized the men. He sent out a series of texts as they rode to the secure room.

Once there, it was a short, silent walk from the main corridor, down a side hall. They stopped at a door where Finley knocked, then used his key card to let them in.

It was a typical-looking meeting room done up in man-made materials in blues and grays. But it had the advantage of being secure. A step down from a SCIF, but they could talk in here.

“Elyssa,” Xander said, “this is Johnna White. She’s with the CIA. And this is Suko Hiro with the DIA.”

As his gaze swept the room, Xander was gratified that everything he’d asked to be in place was there, including a paramedic who was hanging out in a recess in the wall out in the hallway. Xander didn’t think Elyssa had noticed the woman with her rescue equipment at her feet.

Elyssa cast her gaze around, then stared at the salty foods and electrolyte drinks on the table. When she plopped into a chair, Radar went to sit between her knees.

“Xander, now that Elyssa is here,” White said. “Why don’t we let her decompress? That descent was pretty intense from what I heard. And we need a few minutes with you in the room next door, to bring you up to speed.”

Xander crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving Elyssa.” Certainly not with the Zorics nearby.

“She can have Radar, right?” Hiro asked. “We’re right next door. We’d hear if Elyssa needed support.”