“If you ask me it wasn’t for the better,” she muttered, refusing to look at him.
He sighed and concentrated on the tachometer once more before opening the throttle. She wasn’t going to make life easy, but she wasn’t actively fighting him. She might be furious, but at least she trusted him to some extent. Well, she’d get over her temper, Judd decided on a more positive note as he automatically corrected for the engine’s torque and guided the Cessna down the makeshift runway. A moment later they were airborne as the reliable little plane climbed quickly and steadily into the Mexican sky.
“You know, you were damn lucky to get this far into rural Mexico without any major disasters,” he remarked shortly after takeoff. “This part of the world is still pretty wild. There are still bandits in the hills and a woman traveling alone—”
“Might get herself kidnapped and killed?” she concluded laconically. “Well, what a coincidence. That’s exactly what seems to be happening to me, isn’t it? Except, of course, it wasn’t the local people who turned out to be a threat.”
After that, conversation lagged, to say the least. Judd freely acknowledged to himself that he didn’t know a great deal about handling women. His relationships in the past had tended to be limited, superficial and fleeting in nature. He was well aware of the fact that he didn’t have all that much to offer a woman. Females liked financial security, companionship and exciting romance. He’d never been able to provide any of the three. Women sometimes found him interesting, he knew, but they didn’t tend to hang around long when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to be able to provide the more basic components of a lasting relationship. Hell, he had a damn hard time even carrying on a long conversation with most women. It was different when Honor felt like talking to him, he thought. When she was in the right mood he found himself able to converse with her more than he’d ever been able to with anyone else.
Unfortunately she wasn’t in the mood today. He wondered how long it would be before she was. When this mess was all sorted out it would be nice to take her away for a while, just the two of them. That thought buoyed his own mood until the time came to land for fuel and the all-important phone call to the States.
As was his practice Judd supervised the refueling of the Cessna personally. As far as he was concerned that sort of elementary precaution was on a par with a parachutist packing his own chute. Over the years he’d learned not to put his’ life in anyone’s hands but his own. That sort of care had paid off more than once.
“There should be a restroom in the office over mere,” he told Honor as he paid for the fuel and took her arm. “You can use it while I make the phone call. It might take me a while to get a call through to the States. But this is a popular tourist area, so the local operators should be familiar with the procedure.”
She didn’t appear overly interested in the complexities of the Mexican telephone system. Judd shrugged, saw her into the restroom and went to find a phone. Fifteen minutes later he had the man who called himself Honor’s father on the line. The courtly, charming manner was evident in the older man’s tones, even through the taint static on the line. Hell, Judd thought idly, if the man was a phony he was an excellent actor.
“Mr. Knight? This is Raven. I’ve got your daughter with me.”
“Oh, thank God, Mr. Raven. I can’t tell you how relieved I am.” He sounded it, too, Judd decided. “Where are you? Is Honor all right?”
“We’re still in Mexico. A refueling stop. Honor is fine, but frankly she’s not too thrilled at the idea of returning to the States.”
“She’s been giving you a sampling of her, uh, vivid imagination, I take it?” The other man groaned feelingly. “The poor girl. After all this time alone in Mexico mere’s no telling how much ground has been lost. Her therapist is so anxious to get her back under his care.”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure she’s going to wind up back under his care,” Judd informed his employer sardonically. “She claims you’re not her father. Says you’re a man named Leo Garrison for whom she used to work.”
“She is a very sick woman, Mr. Raven.”
“Yeah, so you told me. She’s going to make a scene at the border when I have to land for customs, Mr. Knight. I can predict it right now. I won’t be able to force her back into the plane if she throws herself on the mercy of the officials. At the very least there’s going to be a major delay.”
“Yes, yes, I can see the problem. If her delusions are stronger than ever…” Judd could practically hear the older man thinking.
“I think the simplest way to handle this is to have you meet us at the port of entry. You can take charge of her there. Bring some proof that she’s your daughter, though. The customs people might be a little skeptical in a situation like this.”
And then it came. With an adroitness that Judd could only admire, the man identifying himself as Leo Knight took the rope he had been offered and obligingly hung himself.
“I have a more practical idea, Mr. Raven. And one that will mean a considerably larger fee for you. I’m sure you can understand how anxious my family is to avoid any embarrassment for Honor. This whole escapade is going to be hard enough on her as it is, not to mention on the rest of us. What would you say to simply flying her in over me border without stopping at a port of entry? I know that, strictly speaking, it’s not legal, but you and I both know pilots slip back and forth over the border all the time without bothering with the formalities.”
“Mostly when they’re transporting something like cocaine,” Judd agreed dryly.
“Which we aren’t involved with at all!” There was a comradely laugh from the other end of the line. “I really do think this would be the easiest way to avoid a major scene at customs, don’t you? I’ll be quite happy to double your fee for the extra trouble.”
“Where do you suggest we meet?” Judd asked quietly. It was his own fault, of course. He’d never given Knight/Garrison any reason to think he wouldn’t do just about anything for the money. Still, after listening to Honor call him a mercenary for the past few days, Judd decided he was getting tired of other people assuming he could be bought. A man had to make a living, didn’t he? Why the hell was he beginning to think he owed Honor an apology for the way he survived in this world?