“Can you see anything about the vans?” Farrow asked softly, not wanting to disturb his concentration.
“They’re simple white vans. If you give me a piece of paper and a pen, I’ll write the tag numbers. I’d get them myself, but I don’t want to take my eyes off the vans in case they make a turn or something.”
“No problem,” Farrow muttered as she held the steering wheel with one hand keeping the SUV steady while she searched through her bag with the other. She found a pen. One down. As for paper, she handed him a stray napkin that was lost in the clutter in the center console.
Without looking at his hands, he scrawled the two license plates numbers.
“They’re turning left,” he said, pointing.
“Left, got it.” Farrow breathed and signaled.
“It looks like they’re headed to the private airfield that’s over here.” Farrow glanced at Alik and saw he was chewing on his bottom lip, squinting with his brilliant blue eyes as though trying to see even further away.
“Yes, that’s where they’re going. Pull up to the main hanger. Let me see if I can tell where they were heading.”
Farrow had barely stopped the in the gravel parking lot when Alik flew out of the SUV and jogged as though trying to keep up with someone.
Farrow was right on his heels.
“Can I help y’all?” a voice called out to them from under the hood of a Cessna.
Farrow glanced at Alik and saw he was lost in his vision, so she needed to speak fast.
“Yes, sir,” she began by wiping the seriousness off her face and painting on a beautiful, pouty-lipped, oh-woe-is-me expression.
“Yes, can you tell me if two white vans came here earlier today to catch a flight?”
“Sure, enough.” The young guy ducked out from under the plane’s hood and stood his full height. Grease streaked his face and his hands were dark with grime. The blond hair of his crew cut peeked out of the hole in his ball cap worn backward. He smiled appreciatively at Farrow’s curves.
Farrow risked a self-conscious glance back at Alik and was thankful he’d missed the leisurely visual perusal the mechanic helped himself to.
“Can you tell me where they were headed?”
“Kentucky, Louisville,” Alik walked up beside Farrow and slipped his hand into hers, weaving his fingers possessively through hers.
“That’s right. They loaded up a bunch of stuff,” he scoffed at the way Alik pulled Farrow behind him just enough to emphasize his possessiveness. “Then they took off with their own Falcon20 jet.”
“Do you know if they have enough fuel to fly there or will they need to stop over?”
“I filled the bird myself, buddy. She’s got enough to go all the way to Jersey and then some.” The mechanic smiled proudly, rocking back and forth in his stained work boots.
“Thanks,” Alik waved one hand and pulled Farrow with the other.
Once they were out of human earshot, Farrow had to get something off her chest. “Why so possessive?”
“What do you mean?” Alik had walked her to her door and opened it for her.
“I mean, the this-is-my-woman-so-stop-leering action over there.” Farrow ignored the seat behind her and remained standing.
Alik shrugged, glancing around them as though on patrol. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can take care of myself, Alik Winter.”
Alik stopped scanning the space around them and locked eyes with the girl who made his heart stop.
“I know you can take care of yourself, Farrow. I think it’s sexy as hell how efficiently you can take care of yourself! But I just lost half my family and I’m not losing anyone else. Too much depends on us.” Alik’s voice was low, and deadly serious. “So if I come across a little Neanderthal-esque you’re going to have to understand it’s my way of showing that I care.”
Farrow nodded once and sat in the driver’s seat without saying a word, but it was the smile she was trying to hide that caught Alik’s attention. He closed her door and walked around the back of the vehicle shaking his head. Women! How can they think of romance at the most inopportune times?
Once back in the SUV he was all business searching his smart phone for commercial flights leaving either DFW or Dallas Love Field. “Shoot. There’s nothing that’s leaving immediately and the closest I can get us there would still require a drive once we get there. Besides, we wouldn’t be able to bring any weapons aboard,” Alik sighed heavily.
“Do you think you could train your—what are you calling your gift?”
“I don’t know. Retro-cognition sounds better than clairvoyant. But either way, I feel like a useless freak.”
“Stop doing that! At least you have an extra gift!” Farrow scolded. “What I was going to say is, do you think you could focus your retro-cognition to keep track of any speed traps?”
“Maybe, I don’t know. This is all new to me.”