ADLY, I WANTED to hug Horst and Gunner, but until we were in the air, I had to be content with squeezing hands as they hurried to get seated. The stewardess, Aileen, said we all had to sit down right away and strap in until after takeoff. She was sorry but it was because we were late moving off.
After takeoff Aileen pulled out a sturdy glass table. She locked it into place at the back of the cabin. When she had set out snacks and drinks, she told us, “I will be in the crew cabin at the back. I’ll leave you in complete privacy during the flight. Any time you need or want anything, just push one of the call buttons and I’ll come right away.” She smiled at each of them. “Otherwise, make yourselves comfortable and please enjoy the journey. It’s a pleasure to have you all aboard.”
She smiled. Then as she ducked away she said, “Oh, the seat belt light is off now, so do feel free to move about the cabin as you wish.” She made a little wave and then she shut the door behind her.
Declan and Liam sprang to shake hands with Horst and Gunner. I jumped up to hug everyone. I gave Declan a kiss first, and Liam almost at the same time. Then Gunner. He straightened very nicely against me. Then Horst. Horst hugged me back in a way that would have set me on fire if I hadn’t already been burning.
I kissed everyone again, then I quickly went back to get us all drinks.
Liam had a twinkle in his eye as he said, “So glad you could make it,” to Horst and Gunner.
Declan grinned. “I thought you two might have wanted to be staying on in Germany.”
Gunner said, “What, now that we’ve pulled off a triumph with the two superstar hitmen?” he grinned, “Our careers are going to skyrocket.”
Liam shook his head. Horst told us all, “He’s kidding. You know that, right?”
Liam looked at Gunner. Horst said, “Neither of us are going to be indiscreet.”
Declan slapped his shoulder. “We’ll get your German sense of humor.”
“We’ll pick it up,” Liam said, “Just give us a couple of decades.”
Gunner and Horst smiled as they turned to me. I couldn’t stop myself from beaming at all four men. I was shaky where I stood.
Liam’s phone rang. Before he answered he looked at the screen and said, “Perhaps congratulations are in order.”
Declan bit the inside of his cheek. “That would be a first.”
Liam answered the call. His face froze. Then it fell. Then he sat.
“But…” and “How…?” then, “We can’t have. I don’t see how.” A pause. “No.” And “Of course.” Then. “Oh.” Finally, “Well, yes. Good. Thank you.”
All four men sat and I did, too. We all turned our seats in to face each other.
Liam told us, “He said we shot the client.”
Declan exploded. “What? Where the fuck can he have gotten a fucking ridiculous idea like that from?”
“I’m only telling you.”
“We didn’t shoot anybody. What the fuck is he on about?”
Gunner said, “We kind of did, you know.”
Liam nodded. “That was him. Bruno, the bodyguard. He was the client.”
“We didn’t shoot his fucking bodyguard. I throat punched him.” Declan was mad now. “Seriously fucking neat piece of work, I’d say that it was, too. I was more than a little impressed with myself.”
“Yeah,” Liam was trying to be soothing. “But then we shot him.”
Declan jumped up, “He was already fucking dead then.”
Liam shook his head and he kept his voice very quiet. That was his way to manage Declan. Nobody else could have done it. I wasn’t always sure Liam was going to be able to do it. Like now. Declan was so mad.
Liam just said, “We could try mentioning that to Arden. I don’t think it’s going to throw a whole new light on the situation for him, though.”
Declan’s head turned back and forth as he pressed his lips together. He sat back down again. “Wait, so he was the client? The bodyguard?”
“Apparently so. He was planning to take over the empire.”
“God damn.”
Horst frowned, “Pretty fucked up, wouldn’t you say?”
Gunner rubbed his forehead, “Wait. The bodyguard of the boss of a major mob outfit was out and actively guarding him on an away trip. And he ordered a hit on his boss. And for it to be enacted on that trip?”
Liam nodded. “That’s my understanding.”
Declan said, “Had he never been around the operation of a sanction of that kind before?”
Liam spread his fingers, “Well, how would I be supposed to know that?”
Declan “What I’m saying is, does he have no idea how a thing like that works?”
“Did.” Horst chipped in.
Declan’s head turned, “What?”
Liam lifted a hand, “He just means that your man’s all done knowing things now.”
“Oh. Right. Very fucking helpful.” Declan scowled at Horst. Then he turned back to Liam. “But he must have known how it could turn out.”
“Seems not.”
“I mean, in that situation, the body guard is pretty directly in the line of fire.”
Liam’s smile was thin and empty. “You’re telling me.”
“Did it not occur to the fucking eedjit to mention it at all?” Declan’s hand waved, “Or at least to say, ‘Listen, don’t kill the bodyguard’? I mean, basically he’s practically commissioned a hit on himself.”
“I know. And, for all that our good master is saying about it, I think that he may have had a little foresight on that aspect himself.”
Declan leaned forward, “Really, how so?”
Liam waited. Then he announced, “He said that since it was a risky job, the client paid in full in advance.”
“Oh!” Declan said, “Well, it was nice of him to let us know.”
Horst and Gunner exchanged grins.
“Yeah,” Liam chewed the inside of his lip, “It took a little bit of shaking before that detail came rolling out.”
Declan sat back and his eyes narrowed, “You don’t mean that he might have been planning to stiff us? You don’t think that, do you?”
“The main thing is that we’re all caught up and sorted now.” But Liam held Declan’s gaze.
“No repercussions, no fallout?” Declan asked.
“Not any just now, not as far as I can see. I know there will be some kind of consequences down the line, though.”
“Well, for now then,” I said, rising back up onto my feet, “We’ve got a long flight ahead. And, speaking for myself, boys,” I looked around at the four men in turn, “That was a long day.”
“I’ll second that,” Declan lifted a glass.
I refilled my glass of Champagne, “So. Perhaps now would be a good time,” I turned around in the center of the cabin, looking into the eyes of Declan then Liam, Horst, and Gunner, “For us to make some changes.”
I slugged the champagne as I pressed the call button.
The attendant slipped back through the cabin door with her pretty, professional smile. “How can I make your flight better?”
I told her, “Find us some good, thumping music and turn down the lights, please.”
The attendant smiled, “Of course.”
“And,” I said,
“Yes?” She peered back with a sparkle and a grin.
I told her, “We’re going to need a lot more booze.”
She gave me a minxy little smile.