page40 (2/2)

You could take what she knew about planes, stuff it into a walnut and have room to spare, but you didn’t have to know planes to know this one was a reflection of its owner, a sleek, nificent combination of power and purpose

The pilot, Tony, was a nored

“Lieutenant,” Tony said

“Tony We good to go?”

Tony nodded “Absolutely” He gave her a sidelong glance and a polite smile

“This is Sienna Cus My new secretary”

“His administrative assistant,” Sienna said

Tony’s eyebrows rose, rose again when she stuck out her hand He looked at it as if he’d never before seen a woot the e and shook it

Yet another little reminder that this was the seventies

“You want to take the controls, Lieutenant?”

Jesse said no, not this ti seemed to be his favored form of communication Another quick salute and he vanished into the cockpit

Sienna looked at Jesse “Lieutenant?”

He shrugged “We were in the service together”

“And you kno to fly?”

A quick, cold smile “Surprised?”

“No, not really You just never said—”

Her tone—not just surprised but disbelieving—rown accustomed to that kind of reaction All his life, people had tried to fit what they knew of him into neat little boxes

The Blackwolf kid, hell-bent on trouble The scholarship student with the brilliant SAT scores who didn’t seerades The arnat, take down aa sweat—and read Schopenhauer in his spare time

This ti out to watch the solstice before he turned his back on the nonsensical superstitions of ancestors

And then by bringing Sienna into his life

Who was she, really? What had brought her here? There was so his was just a temporary distraction and, damn it, why hadn’t he left her at the Greyhound terminal? Why had he offered her a job he didn’t need filled? Better still, why had he brought her with him on this trip?