Chapter 4

Professor Dickerson's lips had already gone blue. I forgot about Duane entirely and pressed my fingers to the professor's pulse.

My hand slid into my inner pocket and came out with the emergency injection.

Leah lunged at me, grabbing for the syringe. "Don't touch him! What poison are you about to put in him?"

Duane clamped a hand around my wrist. "Madge, give it to me."

I was just done with it. I twisted his grip back, caught the web of his thumb, and threw him clean over my shoulder.

Duane's back slammed into the aisle. The passengers around us sucked in sharp breaths.

He lay there faceup, pupils shrunk to points, staring at me like he'd never seen me before.

I didn't look at him. I pushed the cardiac stimulant into the professor's vein.

Professor Dickerson let out a long, rough breath. His chest heaved, and color started coming back into his face.

Duane's eyes were full of shock as he stared at me, dazed.

He hauled himself off the floor, the shoulder of his uniform smeared with dirt. "You carry a cardiac needle on you?"

"Madge, what the hell are you doing!"

Leah's voice went shrill.

"Duane, she's even got needles ready. That's not caring for someone, that's setting up to kill him!"

The whole cabin went dead silent. Even the head flight attendant, hurrying over, stopped in her tracks.

Duane pressed his lips into a flat line and reached for my wrist. "You're coming to the back with me and explaining yourself."

My heart went cold through and through. I wrenched my arm out of his grip.

Leah stepped straight into the middle of the cabin. "Everyone! I'm a flight attendant on this flight. That woman is carrying an unidentified injection and behaving suspiciously. Please, everyone, be careful!"

Eyes brimming, she caught Duane's hand and softened her voice. "Duane, you're security on this plane. Even if it means turning on your own, you have to do your job."

"What if that needle's poison, what if there's a bomb in the case? Get her under control, quickly—"

Duane's hand hadn't touched me yet.

The masked man in the rear cabin suddenly pulled a knife and drove it at Professor Dickerson.

Duane threw his arm up on instinct to block it. The blade sliced across his forearm and the blood came at once.

A second man edged up the aisle. I turned into him, slammed his knife hand aside, and drove my knee into his ribs.

Duane already had the first attacker pinned to the floor, and the head attendant rushed in, pressing a towel to his wound.

Leah, though, wasn't where she'd been standing. She had shut herself inside the lavatory.

She'd shouted the loudest, and when it turned dangerous she left everyone behind.

The captain's announcement came over the speakers. The plane touched down at the emergency-landing airport.

Out the window, two special-ops vehicles were parked on the runway, several plainclothes officers already in position.

The cabin door opened, and an officer led his team aboard.

That was when Leah came out of the lavatory. She'd even powdered her face again, as if nothing had happened. The moment she saw the officers she brightened, pointing at me.

"Officer, she's the one who assaulted people and she's carrying unidentified items. Arrest her, quickly!"

She turned back to look at me, her eyes full of triumph, and even called out to Duane,

"Duane, tell the officers, come on. You saw her hit people, didn't you?"

Duane looked at me, one hand clamped over his bleeding arm, and said through his teeth,

"Leah's right. My fiancee is very skilled. She's not like an ordinary finance clerk."

The officer nodded and unhooked the handcuffs from his belt.

Leah grinned, waiting to watch me get cuffed and dragged off.

But they went around her and walked straight to the two attackers.

The lead officer's gaze swept over Leah.

"Ma'am, you have repeatedly interfered with a top-priority escort mission, leaked information on the target, attempted to destroy key material evidence, and maliciously filed false accusations against a special-ops agent. You'll need to come with us."

I turned and helped Professor Dickerson down the stairs. Behind me came Leah's crying and Duane's footsteps.

He tried to catch up to me, but an officer stopped him.

"Captain Delgado, we'll need your cooperation with the investigation as well. There's a potential leak risk from your time on airborne security duty."