Atomic Beauty by Barb Han Read Free Book Online Page B

She’d been trained to survive under every condition and had no doubt she could. Still, if she had her pick she’d choose urban every time. Besides, she felt more like herself in a place where her black hair and blue streak fit in, even though both would have to go.
    On the ride to the private airstrip, she verified Charlie would be arriving soon.
    He confirmed.
    If she were Jace, she’d go to Seattle, which was precisely the reason she’d decided on the desert.
    Leaning deeper into the seat, she closed her eyes for the rest of the twenty-minute drive as she tried to get her body to stop shaking from cold.
    The brakes groaned. The cab came to a stop. The airstrip was in front of her.
    Charlie, a sight for sore eyes, waited on the tarmac.
    Erika handed the driver a stack of twenties, tossed her backpack over her shoulder, thankful she hadn’t lost it in the water, and climbed out of the backseat.
    Her teeth had stopped chattering and her core body temperature had risen to a reasonable temperature. Even so, she was exhausted.
    She walked toward her pilot, a civilian and one of the many connections she’d made in her eight years at the agency. He flew mostly film executives, actors and actresses. He took on the occasional side job to put his kids through Ivy Leagues in the lower forty-eight, grumbling about Canadian colleges charging pennies in comparison. His kids had grown up trailing their father everywhere and he loved all things American, so he’d said he had no one to blame but himself.
    â€œWhere to, love?” Charlie asked, extending his hand to reach for her backpack. “You look like you swam here.”
    â€œSouth. And, thanks, but I got this.” He only ever needed a general direction. They’d worked out years ago that she’d give him the destination once they were in the air. She climbed the stairs to his jet. “And I feel like I did.”
    He smiled and retrieved a bag from the cockpit. “I never know what shape you’re going to be in. I’ve learned to be prepared for everything. Brought aspirin and a thick blanket.”
    â€œWell, now you really are a Boy Scout,” she teased, grateful. She took the bag, thanked him and excused herself to take her seat in the back.
    Emptiness settled over her as she buckled herself in the leather seat. Exhaustion won out and she tried to relax. There’d be no sleep, only a returning headache and a stack of unanswered questions.
    Once they were stabilized in the air, she relayed her destination as Las Vegas.
    Before she slipped over the border, which would be any minute, she needed to destroy her phone. No looking back.
    In a moment of weakness, she decided to check her personal cell one last time. Even though it was for the best, her heart ached at the thought of breaking all connections with Jace.
    For a long moment she stared at his name in her contacts list, her finger hovering over the envelope icon marked Messaging with a small number five on the top right.
    Erika took a deep breath and touched the icon.
    The first message read, “What the fuck?” The second read, “Why are you flipping out?” Her gaze moved to the third, hungry for answers. It read, “Is this about last night? Nothing has to change.” Was there any chance he hadn’t made her? Could she have this plane turned around and go back? Had she acted too hastily?
    By the fourth message, her resolve was shrinking. It read, “I know who you really are and I don’t care. Be careful. This is bigger than you realize. Don’t trust anyone.”
    Heat washed over her, but it wasn’t the heat of embarrassment that she’d been made, it was the flush of missing Jace. Her skin cried out to feel his body against hers.
    His warning was timed to moments before she’d encountered Berlin. It was possible he’d been watching Jace and had discovered her. Berlin might not know who she worked for. He