The Protector by Dawn Marie Snyder Read Free Book Online

decided that her stuck behind a desk analyzing a country’s nuclear capability was safer than her handing off a processor.
    We made small talk throughout the flight and it was well after midnight when we landed in DC. Even if we were going to catch the next scheduled flight home we would have to wait about 6 hours.   I wanted to get her some food, and maybe some more sleep.  Seth would be landing in a few hours and he had mentioned he would meet up with us. 
    “When we land stay seated. I need to make sure we are the last off the plane.” She nodded in acknowledgement but didn’t say a word. She reached below her seat and grabbed her back pack.  She pulled out a brush and brushed her brown hair. It fell softly around her face and shoulders.  I watched intently, forgetting what I was originally going to do.  She rummaged through her bag for a hair clip and once she found it she swept her hair into a twist.  She managed to miss a large piece of hair and I, without hesitation, reached up and brushed the stray behind her ears.  As my fingers softly touched the side of her face, I could see the heat rush to her cheek.  An electric bolt shot through my body and I quickly pulled my hand away from her face.
    I could feel the heat rise in my face as I grabbed my bag and reached for anything in it. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for but I didn’t want her to know how that slight touch had affected me.  How did it affect me, I questioned.  I had never experienced anything quite like that before. The jolt, was short and intense.  I wondered if she had felt the same thing when I touched her.  “No, she didn’t,” I mumbled to myself aloud.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    6 Dulles
     
     
    My heart was pounding so hard I was sure Jack heard it. I was sure every passenger on the plane heard it. I knew my face was red and I briefly glanced at him, but he showed no emotion or acknowledgement to the jolt that had pulsed through me. I wasn’t sure if he had felt the same thing but by looking at him I had to believe he hadn’t.
    I had only wanted to get my hair out of my face and I hadn’t succeeded in doing that. He had reached up and brushed the stray strand back behind my ear, briefly touching my skin. His hand had felt like it was on fire, but his fingers were soft, not rough like I had expected.  I quickly shoved my brush back into my back pack and put it back under my seat. I didn’t know what to do after that. I watched as he rummaged through his bag looking for something. I wasn’t even sure he knew what he was looking for.
    “No,” he mumbled. I thought I heard him say something else but I wasn’t sure.  I figured if he wanted me to know he would repeat it. I laid back in my seat and thought about what the future held. At this point in time, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I didn’t know if we were going to stay in DC or if they were going to let me go home.  I hoped desperately that whoever was the higher power would let me go home. I wanted the warmth of my own bed and the comfort of my friends, family and my job. Most of all I wanted a resolution to this whole ordeal.
    I took a deep breath and looked over at Jack. He sat there with an intense look on his face. He looked so distant and in deep thought. He was so far away at that moment I didn’t want to interrupt him, but I wanted to know what to expect.  
    Minutes later as if he could read my mind, he answered without looking at me. “I want you to stay close to me when we get off the plane. Follow me and don’t leave my side no matter what you are told to do. Ok?”
    He still didn’t look at me and he didn’t move. I sat puzzled. What did he expect to happen? I nodded at him and thought cautiously about what to ask and how to ask it.  “I take it we are not staying at the airport?”
    “Probably not. We will come back to get the flight to Albuquerque. I am not sure if it will be later today or