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"Let's get you on the plane so I can feed you and let you rest."
Monica's head fell to his shoulder as she moaned. "Of course, the ride back needs to be on an airplane."
That made him pause. "You don't like airplanes?" It never came up in any of their discussions, and as far as he knew, she regularly traveled for work. He just assumed some of those required her to fly, like when she went to Rome.
"It's not that I don't like it. I just prefer to be mentally prepared. At least a solid day in advance preferably."
"Would you like to spend a night somewhere?"
They didn't have a car, and all he knew was they were somewhere in California. It hadn't been pertinent at the time because Tex assured them his team had considered this abandoned airport as one of the few locations Fletcher would use.
"No, it's fine. I want my bed. Well, your bed," Monica mumbled. "You know what I mean."
"It's our bed, and yes, I know exactly what you mean."
He continued his walk back to the plane. Once inside, he asked the flight attendant to get them something to eat. Considering the abrupt need to borrow the private jet, the options were limited, but the flight attendant managed to scrounge up enough to hold Monica over until they landed back in Seattle.
As soon as she was done eating, she snuggled right up to him and immediately fell asleep.
"I'm not sure how you met Tex,” Luke said to Caden, “but I'm grateful for it. Without his assistance, this could have been so much worse."
"Those of us in the cyber world tend to stick together. Especially in this line of work."
It was the vaguest answer he had ever heard, but it wasn't his right to question his friend. He wasn't his boss. They were all equal partners, and if Caden wanted to keep a secret, then so be it. In the end, it had helped him.
The rest of the flight home was quiet. He focused on Monica while Caden worked on his laptop. Nash kept to himself in the back of the plane. By the time they landed, he was more than ready to sweep Monica into his arms and take her back to his apartment.
As soon as they debarked the plane, Amelia rushed over and threw her arms around a barely awake Monica.
"I'm so, so sorry." Amelia's tears were just as intense now as they had been earlier that day. "I never should've left you."
"You were taking your lunch. There's no way you could've known." Monica leaned heavily on him as she attempted to soothe her secretary.
"From now on we eat together."
"Sounds good." The words were garbled around a huge yawn.
"Time to go." Luke redirected Monica to where his truck was parked. "Amelia, please let Carmichael know Monica is taking the morning off. Possibly the whole day tomorrow. I suggest you do the same."
He didn't wait around to see how Amelia responded to his request, and he figured Monica had no argument against it. If she had felt strongly, he would have heard about it. Instead, she curled up in the passenger seat and was sleeping before they left the parking lot.
Luke would join her just as soon as they were safe in bed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It wasn't exactly two days of sleep, but it was a solid fifteen hours. Monica had never felt more rested when she woke up.
"You don't have to go in. Amelia was going to tell Carmichael you were taking the day off."
Monica was in the bathroom applying mascara as Luke stood in the doorway, pleading with her not to go in today. She agreed that they needed to sit down and discuss what happened, but first, she needed to make sure everything was okay at work.
"No, you told Amelia I would be taking the morning off and maybe the full day. I never agreed to the full day, even if I appreciate you thinking about me."
"And here I thought you were too out of it to hear what I said," Luke grumbled under his breath.
"I might've been exhausted, but I was awake enough to recognize how upset Amelia was. I want to check on her just as much as I want to speak with Carmichael."
Luke didn't look the least bit happy about her declaration. "Fine, but I'm going in with you."
