Page 127 of Johnny

He looks up at me as he continues to tuck in my shirt. Smiles. Just a little bit. Then looks back

down and starts tugging and fixing the shirt before buttoning my pants back up.

“OK. Now the vest.”

I look over at it with dread. It has to weigh at least five pounds. Which may not seem like much,

but I’m pretty sure that once Johnny’s done outfitting me like I’m about to enter a war zone, I’m

carrying at least ten extra pounds all together.

And I’m hot. “Did I mention I’m hot?”

This makes him smile. A real smile. He aims that grin at me and says, “I have eyeballs.”

“Joke. That was a joke, right?”

“Put your boots on,” he says, back to business.

“Yes, sir.” I fake-salute, then sit on the bed, slip my feet inside, and he laces one boot while I lace

the other.

“OK.” He sighs. “I think we’re ready. I can hear the helicopter spinning up outside so…”

I cock my head to the side because I didn’t hear it until he said that, but yes. Indeed. That is the

sound of a helicopter on standby.

When I glance back at him he’s staring at me with a weird look. “What? What’s going on? Why did

everything change? Why are you so… weird today?”

He smiles again but this time it’s not real. “It’s a job, Megan. How I’m acting isn’t weird. This is

just another normal day in my life. You just don’t realize that yet because… because you don’t know

me.”

Then he turns, bangs on the door three times, and I make a little ‘o’ with my mouth as I process that

statement and see two men standing guard outside, waiting to escort us topside.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - JOHNNY

I don’t wait for Megan to respond to my last statement, just push past the two guys assigned to

shadow me today and head towards the stairs that lead to the lower main deck, then go up one more

level to the main deck where Logan is sitting in the war room, scanning a live satellite image on a

large HD table display.

“Set?” he asks.

“I’m ready.”

“She good?” he asks, jutting his chin to Megan as she walks up beside me.