As Darkness Gathers (Dark Betrayals Book 2) Read Online Free

nephew are flying with you today. Daniel and Timothy. I told them they’d better be on their best behavior.”
    I smiled. Family members of the airline employees were able to fly for free, and they made some of the best—or worst—passengers. “I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”
    “They’re going on vacation. I can’t think of why anyone would want to go to Canada this time of year anyway. Have you seen the weather reports and the snow they’ve been getting already?”
    “Perhaps you should suggest to Mr. Beecher that we add more tropical climes to our routes. I get tired of packing thermal underwear.” It was an ongoing joke between Sydney’s dad and me.
    Gayle laughed. “Have a good trip.”
    “Give those babies of yours a kiss from me. And that handsome man, too.” I showed my badge to the guard. “I’ll be ready to board in a few minutes.”
    The guard punched in the code and opened the door, allowing me onto the tarmac.  
    The Saab 340 that waited across the pavement had been painted with the dark green emblem and markings of Sylvan Air. While in New York City, I had worked flights on the large Boeing aircrafts, and though I’d enjoyed my work with the big-name commercial airline, I loved the thirty-seat turboprop before me.
    I climbed the airstairs, stowed my luggage, and performed the required safety check of the emergency equipment and the interior of the plane.
    “I thought I saw your name on the pairing.” The booming voice startled me as I ducked out of the lavatory after checking the smoke detector.  
    “Edgar!” I beamed.  
    Edgar Smith was short, built like a tank, and my favorite pilot to fly with. He’d been flying for over forty years, having started in the military, and he always treated me as if I were one of his granddaughters.  
    “How are you?”
    “Can’t complain, can’t complain. Vera was just saying the other night how you should come over for dinner again. It’s been a while.”
    “She’s sweet. How’s her hip?”
    “It’s been slow to heal after the surgery, but she’s well. Bossy as ever.”
    “You know you need a firm hand,” I said, and he guffawed. “What’s the flight time today?”
    “One hour, but there are snow storms in the area. They’ll probably divert us around those, so it may end up being closer to two. We’ll put on extra fuel, just in case. Aside from that, standard brief, no security issues.”
    “Who’s flying with you today?”
    “Bryan Phillips. You remember him?”
    “Of course, I do. One of your old cronies.”
    Chuckling, he shook his head and stepped into the flight deck. The first officer climbed the stairs shortly thereafter with the passengers close behind.  
    An elderly woman was the first passenger to board, and I met her halfway down the stairs.  
    “Good morning. Let me get that for you.”
    “Thank you, dear.” The woman relinquished her small but weighty bag before clutching the lapels of her floral coat with one hand and the railing with the other.
    “What seat are you in? I’ll stow your bag for you.”
    She paused at the top of the stairs and pulled her boarding pass from her pocket. “I can never read these things.”
    I looked at it over her shoulder. “Three A. Just a few rows back, and yours is the single seat on the right. If you’d like to go ahead, I’ll be behind you with your bag.”
    Once she was settled in her seat and I’d placed her bag in the overhead, I returned to the boarding door and greeted the other passengers. They were all men. Two were obviously businessmen, wearing suits, carrying briefcases, and holding phones to their ears. One ignored me, the other nodded when I welcomed them aboard. The next two were a father and son, and I realized they must be Gayle’s relatives. The father was a tall man with a lean, rangy build, and his son was a teenager with headphones planted in his ears—shorter, but almost an exact replica of the man.  
    The last man to board said hello