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

over my chest and clipped it at my waist before tightening the straps. Few ever guessed the source of my name so easily and quickly. “Atticus would have been too much responsibility to carry.”
    He had creases around his eyes and his firm mouth, evidence he used that sudden smile often, and he flashed it at me now. It hinted at roguish tendencies, and it made me want to lean closer and speak in a whisper, as if sharing secrets.  
    “Though you’d have handled it with aplomb, I’m sure.”
    He was smooth, that suave charm coming out with too much ease not to have been practiced, but his gaze was direct and intent, and I was intrigued.  
    “I have a brother named Darcy. He hates it, but I always tell him to count himself lucky. He could have ended up as a Queequeg.”
    The man laughed, a smoky rumble that reverberated in my breastbone and made me chuckle along with him. “I’d prefer Starbuck to that. Even Ahab.”
    “I don’t know. I’ve always been partial to Queequeg,” I said.
    Intelligent and charming .  
    The roar of the fully throttled engine cut off further conversation as the plane gained speed down the runway. I folded my arms over my chest and pressed my head and shoulders against the backrest. The front wheel lifted off the ground, soon followed by the back, and we were airborne.  
    1A glanced out the window and then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I told myself I shouldn’t stare, but I had the opportunity to study him more closely and I couldn’t tear my gaze away.  
    His sandy hair wasn’t military short, but it was close-cropped. He wasn’t overly tall; I’d have guessed he stood right at six feet. His shoulders were broad, his torso tapering to his waist. He was well built, not as lean as a runner, but not bulky. He looked like the type who could confidently fix a woman’s car when it broke down. There was a put together, polished feel about him, though, that made me suspect he worked in an office rather than as a laborer and probably held a high-powered position. His hands looked firm but not calloused, his nails clean and trimmed, though not manicured.  
    My speculation was interrupted when two chimes of a bell signaled we’d reached ten thousand feet in elevation, and the man opened his eyes and caught me staring.  
    I fumbled with the interphone and had to clear my throat before I was able to make the announcement notifying the passengers that they were now permitted to use approved personal electronic devices.
    I waited until we leveled off before unclipping my harness then I unlocked the lavatory door and exchanged my heels for a pair of flats. After getting the drinks out of the miniscule galley, I began to make my way up the aisle.  
    “Nothing for me right now, thank you,” 1A said as I approached him.
    “Club soda with lime,” said the businessman who’d ignored me during boarding, and I prepared his drink and handed it to him before moving to the next row.
    “Excuse me,” he said as I passed, and I smiled in question. “I asked for a lime.”
    “I’m sorry, sir, but I only have lemons.”
    He held out the slice of citrus on the skewer. “If I’d wanted a lemon, I would have asked for it.”
    I kept my smile in place and my voice polite. “Of course. I apologize.”
    “And this club soda tastes flat.”
    “I just opened the can, but I’d be happy to bring you another.”
    “Bring me the can, unopened, and a fresh glass of ice.”
    “Certainly.”
    Always one drama queen on board .  
    I rounded the corner into the miniscule galley, and as I stooped to retrieve another can of club soda from the drawer, 1A caught my eye. A suppressed smile tugged at the edge of his lips, and I winked.  
    The first hour of the flight went smoothly aside from some mild, jostling turbulence and the grumblings of Mr. “I Asked for a Lime.” I was putting everything away from the beverage service after I’d gone through and refilled drinks when a bell sounded