The following morning, Charlie woke up and got dressed. She looked at her watch, it was 8 in the morning and if what she had felt was right, they had descended in attitude slightly.
She had in the end eaten in her room as Church had cancelled due to important things that needed his attention. She truly wondered who he was and what it was that he did for a living. Was he part of another government organization? Was he a terrorist, a dealer and trafficker? It was hard to know.
She walked out of her room and the watchdog looked at her. She had tried, the night before to tour the plane, but had been stopped several times. It was obvious that some parts of it were to remain secret and off limits, at least to her.
He followed her into the dining room where Church was waiting for her.
"Good morning Charlotte, or should I say Charlie"?
She stared at him ready to put him back in his place when she remembered that she had to win him over.
"Charlie is fine. Good morning".
He pointed to a breakfast buffet. "Serve yourself".
She nodded and took a plate at the end of the buffet table and served herself some fruit, a croissant and a yogurt, before sitting next to him at the table.
One of the stewards walked over to her, two pots in hand. "Coffee or tea"?
"Neither thank you. A glass of orange juice"?
He nodded and went back to the kitchen area.
"I'm sorry about last night. You must think I'm avoiding you, but I'm not. That would be impossible. An amazing and beautiful woman like yourself surely deserves my full attention".
She nodded. "I understand". She had to be careful. If she came on too strong too early, he'd see right through her.
"Are we descending"? she dared to ask.
"Only for a couple of minutes. A quick pick up and then we'll be back up in the air".
"Of course, you need to fill this baby up".
"I don't stop for fuel Charlie. The fuel comes to me".
"Impressive", she said smiling. "You really are independent".
"I don't like taking unnecessary and uncalculated risks".
"Safety first", she replied as she smiled then took a sip of the orange juice the steward had brought back.
"Tell me about your family, your childhood", said Church as he leaned back in his seat.
"There's not much to tell. I was raised by mother in Ann Arbor. My father died before I was even born, killed in combat".
Church raised an eyebrow upon hearing her relate what he knew to be false.
"I'm terribly sorry".
"My mother passed away a couple of years ago from cancer".
"It must be hard losing both your parents".
"Yes, it is".
"You never married"?
She shrugged. "I guess I never saw the need to. My mother was perfectly happy raising me on her own. She taught me how to be independent. Then again, maybe I never met the right man".
One of his guys came towards him.
"Sir, we'll be landing in fifteen minutes".
"Thank you, Evans".
He then looked at his watch. "Right on schedule, there's nothing I like more".
He stood and pointed his arm in the direction of the living room. "Shall we"?
Charlie took the napkin and wiped her mouth before standing up. She passed in front of Church and felt his hand place itself on her lower back. There was a slight turbulence and even though she could have taken it without blinking, she pretended to lose her balance.
As she had planned, he caught her. She looked at him, forcing herself to blush so that he could notice. "Thank you".
Church smiled back.
Charlie continued walking towards the living room proud of herself. That was what being a chameleon was all about. Being able to manage your emotions and body at will. Being able to manipulate someone when needed, without them knowing.
Barney and Lee sat in the pick-up waiting, cautiously at the edges of the airport.
"You're sure about this"? Barney asked Lee.
Lee nodded. "I'll get her out of there, I promise".
"I trust you", replied Barney. "You've got one week".
"You're going to go ahead with Church's mission"?
"Yes. I need to find out what is so important in his eyes that he's using her as bait".
"What if it's a lure"?
"I'm willing to take that risk".
Barney handed a watch over to Lee. "Toll Road placed an undetectable chip inside. We'll be able to communicate by messages and get your coordinates".
Lee took the watch and placed it on his wrist and looked at it.
"I should get going".
He opened the door and stepped out of the pick-up.
Barney watched as Lee entered the terminal and disappeared inside, before leaving the premises.
Lee walked up to one of the security guards and gave him the instructions Trench had received from Church. The guard let him out on the tarmac and kept him company while they waited.
A few minutes later, a 747 appeared and made its descent towards the runway. It landed smoothly and stopped a few yards away from them. A boarding staircase was brought over and when in place, the airplane plug door opened.
Lee walked over as a man in a suit went down the stairs.
They met on the tarmac.
"I need to check you before you can board the plane".
Lee spread his legs and arms out and let the frisk him. The guy took Lee's Glock 23. "I'll keep this for the time being. Follow me".
As Lee entered the plane he was met by Church.
"Mr. O'Connor, welcome aboard".
Lee shook his hand and smiled. "Thank you. Appreciate you taking me on board. I was afraid I was out of a job".
"I'm always looking for men with your expertise Mr. O'Connor".
The guy showed Church Lee's gun.
Church took it and handed it back to Lee. "I don't think I need to remind you that we're on a plane".
Lee smiled. "Of course".
"Check his bag", said Church to the guy.
Lee handed over his bag.
"All clear", said the guy as he handed Lee his bag back.
Church looked at his guy. "Tell the pilot that we're taking off in ten minutes".
The guy nodded and left.
"Back to business, shall we Mr. O'Connor"?
Lee nodded.
"I'm sure that you've seen a lot of combat and prefer a more active involvement but for the time being, I would need you to be a sort of bodyguard".
"A bodyguard, Sir"?
"Yes. There is someone on board that is very precious and important to me and I need to make sure that this person is safe and remains unaware of my business collaborations. If you understand what I mean"?
"Absolutely".
"Most of my men are inexperienced when it comes to these kinds of situations. I believe that you British have a way with people and are true gentlemen. I'm sure those qualities will be very much appreciated. I hope that won't be a problem"?
"I don't see why it should".
"Perfect. Let's get settled in shall we"?
Church headed down the aisle, Lee in tow as the steward closed the door.
He followed Church into what appeared to be an executive living room and when Church stepped aside, Lee saw her. She was sitting in one of the leather seats looking out the window. He realized, seeing her in person that good-looking had been a too weak a word to describe her and he hadn't done her justice. She was beautiful and breath-taking. She was wearing a red blouse and a pair of jeans. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders and when she turned her attention to them, her dark brown deer-shaped eyes locked on his.
"Charlie? I'd like you to meet Mr. Malcom O'Connor".
She stood and smiled which threw Lee off balance. There was something wrong with this picture. She didn't seem the slightest bit a prisoner.
"Mr. O'Connor will be at your side at all times. Wherever you are he will be, even in your quarters. I know most of my men haven't been very accommodating and boorish. I'm sure and Mr. O'Connor will get along just fine".
"Thank you, Church. I appreciate the gesture".
One of the men came over.
"Barney Ross is on the line, he wants to meet you in person to discuss the mission", whispered the guy in Church's ear.
"Tell the pilot to hold off departure".
He then turned his attention to Charlie and Lee. "An unexpected meeting has just been brought to my attention".
A few guys joined the other one. Church looked at one of them. "If anyone, and by that, I mean anyone, tries to get off this plane, you shoot them down. Keep Miss Michaels in your line of fire until the plane is on the runway".
The man moved in closer to Charlie, took his gun out, armed it and pointed it towards her head.
Church looked at her. "Remember Charlie, this is not personal, just business".
Charlie said nothing as she watched Church head for the door and walk down the tarmac with three of his men.
Lee realized that the one opportunity he had of getting her out of here had just disappeared. Even if he tried to disarm the guy, there were too many and it would be too risky for Charlie. He simply stood there and waited along with the others for the plane to race down the runway and lift off, without Church. Which, in the end was an advantage for Lee.
When they were up in the air Charlie unfastened her seatbelt and stood. She headed towards the kitchen to get a bottle of water. She suddenly seemed less welcoming and pleased than when he had come on board. She returned to her seat and he sat across from her. For the first couple of hours she sat there saying nothing. It was no surprise as she had no need to converse with him.
Tired of sitting there looking out the window, she stood and headed towards her quarters.
Lee followed her.
When she tried to close the door, he placed his foot inside the room to block it.
"You're kidding me right"? she said to him.
"My orders are to stay with you at all times, including here".
She stared him down all the while analyzing her opponent. "And what are you going to do if I tell you to go fuck yourself"?
'Yep', he thought, 'You're Barney's daughter for sure'. "Look, I don't want things to get messy. But if I have to, I will use force. I may be a gentleman in most situations but get on my bad side and I'll be worse than all the other watchdogs put together".
There was no way, she was going to let this guy into her quarters. Church's orders or not. She turned around and pretended to let him in and when he least expected it, she turned around and tried to send a jab to his throat. He caught her hand, forced her to turn around and pinned her against the wall. That's when he saw it, the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. Church or one of his men had their eyes constantly on her. He knew that if he wanted to earn Church's trust that he needed to prove himself. He knew that what he was going to do next would be painful, for both her and him, but he had no choice. He turned her around and struck her with the back of his hand, sending her crashing on the bed.
He towered over her. "Try that again and I won't be so delicate".
Sitting in a black SUV en route to his meeting with Barney, Church watched the scene from his iPad and smiled. It was now obvious that he had made the right choice in hiring Mr. O'Connor.