Leaning his head back against the chair, letting it sink into the pillow of the seat, Ben groaned quietly. "How did you talk me into this, Riley?" He asked Riley, who sat on behind him
Riley shook his head, leaning forward in his seat to where Ben could see him. "I didn't. Not me." He said defensively, before jabbing his finger towards where Abigail sat, beside Ben, with Ryan on her other side, looking out of the window excitedly. "Abi did...and she probably didn't use talking."
"I heard that, Riley." Abigail told him warningly, not looking up from the book she was reading.
Riley gulped looking panicked. "You're going to kill me in my sleep, aren't you?"
"Just sleep with one eye open." She said simply.
Ben turned in his seat as they had still not taken off, and looked at Riley. "Any word from Ian?" He asked, still almost dreading the answer.
"Nothing." Riley confirmed leaning back into his seat beside a tired Michael, who hadn't been thrilled about getting out of bed at three in the morning to make the first available flight to Cairo. "Chances are he was in Egypt days ago, remember?"
"But he's a wanted criminal." Michael protested, making sure to keep his voice down, seeing as the first available flight hadn't had five available seats in first class, much to Riley's annoyance, and they didn't exactly need the rest of the travellers keying in on their conversation. "How is it even possible for him to leave the country in the first place? The security in these places is tighter than Marcus's wallet."
Abigail let out a sign of indignation at Marcus's name, but no one scolded her about it, she had every reason to dislike him at the moment, even if he was her brother.
"Ian...has his ways." Ben explained to Michael, regardless of Abigail's protest.
"Lots of them." Riley added.
Michael simply grinned triedly. "Oh well, let the fun begin."
Ben settled back into his seat, and Michael went back to his beloved sleep. Ben found, however, that Abigail had closed her book, her finger still marking the page, and was staring at the back of the seat in front of her as if it were something completely different.
"You okay?" He asked her, putting his hand over hers.
"I think we left the milk on the table." She told him, furrowing her eyebrows together.
Ben laughed, and shook his head. "I put it in the fridge, where it always is. We never leave the milk out."
Abigail ndoded. "Is the door locked?"
"Always."
"What about the garage?" She checked.
"Completely barricaded." Ben confirmed, somewhat laughing at Riley's insistance on protection for his Ferrari rather than the house. The man practically lived with his car, had it been legal, he might have married it.
"And what about-"
"Abi, don't worry." Ben assured her. "We checked everything six times before we left."
She smiled, snapping out of her trance. "Oh yeah." She said, opening her book again. "Yeah, we did."
Ben shook his head, laughing silently. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to go on this trip."
-------------------------------
Arriving in Egypt was like a breath of fresh air for Abigail. Her passion for the country was the same as that of America, perhaps more so for its ancient mysteries.
"God, I love this country." She said as they left the airport. In one hand she held onto her carry on bag, and the other was tightly gripping Ryan's, who carried his rucksack on his back. The rest of the men were carrying the suitcases.
Then one thought struck her.
"Where are we staying?"
Ben looked at Riley. "Riley made arrangements."
"I did?"
Abigail turned around. "Riley." She said, almost warning him to tell her something other than a hotel name and a room number.
Instead, he stalled and stammered. "I...uh..."
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" She moaned. This was not the news she wanted to be told after a very long flight.
"Don't worry, I got it." Michael reassured them. "Ian's not the only one with connections." He added with a wink.
Surprisingly, this didn't settle Abigail's disbelief at all. If anything, it only worried her more. "Michael, if I have to stay in some dive with any of your friends, I swear to God, I'll - Emma?"
Her cousin approaching her wasn't something that she had expected, although it did to something to improve her confidence in Michael's decision making.
"Hey, guys." Emma said brightly. Abigail had always thought her as rather tanned, living under this heat all year round, but compared to its natural inhabitants, she seemed pale.
"See, accomodation sorted." Michael said smugly, giving his cousin a kiss on the cheek for greeting.
"Mike said you were tracking something in Egypt and needed a place to stay." Emma told them. "It's no palace, but it's open to you all."
"Thanks." Ben smiled, knowing that it would be good for Ryan to have Evy for company.
"No problem." Emma waved off, as if it were nothing for five people to launch themselves upon her home. "Come on, Johnny's waiting in the car."
"We're all fitting in one car?" Riley asked as they picked up their bags and headed in the direction Emma had started in.
"It's a big car." Emma assured him.
"If not, we'll tie a rug to the back, and Riley can sit on that." Ben joked, causing Ryan to laugh.
Riley trudged along behind them, muttering under his breath sarcastically. "Ha ha, let all make fun of Riley."
-----------------------------------
"Emma, this place is beautiful." Abigail complimented as the two women stood in the kitchen together. 'Stood' was probably the wrong term for Abigail, who had been forced by her cousin to sit on a stool at the breakfast bar to get her off her feet.
Emma smiled. "I miss being in America," She admitted, notioning to all the pictures on the wall beside Abigail that were almost all taken in America. "But coming out here was the best decision I ever made. I've got Johnny, and I've got Evy. I couldn't want more."
Abigail smirked. "Maybe Oded Fehr in a steaming hot tub?" She suggested, remembering Emma's fondness for the actor of her favourite film from their teenage years.
"One wouldn't complain." She sighed dreamily as she took a plate and started to dry it up.
"We heard that!" Came the protesting calls of Ben and Emma's husband, Johnny, who were in the other room with Riley and Michael, no doubt getting the 'man's tour' of the house.
"Good." Emma called back firmly, and then muttered to herself. "Honestly, men, they're as bad as children."
Abigail looked around them. "Speaking of the devil, where is Evy?"
"She's at a friend's birthday party." Emma told her. "She'll be back in a few hours." She added, eyeing the clock.
"Sociable girl." Abigail smiled, drinking out of her glass of water. "Takes after her mother."
"Are you kidding?" Emma laughed. "We had to drag her kicking and screaming into the car. She didn't want to go." Abigail laughed at the image. "I don't know where she learns her insults from, but they're good."
"Yes...I wonder." Abigail said innocently, staring intently at Emma as she did so.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Come on, Emmz." Abigail laughed. "You can insult for the flag."
"I resent that." She said stubbornly, before noticing Abigail's empty glass. "Want some more water? I know the heat's probably different out here."
Different was probably the understatement of the year, and Abigail was quick to take the offer. "Please." She nodded.
"At least one of us can drink." Emma smirked as she took the glass from the counter.
"I'm here for work, not pleasure." Abigail defended with a sure smile.
Emma turned to her, placing the glass on the side and putting her hands on her hips. "When you're taking your husband on a business trip, its clear that you're mixing the two." She pointed out, and then went back to fixing the drink. "Just remember that we have thin walls, and my baby girl is sleeping down the hall. I don't want her mind tainted by Auntie Abi."
"Emma!" Abigail protested.
Emma shrugged. "Just saying..." She said innocently.
"I'll tell Johnny the same thing then." Abigail warned.
"That's not fair."
"That's completely fair."
Ben came into the kitchen, poking his head around the door. "Thanks, girls, we can hear what you're saying."
He disappeared again, and Emma laughed. "Told you we had thin walls.