16
A huge man in a black suit with the trademark coil of wire to his ear greeted Claudia as she stepped into the Gulfstream jet’s cabin.
United States Secret Service. Had to be.
“Captain Casperson. Colonel Gibson. Welcome aboard. You may leave your bag with me.”
There was no question of not obeying. Michael handed over the bag.
“Are either of you armed?”
Michael bent down to untie the hunting knife from around his calf and dropped it into the bag. Then he added a folding knife and a Colt Defender 9 mm that she somehow hadn’t noticed.
She didn’t have so much as a Swiss Army knife with her. “The rest is in the gear bag.”
The rest? A romantic idyll in the tops of the redwoods and Michael came loaded to personally fend off the Taliban. Always ready for anything. A good lesson that she’
