After a few minutes of waiting on the tarmac for the other planes to get out of the way, the private jet taxied its way over to an empty area where a tractor waited with a set of stairs, ready to dock with the plane.
Once the plane came to a full stop, the men grabbed their backpacks and walked down the aisle toward the cockpit and the exit. The redhead stood by the door with a broad smile on her face, showing off her almost perfectly white teeth. “Good luck,” she said to them both, though she gave an extra long look at Tommy.
“Thanks,” Sean said. “I’ll let the pilot know when we need to leave.” She nodded pleasantly at his comment.
Sean quickly made his exit, leaving Tommy awkwardly alone with the flight attendant. “Thank you,” he said in an uncomfortable tone. “I noticed that you weren’t the flight attendant that was with us on the way over from the United States.”
“True,” she said, still grinning. “We sometimes change over at different locations.”
“Ah. Well, are you going to be taking us back to the States, or will we have someone else on the way home?” He hoped his question didn’t sound too creepy.
She seemed taken aback by the question, but maintained her friendly demeanor. “Actually, I will be. We don’t have anyone here on this island. It is kind of remote, after all.”
“Right,” he said blushing. “Good point.” Tommy started for the exit and stopped. He turned around and stared at her for a second. “What’s your name? I didn’t get it on the way here.”
It was her turn to blush. “My name is Amanda,” she answered, never losing the bright smile.
“My name is Tommy. It’s nice to meet you, Amanda.” He tipped his head to her and pivoted around.
He saw Sean standing halfway down the stairs, waiting for him. “Good job, Captain Awkward.” He shook his head and laughed as Tommy lumbered down the steps toward him.
“She’s definitely not into me,” Tommy said with a disappointed pout.
“You have so much to learn about women.”
The two friends hit the tarmac and walked toward a door in the middle of the building directly in front of them.
“Isn’t that all men?” Tommy asked, half joking.
Sean simply raised an eyebrow, as if to say, “touché.”
A security guard waited just outside the entrance to the building. When the two men approached, he opened the door for them and gave a quick explanation of where they needed to go to get through customs.
Sean thanked him and led the way through the door into the private terminal. Corfu’s airport seemed somewhat small by American standards but was still large enough to boast the title of International Airport. Although to be fair, the large island was situated above Greece’s northern border. It was actually parallel to the Albanian coast, northeast of the Greek mainland. The island’s airport claimed to be the third busiest in the country. After flying out of Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, Tommy and Sean were delighted to find such a busy airport nearly vacant by comparison.
Inside the building, a single worker sat on a high stool, surrounded by a four-foot-high counter. A sign on the desk’s surface indicated it was where travelers would gain admittance into the country. The squatty, dark-haired man behind the desk busily thumbed his way through a magazine.
“How many people do you think he has to process in a given day at this airport?” Tommy asked in a whisper as the two approached the checkpoint.
“We might be the first people he’s seen all day,” Sean answered.
The man noticed them coming and put down the magazine in an attempt to look professional. Sean and Tommy decided to let him believe he succeeded.
“Welcome to Corfu, gentlemen,” he said in perfect English. “Here for a bit of leisure?”
Sean and Tommy glanced at each other questioningly. Sean turned to the man and answered. “Actually, we are here on business. But if we get time we might get in a little leisure as well.”
“Well, we have a beautiful countryside here and many quiet beaches where you can relax. Corfu is one of the best-kept secrets of the Mediterranean.”
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries with the security worker. Sean remembered the good old days when he didn’t have to fill out forms or go through security checkpoints. As an operative for Axis, he’d been allowed special privileges. Waiting in line was almost never a requirement. At times, getting through customs only required the wave of a badge.
When the two completed their check-in, they gathered their things and went through a set of glass double doors. A long corridor extended a few hundred yards to the main terminal, where the majority of visitors could claim their baggage and find transportation. Sean led the way, stepping onto one of the people movers to quicken the pace as they walked. They reached the other end of the passage and found the main terminal. A steady but small stream of tourists meandered through the facility, seemingly not in a hurry to get anywhere.
The terminal’s interior design starkly contrasted with its bland, utilitarian exterior. Huge cylindrical steel beams jutted up at sharp angles, supporting a gently sloping, curved ceiling. The entire place had a futuristic appearance, with sleek metal facades, railings, ceiling panels, and girders. It somehow reminded Sean of his childhood visits to Space Mountain in Disney World.
“You got us a driver, right?” Sean asked.
“You heard me make the phone call, remember? You were right next to me on the plane.” Tommy glared at him as if Sean’s head was on fire.
“Right. Sorry. I just want to make sure we have everything covered.” Sean said apologetically.
Tommy smiled at his friend. “It’s okay, man. I know you’re worried about her. It’s going to be fine. We’ll get her back.” His face took on a serious expression. “And we’re going to make the guy that took her pay.”
Sean nodded. He appreciated his friend’s confidence. Deep down inside, however, he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Chapter 42
Paulino stood waiting for his marks to arrive in the terminal. He held a cardboard sign in front of his chest that had the names Wyatt and Schultz written on it with a black Sharpie. He found the sign in the passenger’s side of the car the men had arranged for as their transportation on the island. Along with it, he discovered the orders for the boat rental, a picture of the boat, the address of the marina, and some other miscellaneous paperwork.
It was almost too easy.
Killing the driver had been simple enough. He’d waited outside the terminal for almost half an hour, watching the pickup area for Wyatt’s driver to arrive. A few drivers had come through, each of whom he questioned briefly by asking if they were there to pick up Sean Wyatt. The first three said no. The last one’s yes was also his death sentence.
Paulino explained that he was a liaison for Wyatt and Schultz and that their flight had been delayed due to a small storm hovering over Rome. He told the driver that the two men should arrive in the next hour, and that he was to wait in the parking area. The driver thanked him for the information, which led Paulino to requesting a seat in the car. The day’s temperature had already warmed to the low eighties, and since they were both working for the same people the driver had no problem allowing Paulino to sit and wait for their clients to arrive.
A few minutes later, the driver eased the car into a parking space near some shady trees on the far side of the lot. Paulino meticulously surveilled their surroundings, gratefully noting the absence of any security cameras in the area. The driver put the car in park and left it running to keep the interior cool with air conditioning. Paulino made polite conversation for a few minutes, asking the man how long he’d been driving, which company he worked for, if he liked his job, and other random crap like that. Socializing for the sake of socializing was one of the things Paulino detested the most. The man’s responses actually made the desire to kill him that much stronger.