Cherryh, C J - Alliance-Union 08 (131 page)

She did not ask. Not anywhere near witnesses.

The Reseune corporate jet touched smoothly, braked, and swung into a brisk roll toward the terminal and Decon—always a special treatment of plane and passengers, when a flight came in from overseas.

"It's going to take a while," Justin said, hand on Grant's shoulder; and they might have gone to sit down, then, in the comfort of the VIP and press room. But he watched it roll up to the safeway; watched the windows after it had come to rest. He could make out shadows moving inside, nothing more.

But one of them was Jordan and another was Paul.

Everything's all right,
he had said, when
RESEUNE ONE
had let him speak to the incoming plane, when Grant was on the way down from the hill and Reseune was stirring to heal its wounds.
Don't worry. Yanni Schwartz is the new Reseune Administrator. Welcome home.

He
worried. He watched out the window mostly, while Decon did its work, hosing down the plane in foam. He and Grant exchanged stories in distracted bits and pieces, what they had known, and when, and what they had been in a position to pick up.

He worried until the doors opened and gave up two tired travelers.

After which they had the lounge to themselves, Ari had said, for as long as they wanted; and the sole surviving bus waiting out under the portico, to get them back up the hill.