Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

didn’t try to make any moves except to hold her hand. She supposed it would be awkward on the plane, but she hoped to get a kiss out of this before it was over.
    Hazel was surprised when the fasten seatbelt sign came on again.
    The captain announced they were starting their descent. Hazel gripped Val’s hand. He chuckled.
    “Hey, we’re going to be okay.”
    She nodded, her words lost now. They still had twenty minutes until things got really scary. Someone bumped into her seat, and she looked up and saw the man who kept trying to steal her seat.
    He leaned over her, syringe in hand. It took Hazel only a fraction of second to see that he was heading straight for Val. Hazel acted instinctively and hit the man’s hand. The syringe went flying, and the man growled at her. Hazel’s heart raced as she tried to comprehend what was going on.
    “Stupid girl. I knew you were going to ruin this.” He grabbed Val by the collar, but before he could do anything else, two large men descended on the man and tackled him to the ground. Hazel felt instant relief flood through her. In seconds, one man had him in handcuffs, and the other turned to Hazel.
    “We’re air marshals. Are you okay?”
    “Yeah,” she said, but her pulse sounded loud in her ears.
    Val was pale, but seemed no worse for wear.
    “Where’s the syringe? We saw him pull one out,” one of the air marshals asked.
    Hazel thought for a second. “I don’t know. It went flying.”
    Hazel stood and looked in the direction she saw it go, scared she might see it stuck in someone’s neck. It was on the floor next to the first row. A woman sat there watching the whole scene. Her eyes were wide, and her breath was coming in rapid bursts. “It nicked me,” she said pointing to her arm.
    The air marshal holding the man down pushed his knee into the man’s back. “What was in the syringe?”
    “Not telling.”
    “Yes, you will,” the air marshal said. He pulled on one of the man’s fingers and bent it back. “Normal rules don’t apply up here. If that was deadly, we need to know.”
    “Ow, ow, ow. Stop. Okay, I’ll tell you. It’s potassium cyanide.”
    The air marshal looked at the woman in the front. “You’ll be fine if it only nicked you. If you start feeling dizzy, alert one of the flight attendants.” The other air marshal stepped over the man and picked up the syringe. Then the first marshal stood the man up and walked him toward the front. When the man got close enough to the second air marshal, he struggled and forced his arm onto the syringe so that it plunged right into his bicep. Then he fell limp.
    The air marshals dragged him to the forward galley.
    “Do you think he’s dead?” Hazel asked. She shivered and tried to steady her breathing. They couldn’t see the marshals or the man anymore, but flight attendants were rushing about calming scared passengers. Since the whole thing took place in first class, most of the passengers behind the curtain had no idea what happened. The marshals were talking, but they were too far away from them to hear what was said.
    Val face paled. “Why do you think he wanted me dead? He was coming straight for me.”
    A few minutes later, one of the air marshals appeared at their side and stared hard at Val. “Have you ever seen that man before?”
    “No. I have no idea why he would do that.”
    “Is he dead?” Hazel interrupted, needing to know. If she hadn’t stopped the man, what would he have done to Val?
    “Yes. That was quick thinking. He owes you one.” The marshal said, pointing to Val.
    The marshal gave Val a card and asked for his number, then went back up to the front.
    Val looked at her with an ashen face. “No one has tried to kill me before.”
    “He was probably crazy.” She grabbed his hand. “He’s dead now, so there’s nothing else to worry about.”
    The plane started to descend, and she squeezed his hand.
    “What time is your next flight?” he asked.
    “Two,” she