Annie looked at Kip with her eyes wide. “You speak German?”
Kip shrugged.
Then Kip looked over at Sparks, who looked distracted, staring over the clerks shoulder into the common area.
“Sparks,” Kip said. “What is it?”
Sparks mind came back to the two of them. “Uh, I don’t know. I thought I just saw someone I know. But that would be impossible.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Sparks. It is a small world,” Annie said.
“Yeah,” Sparks replied. “But I just saw the guy last night back in New York.”
“Happens to me a lot, Sparks,” Kip said, slapping him on the shoulder. “I see look a likes all over the world. Pretty common really.”
“Yeah, that must be it,” Sparks said. “Otherwise there is no way. And the coincidence would be fucking crazy. Reynolds couldn’t be here.”
“Reynolds?” Kip asked. “The deputy that was guarding us last night?”
“Yeah, but like you said,” “Sparks muttered. “Couldn’t be him, could it?”
Kip shook his head and threw his attention back to the clerk. “Wirklich müssen wir gehen.”
“What did you just say, Kip?” Annie asked.
“I told her we really needed to go.”
The clerk looked under pressure, and Kip felt bad about stressing her out. But he looked at his watch. They should be heading back to the jet right now.
Finally, the clerk finished ringing them up and Kip gave her his credit card. Annie threw everything into bags while she swiped it and Kip signed.
Then it was a mad dash back to the jet through the tunnel to the hangar. When they ran out into the large open area, the Jet had its engines running and they were being flagged to hurry by Lydell, who was standing in the door to the cabin at the top of the stairs.
“Alright, we’re here,” Kip said as he reached the top and ducked into the jet. “You can relax now.”
“The hell I can, Jones!” Lydell yelled over the noise of the engine. “The pilot is yelling at me that he’s about to pull out and Jack, Stabbs and Lock are not back yet!”
“Where the hell did they go?” Kip asked.
“Beats the hell out of me!” Lydell screamed, and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “I swear, sometimes I ask myself why I got into this business. I have a law degree you know. I could have been a lawyer!”
Kip looked Lydell up and down, taking in his slight frame, and he plucked at his red suspenders, snapping them against his chest. “You would have made a great lawyer, Lydell. But then you would have missed all this excitement of representing us!” Kip laughed.
Lydell wiped his brow again and muttered a “Harrumph!” before turning back to the hangar to see Jack, Stabbs and Lock running for the plane, each of them had bottles of lager in their arms.
“Oh, thank God!” Lydell said. “You guys are going to be the death of me.”
Kip slapped his shoulder as Annie and Sparks stepped past him and disappeared inside. “Nah, Lydell, we’re helping you to truly live!” he said.
Jack bounded up the stairs cradling his bottles against his chest. Stabbs and Lock followed.
“What the fuck, guys?” Kip asked. “There’s plenty of alcohol on the jet!”
“Not German Lager, there ain’t!” Jack said as he disappeared inside.
Kip rolled his eyes as Stabbs and Lock squeezed by along with Lydell. When Kip stepped in he gave a thumbs up to the flight attendant, who stepped forward and opened the cockpit door to inform the captain that everyone was now on board. Kip walked back to his seat and passed Sparks, who still looked spooked by his earlier encounter. A few seconds later, Kip sat down next to Annie and buckled in. The Jet rolled out and took off into the black sky.
“I’ve been thinking, Kip,” Annie said.
“About?”
“Well, you’re more of an entrepreneur than you are a rock star, wouldn’t you say that is right?”
“Nahh. I am an entrepreneur, yes, but I mostly do rock and roll. A lot more than buying and building new businesses. I’d have to stay I am more of a rock star.”
“Oh, I see,” Annie said. Then she sighed and added, “Too bad.”
“Why too bad?” Kip asked.
“Well, I was just thinking about how I’d like to join the mile high club, but since you’re a rock star and I have that rule… I mean, since we’re starting over and all.”
Kip sat back in his seat and thought for a moment. “Ah, I see.”
“Well, I do give nearly all of my wealth to charity. I guess that makes me more of a philanthropist than a rock star, wouldn’t you agree?”