Ace had a one-track mind. He had to get home to see what was brewing in Boston. Besides, he missed the months he’d been away from his beloved Beantown. Not only would he surprise his mother, his main objective was to confront Talise.
On his way to Lambert Airport, Ace couldn’t stop thinking about the nerve of his ex-girlfriend. Whatever shenanigans she had up her sleeve, he would put a stop to it once and for all. He wouldn’t allow her to keep dragging his family members, especially his mother, into her web of dishonesty. He knew how to wear his game face when he threatened to put the fear of his fist upside an opponent’s head.
Threaten. Ace groaned at his bad choice of words in association with Talise. He would never lay hands on his ex or any woman. At the same time, he knew he’d need a game face. Staring into Talise’s mesmerizing brown eyes would be a huge challenge.
Unable to ever admit it, he shuddered at the thought of confronting a woman who could make him weak in the knees. However, at the end of the day, no matter how tempting Talise looked—whether she was pregnant or not—Ace couldn’t give in. Above all—whatever she said or however enticing her voice may be when she said it—Ace had to stay strong.
“Don’t fall for her charm, man,” he coaxed himself. Parking his car on the park-n-ride lot, he boarded the shuttle to the airport. While in Boston, he also planned to patch up things with Cameron. Very much like a brother, Ace’s cousin was the closest person to him after Kidd.
Minutes later, the Super Park shuttle dropped him off at the Southwest terminal. He was more than two hours early for his 7:05 flight home. Although he preferred an earlier flight, it was booked. But there still might be hope for him to fly stand-by. If that didn’t work out, Ace figured he would hang out in the sports bar.
With his mind elsewhere, he bypassed the curbside check-in and headed for the door. Then something got his attention. From a distance, Ace squinted and blinked when a woman who reminded him of Eva caught his eye. It couldn’t be. What reason would she have for being at the airport?
Earlier, when he informed Kidd that he was going home to surprise their mother, his brother had joked with him. Kidd had told Ace that he’d better be glad Eva wasn’t home. If she’d been there, she would have handed him a list of items to bring back from her favorite places.
“Eva, the other Jamieson wives, and Kami are spending the day together shopping,” Kidd had said. So there was no way the person he just saw could be his sister-in-law.
Funny how women have such peculiar ways, he thought. It baffled him how Eva could side with a woman she had never met. Ace shook his head in disbelief. Blood was thicker than water, though, so Eva might as well forgive him for whatever imaginary transgression she thought he caused.
For some reason, he wasn’t able to dismiss the woman’s uncanny resemblance. So, angling his head, Ace decided to get another look. When he turned around, the woman in question was nowhere in sight. Evidently, his eyes and mind were playing tricks on him.
Inside the terminal, he looked straight ahead at the line of Southwest ticket counters. The familiar sight caused Ace to envision Talise in her uniform, smiling and greeting passengers. Knowing that Thursday was her day off, there was no chance he’d run into her at the airport when he arrived in Boston.
Already holding a ticket, he stood in line, impatiently waiting his turn. The six o’clock flight to Boston would be boarding soon. Hopefully, someone canceled and he could fly standby. He was anxious to get there and, just in general, hated to waste time. His preferred flight was going nonstop without a layover in Baltimore.
As he approached the counter, the agent standing at the desk gave him an appreciative stare. Ace upped his charm, wondering how many men flirted with Talise.
“May I help you, sir?”
Handing the woman his ticket, he said, “Yes, are there any seats available on the six o’clock flight to Boston? If so, I would like to make a change.”
“Let me check that for you,” she said politely.
Ace stood there tapping his foot and waited for what seemed like hours. Finally, the agent said, “Sir, I’m sorry, but that flight is booked solid.” She slid the boarding pass into the pocket of his ticket and returned it to him with a polite smile.
What else could he do but thank her and move on? He’d tried. Ace proceeded to go through the security checkpoints. The line inched along from the TSA workers checking IDs to those manning the scanners. Once he put his shoes back on and grabbed his keys and change, he checked the monitor for his flight.
BOSTON 4376 7:05p 8A ON TIME
“Great.”
Ace was still glad he got there early. As planned, he’d spend the time watching the game in the lounge area. Walking down the lengthy corridor, he weaved his way through the crowd of travelers. Looking for the sign with his gate number, he scanned the passageway. Just past his waiting area, there was a restroom and beyond that he spotted the lounge.
Heading to his destination, he felt hunger pangs. Although airport food wasn’t the greatest, he was thinking he might also grab a bite to eat while waiting for his flight. When he passed Gate 8A, Ace glanced over in that direction. A group of people were forming a line near the ramp to the plane entrance. Evidently, they had just started boarding the one through thirty “A” group for the flight before his. Then something made him stop abruptly in his tracks. This couldn’t be.
Talise? Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ace thought he saw her. As part of the line formed for group “A” passengers, a woman had just handed over her boarding pass to be scanned and was poised to enter the ramp. He twisted his body around to get a better look.
First, he thought he saw Eva. And now, his ex?
In fact, if it wasn’t her, the woman could pass as her twin. Talise did have a sister, Sinclaire, who was in the military. The last he knew before they broke up, her sister was stationed somewhere in the Middle East, not the Midwest.
Moving quickly to get a closer look, he said to the other passengers blocking his way, “Ah, excuse me just a minute, please.” Barging his way through the line, he shouted, “Talise!” Ace was desperately trying to catch the woman’s attention, who was wearing headsets and oblivious to his calls.
“Tay!” He shouted again.
To the other travelers’ annoyance, he had pushed his way to the front of the line. He just had to know if it was her. Shouting down the ramp, he yelled out, “Tay!” The agent who was scanning tickets held out her arm to block him from going any farther.
“Excuse me, that’s my girlfriend,” he said, pointing frantically.
“Sir, unless you have an ‘A, one-to-thirty’ seating ticket, please wait until your turn is called. I’m sure she’ll hold you a seat.”
“You don’t understand. We had an argument. She might not. I’m on the next flight. Can I speak with her a minute?” He had begun to rattle on anxiously.
“Sir, you’re holding up the line,” the woman tried to reason with him.
“But I only want to talk with her,” he explained. By this time, Ace had broken into a sweat and his behavior was beyond making a scene. With growing irritation and confusion, he couldn’t fathom what Talise was doing in St. Louis. Even in his frazzled state of mind, he knew his efforts were futile, and they’d never allow him to get on that plane without a boarding pass.
By now, another agent joined the one who had been trying to get through to Ace. Instead of a smile, he was met with a suspicious glare.
“Sir, can I help you?”
“Yes, I just need a minute to get on that plane and talk to my girlfriend.” He pushed his ticket at the agent, thinking it would somehow prove his right to be there.
“I’m sorry, sir, this plane—”
Snatching his ticket away from her, Ace was out of control and thinking irrationally. “Listen, I just need five minutes.” This time, not waiting for an answer, he tried to shove his way through.
The next thing he knew, he was overpowered, tackled, kissing the ground, and being threatened not to move. Handcuffs were slapped on his wrists and a barking German shepherd rounded out the incredible scenario.
“Police!” they shouted. Tightening the grip on his arms, the officers tried unsuccessfully to yank him to his feet. Ace was solid muscle. It would take more than two men to lift him.
Finally, Ace assisted them by pushing his body up from the floor. “I’m not a threat. I just wanted to talk to my girlfriend.” That wasn’t entirely true. Talise was his ex and he was planning to threaten her to stay away from his family.
Gawking passengers made room as the officers carted him away. Right before they led him down a long hallway he noticed several travelers with smart phones aiming their devices his way. Making the best of an embarrassing situation, Ace presented his favored facial profile.
“Hi, Mom,” he said with a terse smile while inwardly groaning.
Talise was doing it to him again. If he hadn’t been on his way home because of her, he wouldn’t be in this jam.
Talk about a terrible travel experience. Wait until he had the opportunity to fill out a survey. Almost an hour later, Ace was still pleading his case. In a back room somewhere in a secluded area of the airport, his answer remained the same.
“Listen, I’ve told you. I’m not a terrorist. I was just trying to get to my girlfriend. It’s the honest truth.”
“The next time you have a lover’s quarrel, do it before you get to the airport. Let’s go,” one officer ordered.
While being ushered to a police car, he took some comfort in the fact that the coast was clear of a curious crowd or the relentless media. However, his relief didn’t last too long. Moments after Ace was shoved into the back seat, reporters and camera equipment were on his trail. Cowering lower, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. Adding insult to injury, the officer didn’t seem to be in any hurry to avoid a media circus.
“Just great.” Ace groaned.
“Did the suspect pose any threat to security?” he could hear a female reporter ask.
“No, we were able to subdue him with little effort.”
“Right. I’m six-three and weigh two-hundred and twenty-pounds. It took more than a little effort to bring me down,” Ace corrected under his breath.
He hadn’t been in jail since … the last time he was in jail. Actually, it was two years ago after that stint for disorderly conduct outside a bar. That was when he vowed to his mother, brother, and cousin that his childish behavior was behind him.
Cameron had harped on Ace’s wasted potential, going as far as using his connections to secure his cousin several job interviews. Ace landed a position with his current employer and his business acumen soared.
With his mind finally made up, things began to change. He cut his association with guilty parties and unsavory relationships. Now his income, for the most part, came by legal means. Surprisingly, Ace’s social calendar didn’t suffer when he cleaned up his bad boy image. Then he met Talise and his life seemed to get even better—at least until a few months ago.