"Justin." Hassan acknowledged the man helping him into the helicopter and who was unhooking him from the pulley-hook which had enabled him to be pulled up from the balcony of his hospital room. Once he was seated behind James, he was able to give a breathless request. "Hi, help me off with this for Rhoda, please?" Tugging at one of the harness's straps.
"Keep it on." Justin halted Hassan's hands. "It will help protect your injuries from any jolting." Justin switched on the winch and let the hook down for Rhoda.
"She might fall!" Hassan protested trying to see her through the window beside him, but the canopy covering the balcony was all he could see, remembering how she had pushed him off the balcony once his harness was fastened so he wouldn't bang into its metal frame.
"She will be fine." Justin was leaning over the side hanging onto a strap above the doorway and swinging the pulley's cable slightly towards Rhoda's hand just visible below the canopy; releasing it as her hand grasped the hook. He waited for her to whistle; after putting her foot into the hook and her hands firmly around the cable; before pushing the lever to reverse the winch, watching her swing out from the balcony as soon as she was above the rail.
"Is Rhoda okay?" Hassan felt the helicopter begin to lift upwards. "Wait for her to get up here!" He growled to James, concerned for her safety.
"She is fine, almost here." Justin assured him and grinned as Rhoda's head came above the sill with an answering sparkle in her eyes. "Hi, sweetheart!" He helped her in and stopped the cable, giving her a hug, before Hassan's growl, made Rhoda push him away.
"Justin, hi, you can't call me that anymore. No endearments or hugs at all." She told him gravely and moved to the seat beside Hassan. "Are you okay? Did it hurt your ribs?"
"No I am fine, thanks." Hassan sat back and watched Justin pull the winch pole inside and strap it into its fixtures in the roof before shutting the sliding door, the helicopter already lifting again and beginning to turn in the direction of the airport, just outside the City.
"Fasten your seat belt, Hassan." Rhoda fastened her own, before accepting two helmets from Justin, his eyes telling her he would help her kidnap Hassan if she gave the word.
"This is your work, Rhoda. Feel free to remove your yashmak and take charge as you normally do." Hassan surprised them both as he buckled the belt.
"Thank you. Wear this, so we don't have to shout at each other." She handed him one of the helmets with the built in head-sets, putting on her own as he accepted it from her.
Once Justin had returned to the co-pilots seat, Rhoda explained they were going to transfer to her jet and go pick up some people. She didn't remove her yashmak, despite Hassan giving her permission to do so, preferring to keep to her agreement with Sidi Ben, regards keeping herself covered solely for her betrothed.
It didn't take more than twenty minutes flight to reach Alif's airport and land inside the building which housed her vehicles. The doors opened by remote control, a switch inbuilt into each of them, her jaguars as well as her jet and each helicopter. Tall and spacious enough to allow the blades to rotate without mishap as it flew in onto its own marked landing space.
"Where are we going first, Sheikha?" James asked as he taxied the jet out of the hanger, needing to log in the details of the flight.
"Dreux, Paris, Manchester, Alif." Rhoda stated, buckling into the armchair inside the jet's sitting room.
"Manchester?!" James exclaimed. "England?!"
"Just kidding. Testing if you are awake." Rhoda chuckled. "Dreux, Paris, Marrakech, Alif in that order. Allow time for tea at Dreux, then the rest will just be pick-up's and on to the next. I think we may get Sidi Ben angry, but just tell him we need twenty-four hours to carry out a job... an important job. I will speak to him if needs be, but I guess he will want to speak to Hassan instead so patch it through to the speakers here." Rhoda spoke towards the monitor on a desk against the dividing partition between the sitting room and the small kitchen, separating them from the cockpit..
