Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: No Way Past

Zondi is a dick.

But I think I'm starting to figure him out. It's only taken three short away trips, but here we are.

He's going to do everything in his power to get under my skin, and as long as I give him shit right back, I think I'll be okay.

Once the aircraft doors are closed, shutting out the wet coastal heat of Richards Bay — the sugar mill, the salt, the whole thick sweet smell of the place — I do my usual safety demonstration, standing in the exit row. Tonight, like most nights, is the late flight home, and the players are far too distracted to watch or care what I'm doing with a demo mask and a demo belt.

All but one.

I'll give you one guess.

That's right. Zondi's light amber eyes burn into me, watching my every move while I do my job, the way they have for weeks now.

As I pack up the little demo bag, my favourite part of the flight begins. Only today it isn't my favourite part, because today I'm stuck in the exit row while every single player stands up and starts to undress.

A quick panic races through me as I try to find a way out, needing to get to the safety of the galley at the back of the aircraft, but it's no use. Everywhere I turn, somebody is undressing. I'm trapped by the most perfectly formed and almost entirely naked bodies in this country.

And the most notable of them? The one standing directly in front of me, leaving me no room to move?

Zondi.