Cam held it up, turning sideways in his seat to show it to Damon, and he saw that Jack’s attention was riveted on it, too. From the cabin beyond, he saw movement and prayed whoever was out there wasn’t working withJack.
“Cort let me borrow this,” he told Damon. “He told meyougave it to him a whileback.”
Damon looked at Cam like he was crazy. Maybe he was. From the corner of his eye, he watched the shadow outside the cockpit door creep closer. Whoever was out there was trying to conceal their presence. Cam knew he needed to distract Jack and give them the element ofsurprise.
“I figured you’d want it back,” Cam told Damon, trying to convey with his eyes that Damon should play along. And then he flipped the quarter in a perfectarc.
Jack’s attention was focused on the coin as it sailed through the air, heading for Damon’s outstretched palm, and he never noticed the arm reaching around to grab him from behind. Cam jumped from his seat, both of his hands reaching for the wrist of Jack’s gun hand and forcing it up to the ceiling, even as the fourth person yanked Jack backwards, trying to wrestle him to the floor. Cam lost his grip for a split second, falling forward as Jack was wrenched back, and in that second, Jackfired.
Damon cried out as sparks shot from the control panel. The plane dippedprecariously.
Cam’s stomach rolled, but he levered himself up anyway, grabbing Jack’s wrist again, his knee digging hard into Jack’s thigh as they wrestled on the tiny floor. The other man –Cain! ItwasCain! - was trapped underneath Jack, his arm still around Jack’s neck, but he was losing the struggle as Jack elbowed him relentlessly with his freearm.
Cam made it up onto his knees, gaining leverage over Jack and pushing his wrist in the opposite direction, so Cain could have more room to maneuver himself free. Cam pinned Jack’s wrist to the floor, moved his knee onto Jack’s forearm, then grabbed the gun from his hand. The men on the floor continued to wrestle, Cain’s thin form no match for Jack’s extra bulk andmuscle.
“Stop!” Cam shouted, holding the gun in both hands. He was balanced on his knees, his back braced against Damon’s seat as Damon struggled frantically to bring the plane under control. “Jack, Iwillshoot you if you don’t leave Cain alone,” hepromised.
Jack froze, belly to the floor, and Cain scrambled away from him. The younger man’s nose was bleeding copiously and he kept a protective arm coiled around hisribs.
“Cain?” Jack asked dumbly, as though he’d only just processed who he’d been fighting with for the pastminute.
“Are you okay?” Cam demanded as Cain backed himself over to the cabin wall. He managed to get his feet underneath him, and slid himself up the wall using the wall for support. He looked as though he mightvomit.
“No,” Cain whispered, staring at Jack with disgust and betrayal stamped onto his features. “I am not okay. Youkilledthem?” hedemanded.
“Cain, baby, I can explain!” Jackpleaded.
Baby? Now the utterly wrecked look in Cain’s eyes made so muchsense.
And also,holyshit.
“You were working withhimthe whole time, and I thought… I thought we…” Devastation was evident in every word Cainspoke.
The plane dipped again. “Fuck.The electronics are damaged,” Damon said, his voice thick with tension. “We need to make an emergency landing. The communications system isn’t working, Cam. I need a cellphone.”
“Cain, get Jack’s cell and give it to Damon,” Cam demanded. “Now!”
Cain dropped to his knees, still clutching his ribs, and wrestled the cell phone from Jack’s back pocket, handing it toDamon.
“I have my phone, too,” Cain said, bracing himself against Cam’s shoulder as he heaved himself to hisfeet.
“Cain, call your dad,” Jack said. “Explain what’s happened. He’ll helpyou.”
“Fuck you. Don’t even talk to me,” Cain said. He stepped to one side and kicked Jack in the ribs, flinching and clutching his own stomach tighter. “I heard what you said about him. I heardeverything.”
“Cort? Cort listen to me,” Damon said into the phone. “No, don’t put me on speaker. Are you listening? Cort! He’s fine. He’sfine,I swear. Yeah, I’m fine, too. The Senator’s kid is here, and he’s fine as well. Cam got Jack’s gun. There was some damage to the plane and I’m setting it down early. I need you to… You did what?Oh myGod.”
Cam fought the urge to swivel his head as Damongroaned.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Damon sighed. “Yeah, I know. I get it.” His tone was wry. “It’ll be alright. It was going to happen anyway. Listen, are you alone? I need you to be alone, Cort,” Damon commanded. He paused for a minute, then said, “Listen, we know who paid Jack. It was EmmettShaw.”
From the corner of his eye, Cam saw Cain bury his head in his hands. Meanwhile, Jack punched the floor and screamed, “Fuck!” He tried to stand, as though trying some misguided, last-ditch means of escape, so Cam instinctively reached out, bringing the butt of the gun down hard on the back of hishead.
Jack collapsed back to the floor and didn’tmove.
“Uh… That was nothing,” Damon said, obviously trying to soothe Cort. “Just a little trouble with Jack, but your boyfriend took care ofit.”
Cam sat back, his hands trembling as he continued holding the gun tight.Holy crap, what did I just do?He couldn’t tell if Jack was still breathing, and he was too afraid tocheck.
