His mouth edged up. “Looks like we’ve both made the bad guys’ hit list.”
She tried to smile, but didn’t quite make it. “Is that why you didn’t radio for help?”
“Someone at the airport got paid to look the other way. I didn’t send out a Mayday because I figured I could get us down in one piece and I didn’t want whoever fucked up the fuel knowing where we ended up. With any luck, they’ll think we’re dead—at least for a while.”
The hard truth was, they were still on the run, still being hunted by people connected with the theft of the chemical weapons.
“What now?” Jessie asked.
“I need to check out the plane. Doesn’t look like it’s going to explode so I’m going to get our gear and get us the hell out of here. If you’re up to walking, there’s a highway about three miles away. We’ll catch a ride as far as the first town we come to. Get a room and spend the night.”
He needed some downtime himself. With the impact of the plane, every part of his body felt battered and bruised, and with no sleep last night, he was tired clear to the bone. He knew Jessie had to be feeling the same. “Soon as I get cell service, I’ll call my brother, let him know what happened.”
Jessie’s gaze swung across the open field to where the Baron sat at a cockeyed angle, tipped up on its nose. “Chase was upset about the broken windows in his office. He’s really going to be mad about his plane.”
Bran laughed and some of the tension he was feeling slid away. “The insurance company won’t be happy, but I’m pretty sure my brother will just be thankful we’re both still alive.”
He took a last look at Jessie and prayed she wasn’t hurt any worse than she seemed. They had to get going. If they didn’t, it would be dark by the time they reached the highway.
Bran returned to the plane, and it took two trips to get their bags out of the cargo hold, including the medical kit, survival gear, and his weapons bag, and carry it all back to where Jessie sat on the dry grass.
He took a few precious minutes to put a butterfly bandage over the wound on her head, then they layered up and Jessie helped him condense their stuff down to the basics: laptops, his cell phone, weapons and ammo, the emergency kit, and survival equipment. The stuff went into in his black canvas duffel, clothes in a single carry-on.
Bran clipped his Glock to his belt. “You ready for this?”
She nodded. “At the moment, walking beats the heck of flying.”
He chuckled. He couldn’t resist cupping her cheek, bending his head to press a soft kiss on her lips. They started walking, heading for the highway in search of a ride, hoping the men who brought down the plane weren’t out there somewhere waiting.
Knowing there was a damn good chance they would be.
