“Don’t even say it. I’m not leaving without you.” She squinted into the moonlit surroundings and shuddered. Was anyone out there waiting to pounce? “We can’t abandon the pilot, and if we don’t get on that plane, we’re back to square one.”
“If Alan’s new friends show up, we might not get on that plane either way.”
“I’m staying.”
His lips flattened, but he nodded. “Okay.”
They crouched, every nerve on alert, time passing as if stuck in slow motion.
Fifteen minutes later, the sound of an engine rumbled through the wispy clouds obscuring the moon. The plane’s lights winked green and red as it descended, far too cheerful for the occasion.
The second the wheels touched, Scott pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go.”
A gunshot blistered the air as they ran toward the runway. Another deadly missile whizzed overhead, and he dove into the rough grass, taking her to the ground with him. She landed on her hip with a bone-jarring thud. He rolled them both face down and shielded her torso and head with his body.
Raising his flashlight, he signaled the pilot, but she didn’t veer off track, didn’t immediately take off without them. Instead, she taxied to a stop about half a football field away, propellers running, the plane’s tail number obscured by something that looked like mud.
Only fifty yards, yet so far.
The wooden fence behind them sprayed splinters as another loud crack shattered the night. Two more bullets followed. Too close.
“Fuck.” Scott shifted his weight to her left, keeping himself between her and the gunfire. “I guess Alan really did screw us.”
Later, she’d have to deal with the horror of her old friend’s betrayal. First, she had to stay alive.
More shots tore through the darkness, this time coming from the far side of the plane. Was someone inside the plane shooting back?
The quiet neighborhood had turned into a war zone.Please don’t let anyone get hurt.She might not have started this, but she didn’t want more innocent people to die in the fight with her boss.
She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on Scott’s warm body pressing hers into the ground. Fear raced up her breastbone like a horde of marching ants and lodged in her throat.
The gunfire paused, and she waited, holding her breath for the next round.
Nothing. Seconds ticked by into minutes as the chill bled through her jeans. Scott didn’t move. Valerie’s ears rang. The drone of the propellers increased as her hearing recovered.
Scott lifted his head and slid off her onto the ground. “You okay?” he asked, his breath warm on her neck, voice faint.
She sucked in a lungful of air, the world spinning as if she’d just stepped off a carousel. “I think so.”
“Stay down.” He pushed to his knees, leaving her cold, and crouched on the balls of his feet. Body still, he scanned their surroundings and waited.
Valerie’s pulse throbbed in her throat. Were the gunmen still out there? Her brain buzzed like angry bees and her limbs started to shake.Oh. My. God.She’d like to say she’d never been so scared, but the incident with the FBI agents was far too fresh in her memory.
Still, she’d be happy to never experience live gunfire again. How was Scott so calm? Had being in war made him immune to the fear? Helpful for the current situation, but sad. People all over the world dealt with violence every day. She knew that. But no one shouldhaveto.
Something flashed from the doorway of the plane.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“A signal.”
“All clear?” A girl could hope.
“Proceed with caution. You ready to run?” he asked.
No. “Yes.”
The nearly full moon shone on his face and illuminated his “get up” gesture. “Get on your feet but stay down and behind me.”
