“Is this fog normal?” she asked as more clouds surrounded them, growing thicker, and casting shapes within the shadows, making the drive that much more mythical.
Zach chuckled. “Marine layer,” he said. “Warm ocean, cool air. It rolls in, sits on the island, and pretends it owns the place until morning.”
“It feels like we’re in an entirely different world, a place where only the two of us exist,” she said. He wasn’t sure whether she liked the thought or not. He certainly didn’t hate it . . . at least at the moment.
“Driving through a cloud can be a bit eerie,” he told her.
“With these winding roads, it feels like we’re going to fall off the sides of the earth,” she said.
“I’m enjoying it with you at my side. When I’m alone, I don’t love it as much as it takes so long to get anywhere,” he told her. “We do need to be careful, as the bison and deer roam free here. They tend to flock to the roads at sunset. That might have to do with the fact that there isn’t much traffic out during the day, and virtually none at night, as the place we’re going is closed.”
“Why are we going to a closed place?” she asked, those nerves from earlier once again creeping into her voice.
“Because that’s when the magic happens,” he assured her, his fingers gently rubbing her thigh.
Or when the worst things happen.
It did the trick, her breath coming out in small, shallow pants as she faced forward, trying to regain some of her rapidly fading control. He couldn’t allow her too much time to come to her senses. The entire night was supposed to be about them lettinggo of their inhibitions, not stepping back into the real world. There was a time for reality and a time for fantasy. He chose the latter whenever possible. It’s what would keep him young and free forever.
That’s what he told himself, anyway.
The songOperatorby Jim Croce began on the radio, and he reached over and turned it up just a tad. He still wanted to hear her voice, feel the heat of her breath, and listen for the sound of her beating heart, but the song was a favorite and only added to the moment’s magic.
He made the final ascent up the mountain, then passed through the clouds, rising above the marine fog into a beautiful, clear night at nearly the highest point on the island. She gasped next to him at the sight, just as he knew she would. The first time doing it was indescribable, but the magic of breaking through the top of the clouds never fully ebbed. All alone in the sky really did make you feel as if you were the last people on earth. The road leveled out, and Zach moved forward, still driving slowly.
“Where are we?” she asked quietly. “This is stunning. I imagine this is what it was like daily for pioneers being in places no others were.”
Zach glanced at her. “Welcome to Airport in the Sky,” he said. “This is my favorite place on the island. It doesn’t matter how many times I come, it always draws me back. It’s why I don’t share it with many.”
Could it be why it would be the perfect place to make sure no one ever found you again, a darker voice whispered. He ignored it.
“It means a lot that you’re willing to share it with me,” she said, her fingers squeezing his that were still resting on her thigh. He chose to keep talking to ground himself.
“It’s called Airport in the Sky because when the Wrigleys built it after WWII, they had to take two mountaintops, remove a lotof earth, then fill the gap in between. It’s next to the highest point of the island, sitting at 1602 feet in elevation.”
Zach approached a locked gate and stopped. She turned and gave him a disappointed glance. “Looks like we can’t go in,” she said with a sigh. He grinned, the smile genuine.
“Mostpeople can’t get in,” he corrected. “Hold on one moment.”
He stepped from the vehicle and walked to the gate. He quickly unlocked it, opened it wide, then drove through. He relocked the gate.
“There’s usually someone on-site, but he’s out of town tonight. It really is just the two of us,” he told her.
He knew exactly where the manager was and when he’d be back. He always knew who might be around. That was survival. Or something more calculated, depending on who was asking.
“Should I be worried?” she asked in a teasing tone. He could hear the nerves in her voice, but excitement was overtaking all other emotions.
“We’re alone, so you can be excited, nervous . . . or both,” he told her, sending a wink. He wanted to make her tremble with nerves and passion. It made what was coming even better. There was something to be said about fear, passion, excitement, and the unknown mixing together that made a person forget who they were and simply feel.
This could be a perfect night.
They approached the airport tower where the unlit runway stretched before them. He kept moving forward, passing the building. The further they moved down the road beside the runway, the more the lights of Los Angeles, which was twenty-six miles away, became evident. It was pretty awing knowing you were in a quiet, dark place, feeling as if civilization couldn’t touch you, but seeing it on the horizon. Freedom lived just past the clouds, underneath a merciless sky.
“This is unreal.”
“I’m glad I’ve brought you,” he replied.
Finally, Zach stopped the truck at the end of the runway, the edges of the cliff not far. This was where he needed to be. He wouldn’t think of any other woman. He also wasn’t a man who asked, wasn’t a man who didn’t know what he wanted, and then went after it.
