Page 71 of Carnal Risk

Jumping into the pool had been an impulse, and he laughed to himself, thinking about the crazy things he’d done since meeting Selby. When he’d come to her, Lars had refused to let him in the house. It wasn’t until he’d sworn up and down that he’d beg on his knees if he had to in order to set things right with Selby, that Lars had agreed to allow him to see her. The spectacular sight of her, like a mermaid in the blue, set his heart afire. When he realized she wouldn’t come to him, there was no other choice but to go to her.

He thanked God she’d forgiven him. Making love to her rocked his world, solidifying what he’d known; he was falling in love with her. When she’d told him how she’d suffered, had been assaulted, he’d wished he could find the asshole who’d hurt her and beat the ever-living shit out of him. The etiology of her cautious nature was driven by a deep-seated trauma, but in the short time she’d spent with him, she was slowly breaking free of the binds from her past.

Garrett knew he shouldn’t let himself fall for a woman he’d only known for weeks. Hell, he was shocked that he could fall in love, period. It had been the most intense time of his life; two deaths had brought his perfect life crashing to the ground. Everything he’d thought was important had been rearranged like a complex puzzle. And now that the pieces were set anew, the image remaining was of Selby Reynolds in his home, in his life.

Garrett snuggled into Selby’s small form, wrapping his arms and legs around her as if creating an impenetrable shield around his lover. The coming week would present more challenges. Although a killer was on the loose, Cormac’s memorial had been planned. As he closed his eyes and submitted to the darkness, he prayed that he’d be able to keep his promise to keep her safe.

“You don’t have to do this,” Garrett told Selby. He glanced to the armed guards he’d hired to watch over the proceedings. “I can stay here with you on the ground.”

“No, that’s not fair to you. I can do this. It’s just a plane ride. It’s not like I’m jumping or anything,” she said.

“I’m worried about you.”

“It’s okay. I’ve flown in a plane before. It’s not my favorite thing but I certainly can do it,” she insisted.

“You sure?”

“Positive. We already discussed this. I’ll sit with you and after you jump, I’ll go sit in the front with Seth,” she said without hesitation.

The King Air’s engines roared to life, and Garrett reluctantly nodded. As much as he wanted to participate in the ceremonial jump, he didn’t want to risk upsetting Selby. She’d moved back into his house, and for the first time in fifteen years, he’d taken off work for a couple of days, staying at home. Despite Chase’s involvement in the initial sample collection, there hadn’t been any further attacks. To no avail, he and Selby had pored through the files and laptop, searching for clues to identify the killer.

During the past two days together, they’d made love and talked for hours. He’d been surprised when she’d admitted how much she enjoyed their sexual play, but he hadn’t pushed her any further since the day of her panic attack. Despite their conversations, she never mentioned having told him that she loved him, confirming that she’d said it in her sleep. He hadn’t broached the topic, but couldn’t go much longer without telling her the emotions that lay hidden in his heart.

Like in everything he did in business and pleasure, Garrett knew exactly what he wanted. When this all was over, he planned to ask Selby to live with him permanently. The only reason he hadn’t proposed the idea already was because he didn’t want her thinking his decision had anything to do with the murders. The discussion would come soon enough, though, and when it did, he’d do it with a clear conscience, no blurred situations marring the moment.

Lars called to him from the plane to board, breaking his racing thoughts. Garrett put his arm around Selby, and they scurried over to the aircraft. Once seated inside, he called up to Seth, who piloted the craft. Before their flight, Garrett had triple checked all the equipment, having the mechanics thoroughly inspect the engine. The very last thing he needed was to have a repeat of Evan’s accident. As the plane sped down the runway, he reached for Selby’s hand and brought it to his lips. She’d gone silent, giving him a small smile.

When they lifted into the air, he deliberately slowed his breath in preparation. He’d jumped hundreds of times, but ever since Evan’s accident, the insidious fear of splattering onto the ground had crept into his psyche. It wouldn’t deter him, but it took the joy out of something he’d always loved.

Seth signaled they’d reached the correct altitude, and Garrett stood to slide open the door. A rush of air poured through the cabin, and Beckett held up the urn, drawing everyone’s attention. As planned, he opened it, shaking the ashes of his brother over the Pacific Ocean. When he finished, he opened a small cabinet and placed the vessel inside. Garrett reached over and patted his shoulder, in a gesture of condolence. No words were needed to impart the sympathy felt by everyone in attendance.

As they approached their target field, Garrett pointed to Beckett, who was the first to jump. Chase, Nate and Ryder followed next. One by one the divers gracefully tumbled forward into the blue sky. Garrett was holding the railing, waiting his turn when he heard the sound of the sputtering engines. He mouthed the word ‘stay’ to Selby, whose face had gone white.

“What the fuck is happening?” Garrett asked, inspecting the instruments.

“Engine’s gone. I swear to God. You know it was working. We both checked things before we took off.”

“Keep the nose down. We gotta keep her gliding until we jump.”

“No,” Selby said from behind him.

“Get your gear on,” Garrett told him. “Move over.”

Seth quickly jumped out of the captain’s chair, allowing Garrett room to replace him. He began prepping his gear, which he always kept on hand. Slipping on his rig, he prepared to jump.

“Hurry it up. She’s going down fast. I think we can dump in the woods over there. Maybe in the lake. We’ve gotta get down in the field.” Garrett turned his head back toward Selby, who shook her head. “Get her rigged up with the harness. She’s coming with me.”

“No,” she protested. “Can’t we just land this thing?”

“Sweetheart, if we could do that, I wouldn’t be asking you to jump.”

“Don’t you sweetheart me. I can’t. No,” Selby ranted while Seth slipped the harness around her legs. Within seconds she was tightly secured into the straps, a helmet tightened over her head. “No, no, no.”

“Seth. A little help here. Hold the controls. As soon as we go, you’re on, you hear me. Don’t worry about the plane. She won’t hit any live targets. Call Mayday and jump, you hear me?”

“Got ya.” Seth nodded.

Garrett strapped on the tandem gear that Seth had retrieved and connected her to his body. As much as he hated the fact that he had to take her out against her will, he enjoyed living and refused to crash in a fiery ball of flames. While he suspected foul play, it wasn’t the first time jumpers had been forced to bail a plane during engine trouble.