Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
It was dark outside, and the lights were dim in the small space I shared with this man I’d slept with. That felt like a lifetime ago. How upset was he going to be with me when he realized what I’d done? And why did I care?
“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t know anything about you.”
He lapsed into silence, but I could feel his intense gaze on me, and unexpectedly, his breathing picked up. Like he was nervous about whatever he was going to say.
“I know that I need you to get through this,” he said.
The uneven cadence of his voice was shocking, pulling my gaze to him like he had gravity. His face had changed, taking on the same look of longing he’d given me right after our encounter in the bathroom this afternoon. My heart thudded.
“Why?”
His voice was low. “Because maybe when this is over, we could—”
A loud horn blared, cut off, and then rang again in a steady pattern, and the dread that filled his face was devastating.
15
ETHAN
I watched Olivia’s focus snap back to the controls. She’d barely seemed surprised when the alarm had sounded, but it had startled the hell out of me. I’d never been all that comfortable with flying, and I had to steel myself now to remain calm.
“What’s happening?”
“We’re losing pressure.” She snapped up the steering column, and there was a flurry of activity. Another alarm sounded and was silenced when she stabbed a button in the center between us.
“Why are we losing pressure?”
“We must have a leak.”
The answer came far too quick and tight. Everything inside me was already on alert, but this set me even more on edge. What was her play here? To claim a malfunction and try to force Gio into jumping with a parachute?
She’d so obviously been planning something since our boss returned to his seat. Her whole body had gone rigid, and she’d been carefully measuring out her breath so as not to seem anxious. She’d failed miserably.
“What’s going on?” Gio yelled, storming up to the cockpit.
“Turbulence,” I lied. “Go back to your seat and buckle in.”
The piece of shit muttered a curse and plodded to his chair in the back, thankfully as far away from her as possible.
I’d almost killed him on the tarmac. The moment I’d heard the gunshots, I’d been seized with panic that Olivia was dead. Instead, he had the gun on her, and my brain quit working.
Relief she was alive mixed with rage over what Gio had done. This unexpected rush of emotion had stopped my impulse to sink a bullet into him—which was good. With the rest of the crew dead, I had no choice but to let it play out.
If I’d killed him when I had wanted to, I might have gotten a little justice for the dead men beneath us on the plane, but what about my mission? What about the deal in the works with the terrorist cell? With both his sons dead, Vitale would be impossible to break.
That is, of course, if Olivia didn’t kill us first with whatever scheme she was working on. I admired the fight in her, but she had the worst fucking timing. I had hoped she would trust me, but that answer was clearly no.
“Can you fix it?” I asked, apprehensive of the lie I knew was coming.
“We’ll be okay. It’s a slow leak.” But she sounded out of breath, and I noticed it was difficult for me to catch mine as well. The alarm that signified she’d put her plan into action rang again, only this time it was serious. She didn’t get a chance to shut it off. The compartments above our heads burst open, and oxygen masks rained down.
I pushed aside panic and snatched up the dangling orange cup, fumbling with the elastic straps. She’d moved with planned efficiency, and had her mask secure a heartbeat after they’d fallen from the compartments.
Gio yelled something, but it was muffled as he must have put on his own mask.
“Stop this,” I ordered her. “Whatever you’ve done, fix it now.”
Her traitorous gaze darted from the gauges to lock onto me. She pulled the cup of her mask half an inch away so she could speak. “You think I made this happen?”
“Yes.” Not a shred of doubt.
She glanced away, guilty. “I didn’t.”
I grabbed her elbow, hard. I didn’t have time to talk sense into her, even if I could get her to listen to it. Her eyes widened with startled pain at my grip. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, but, goddamn it . . . we were wearing oxygen masks and sirens wailed overhead. Was the plan to kill us all?
“Now,” I commanded.
“No.”
Cold wrapped its fingers around me as she pushed us closer to where I didn’t want to go. I played the last card I had left before the mission directive would take over. “Olivia, please.”