Teaser

 

     Sidney tossed and turned on the bed in the rear of the plane. There was so much to absorb that she didn’t know if she could take it all in. She wasn’t even sure that she believed half of it. Roger trying to kill her? The very idea seemed ridiculous, but she had no reason to believe that Ronan would lie. In fact, she trusted her more than she had trusted anyone ever before.

     Then there was the stalker. Sidney had told Roger about the man during their divorce. He became angry and accused her of sensationalism to prevent their separation, but his emotions had seemed forced. Almost as if he were playing a part and playing it badly. She wondered if he’d known about the man in advance, perhaps even hired him to terrorize her. If he’d been as desperate as Ronan insinuated, the possibility was certainly plausible.

Thoughts of Ronan made Sidney consider what she’d said. If she was being truthful, Ronan had given up everything for her. Sidney couldn’t understand why someone would do that for a perfect stranger. She considered the possibility that Ronan possessed a driving urge to protect someone, anyone, from a tragic destiny. Her logical side told her Ronan’s motives were more involved than that. As a homicide detective, Ronan saw death all the time. Sidney doubted that she was anyone special.

     The care and concern Ronan had shown for her safety certainly insinuated there was a deeper meaning. Her thoughts naturally progressed to the kiss at the estate. Men had kissed her before, but they didn’t compare to Ronan’s gentle touch. Sidney couldn’t ever remember clinging to someone as she had to Ronan then. And she hadn’t wanted it to end.

Finally, she admitted that she had more questions than answers and that sleep was impossible. Sidney flung back the light coverlet and stood up. She walked out to the small galley to make some fresh coffee, wondering if Ronan would like something. By her count, neither of them had eaten anything in quite some time. A lopsided grin curled her lips when she realized that she could do something for her, for a change. Bringing food wasn’t exactly saving her life, but it would make Sidney feel better if she could contribute something toward Ronan’s welfare. From the look of her, she tended to neglect her nutritional needs.

     A few minutes later, Sidney entered the cockpit bearing a loaded tray.

     “Where are we?” she asked casually, handing Ronan a plate. She eased into the seat beside her and strapped on her seatbelt out of habit.

     Ronan took the offered sandwich and bit into it eagerly. She chewed for a few moments before answering. Sidney was amused at the exuberance shown for the food.

     “Just nearing the Florida Everglades,” Ronan mumbled around a mouthful. “Thank you for this. I’m starving.”

     Sidney sipped her coffee, frowning as she considered Ronan’s evasiveness. “You never did tell me how you managed to file a flight plan so quickly.”

     “I have my ways.” Ronan added a wink, letting Sidney know she was deliberately being evasive.

     Sidney only rolled her eyes.

     Suddenly, the jet shuddered. Smoke belched out of the engine compartment. Red lights began blinking alarmingly on the control panel. Ronan tossed her plate aside, most of it landing in Sidney’s lap, and tightly grasped the wheel.

     “What’s happening?” Sidney yelled, flinging her cup toward the rear compartment. A large brown stain spread down the front of her shirt from the jostled coffee.

     “We’re losing fuel and hydraulics,” Ronan shouted, fighting the controls.

     Sidney gritted her teeth against the sudden nausea generated when they dropped a hundred feet all at once. She fumbled with her harness, making sure it was properly buckled.

      “I thought you checked everything.”

     The image of the plane with an open engine cover crossed Sidney’s mind. She realized someone must have tinkered with the vessel while Ronan was off chasing her. She should have pointed that out when they got back to the hangar, but recent events had shaken her so badly that she didn’t consider the ramifications. Regardless, this was all her fault. If Sidney hadn’t taken off, no one would have gotten close enough to sabotage the plane.

     “I did.” Ronan’s pale features appeared ghostly in the crimson glow of emergency lights. “I can’t hold it. We’re going to have to try and set down somewhere before we run out of fuel completely.”

     Sidney felt the plane’s response when Ronan reduced air speed and began the difficult job of trying to land with mostly frozen controls. The Falcon was not about to cooperate. The plane shuddered and bucked like a wild animal trying to escape. Fear left a bitter taste in Sidney’s mouth as she watched Ronan struggle with the wheel.

     Finally, they broke through the clouds into the middle of a thunderstorm. Lightning streaked the sky. Thunder boomed all around them.

     “This just keeps getting better and better.”

     “Why do I get the feeling that the universe is testing us today?” Sidney followed Ronan’s gaze and noticed a blinking red fuel light. “What do we do now?”

     Her fingers felt like they were becoming part of the upholstery since she held so tightly to the chair arms, but she couldn’t even think about letting go.

     “We are going to land.”

    Ronan almost sounded confidant and reassuring, trying to convince Sidney that everything would be fine. It didn’t work.

     “Where the hell are we going to land in the Everglades?”

     “Look for a clearing.”

     “A clearing? We need a landing strip, not a break in the trees!”

     The Falcon, by design, could use a shorter runway than most jets, but a clearing would never be large enough. Unfortunately, they were seriously out of options. Fear shot through Sidney again when the small craft suddenly plummeted several hundred feet. The jungle rushed toward them at breakneck speed. Sidney’s stomach lurched when the bottom of the Falcon began scraping the treetops. She could tell Ronan was straining to see through the rain and fog. Her eyes were squinted, and she leaned far forward in the seat.

     A flash of lightning abruptly lit up the night. Sidney spotted a narrow trail directly ahead of them. The lane wasn’t wide, but she hoped it would suffice.

     “There.”

     As Ronan angled the craft downward to line up on the slightly curving trail, Sidney prayed the controls wouldn’t freeze completely.

     The Falcon lurched when the landing gear hit the muddy ground. The plane skidded left, taking out a row of saplings with the wing. For an instant, she thought they would make it down in one piece. Then the right wing hit a massive cypress and ripped away from the body of the plane with a shriek of shredded metal. The impact jerked the craft sideways, straight toward a row of smaller trees.

     “Hold on!” Ronan shouted.

     Sidney threw her arms up to shield her face. She felt the harness tighten when Ronan pressed down hard on the dual brake pedals.

     The shouted warning was the last thing she heard before they hit a tree dead on. Then it uprooted and crashed through the windshield, branches lashing at her. Sidney unconsciously sighed in relief when the darkness claimed her.