way the pilot’s lips parted slightly, Maya knew she’d hit her mark. She’d created fear and doubt. And in doing so, she realized something herself. Roberto could have had all his assets frozen—including any front companies he might own in the U.S. Or maybe his cartel had been destroyed, making him more desperate than ever. That would explain why someone had sent Connor to repossess the Learjet he used, and why Roberto had gone to such lengths to kidnap her again before it was too late. He could torture her father and ransom her for the money he needed at the same time.
“Whether or not your repossession of this Learjet is legitimate, our welcoming committee could ferry all of us back into Roberto’s hands.” The truth of her words snaked around her chest and squeezed.
Though he stared at her as if he believed she was crazy, she knew she’d planted the seed deep and that the pilot would give her words sufficient consideration. She needed him to focus on his own problems and allow her to take care of herself. That was her only hope for escape. Her only hope to return to the life she’d created—that is, once she found out how to end Roberto’s pursuit of her forever.
“What are you suggesting?” he asked, a shred of alarm finally making an appearance in his blue-eyed gaze.
Maya opened her mouth to speak—
Connor’s attention was torn from her by a muffled explosion.
FIVE
What’s happening?
Connor looked out the window and saw nothing wrong. Nothing leaking from the right engine. No fire. No damage that he could see from where he stood, anyway. But he hadn’t imagined the muted blast. Maya’s reaction told him she’d heard it, too.
The Lear rolled to the right, throwing Connor into Maya. Time spilled into eternity as he found himself pressed against her soft, trembling body. When he searched her eyes—almost getting lost in their depths—he saw her terror.
Was she afraid they would crash?
Or more afraid they would land?
“I’m sorry.” He gently extricated himself from her, his thoughts split between her and getting to the cockpit. “Did I hurt you?”
Her eyes locked with his, she shook her head. Suddenly, he wanted to make everything right for her. Protect her. He shook off the momentary insanity, ramping his mind back to reality. Everything crashed into him at once—retrieving the Learjet, Maya’s kidnapping, the muted explosion outside the window.
The plane shook with a battering vibration.
Maya gripped the seat. “What’s happening?”
“You’d better strap in.” Connor left her and ran to the cockpit, a loud buzz resounding in his ears from somewhere in the back. He sank into the captain’s seat next to Jake.
“Is it the engine?” Connor asked.
“That was my first thought, but the instrument panel, temperatures and oil pressures show normal.”
Connor saw for himself that there was nothing different between the two engines. He took control of the plane, increasing speed.
“What are you doing?”
“Just trying something.” Control response improved with speed, despite the shaking. “I guess I’ve flown enough experimental planes that my instincts sometimes take over.”
The buzz morphed into a clacking sound—like a stick thrust into a big fan.
“How nice for you, but now we have a new sound, and no warning lights. What’s up with that?”
Connor didn’t miss the sweat beading on Jake’s forehead.
“Just inform air traffic control that we need to make an emergency landing,” he said.
“I don’t think we’re going to make Miami,” Jake said, then contacted ATC.
“Lear 46RH, we understand that you are declaring an emergency due to a small explosion and violent shaking. Turn left to the Golden Key airstrip, descend and maintain 8,000.”
Connor recalled what he knew of Golden Key. The resort island for tourists and the wealthy was just beyond the Dry Tortugas.
After Jake repeated the instructions, the air traffic controller continued, “Lear 46RH please say souls and fuel on board.”
Jake glanced at Connor. He knew Jake was thinking about Maya, their extra passenger. “Three souls on board and ninety minutes of fuel.”
As Jake finished the conversation, Connor watched the instruments. The plane’s vibration was starting to get to him. Maya had probably already crumpled in her seat by now. But there was nothing he could do to help her.
Then he saw it. “There it is. The right engine temperature is rising.”
“The left is still good,” Jake said.
“Let’s shut the right down and run checklists.”
“Whatever you say.”
Connor smiled to himself in spite of the circumstances—Jake was a good pilot. He’d never flown with his brother, but the pressure was on, and Jake wasn’t buckling under the crush. They shut down the right engine, and ran through the emergency engine-failure checklist to secure the failed engine.
“She’s still shaking, still making the noise.” Jake peered out the windows, as if he could see the answer out there, but only a mechanic could tell them what was wrong with the engine, and that, only after they’d landed safely.
“We’re flying at altitude on the one engine,” Connor offered. “We’ve done all we can do except pray.”
“And land. We’ve done all we can do except land.”
“We’ll be fine, Jake.”
“Don’t tell me. You’ve flown under worse conditions.” Jake’s statement revealed his increased antagonism toward Connor.
“Okay, I won’t tell you.” Connor didn’t think it was the time to share all his other concerns with Jake.
Jake excused himself to use the facilities, leaving Connor with his thoughts. And those thoughts turned straight to what Maya had said.
That she suggested he’d stolen this plane, committing a crime, burned his gut. No way would Troy send him to do something like that. Would he?
Still, the accusation made him a little nervous. In their risky escape, he wasn’t even sure he had all the paperwork full of legal jargon. He’d stuffed it all in his jacket, he thought. He hadn’t exactly used the documentation to climb on board and fly away as he’d expected. But he needed it on hand if asked. Connor didn’t want to be digging through the paperwork when Jake got back from the bathroom. He’d wait until his brother had time to assimilate all that had happened.
Connor needed to buy himself enough time to work all the kinks out of this
