CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE MAKAYLA
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
M AKAYLA
Heart thumping and forehead throbbing, Makayla sits straight to see that beneath her window is the start of the runway, and the water’s edge is not far behind them. She looks around. Rose looks to be unconscious, her head hanging slack, with her oxygen mask tangled in her mess of white hair. Makayla searches for signs of life until she spots a reassuring rise and fall of her chest.
She scans the rest of the passengers in the cabin, their faces in various states of shock and disarray.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking,” Miguel breathes into the intercom. “We’ve managed to come to a stop at the end of the runway but will require a tow to pull us to our gate. In a few moments, we are going to have our ground crews come out and inspect the airplane. If all is normal, they will tow us to the gate. I ask that you all remain seated, and we should have you to the gate in the next ten minutes or so. At the gate there will be some law enforcement officials coming on board to take care of another matter. All passengers must comply with their instructions. We appreciate your cooperation.”
Makayla unbuckles and stands up. She kneels beside the roller bag that fell into the aisle from the overhead compartment above her and unzips the sides. It’s obvious as soon as she opens it that Liam isn’t inside.
It’s only half-full. A red dog leash lies on top of a few pairs of clothes, all of which look brand new. No backpack. Thank God. Makayla empties the bag and tosses the clothing items onto a seat. He’s not here, she thinks, echoing Britt’s words from earlier.
Makayla is rocked backward as the plane begins to move. She stands and withdraws a duffel bag that managed to stay in the opened compartment. She can tell right away that it’s too light to contain Liam. She sets it on Jemma’s seat and tears the zipper open. It’s mostly empty, aside from some men’s clothes. She stares inside the bag, her relief that the parachutes Britt may have seen earlier are missing quickly replaced by a numb sense of helplessness. Even if Liam was secured to one of the parachuters, it doesn’t mean they survived.
“FBI!” she hears a woman call out from the opened exit door at the front of her cabin. “We need everyone to remain in their seats while we search the aircraft!”
Britt steps aside for the dark-haired woman holding a gun to enter the aircraft. A white-haired man enters behind her, wearing a matching FBI jacket. A uniformed officer who Makayla guesses is airport police appears next. He stands guard at the exit door as two uniformed medics climb on board. The woman’s eyes sweep the cabin until they land on Makayla, who’s the only one standing.
Makayla points to Rose. “This woman’s unconscious. She needs medical attention!”
The FBI agent strides toward her, gun outstretched. “Ma’am, I need you to put your hands in the air and sit down.”
A couple seated in the middle row turn toward Makayla. So does Pink Headphones, looking dazed, with a bright red gash on her cheek.
Makayla does as the agent says, lowering herself into Jemma’s seat.
“I’m his mother!” Makayla says as the woman approaches. “I’m just looking for my son.” She gestures to the seat beside her. “Making sure he wasn’t inside that bag.”
A second man, younger than the first and also wearing an FBI jacket, strides toward them from the front of the aircraft. He sweeps each row with his gun outstretched toward the floor as the two medics rush to Rose’s row.
The FBI woman eyes the opened bag. “I’m Agent Ruiz. We’re here to help find him.” She points to the bag. “You leave this to us. This plane is a crime scene, and you’re tampering with what could be evidence.”
“I need every overhead compartment opened that isn’t already,” the white-haired FBI agent calls out to Britt. “Where’s the hole they escaped out of?”
Makayla watches Britt lead him toward the lavatory before turning to Agent Ruiz.
“Have you found the kidnappers?” Makayla asks. “Did they have parachutes?”
The woman’s facial expression softens. “We don’t know yet.”
Makayla collapses against the back of her seat, vaguely aware of the tears streaming down her face.
The agent glances above Makayla’s head. “This isn’t your seat.”
“No. I moved here before we landed. I was looking for Liam. This is where his kidnappers were sitting.”
A loud beep sounds behind Makayla’s seat and she turns to see the white-haired agent holding a radio to his mouth.
“The aircraft is secure. Tell CSI it’s safe for them to come aboard.”
Another beep sounds before a voice crackles through the radio. “Got it.”
“Come see what we found in the lavatory,” he says to Ruiz.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’ve just been instructed by the FBI that when you deplane, you must leave all of your belongings on the aircraft.”
Makayla watches Ruiz follow after the white-haired agent.
The captain continues, “And you will be escorted by airport police to a secure waiting area where you will be required to remain while the FBI searches the aircraft. In addition to the emergency crews, Pacific Air has people standing by inside the terminal to give you any assistance you may need.”
Makayla stares at the agents in the doorway of the lavatory as she stands and follows the other passengers toward the exits. She spots Liam’s diaper bag on the floor of an empty middle row, then crosses the aisle to reach into the side pouch, glad to find her phone still tucked inside. Her breath sticks in her throat when her eyes catch the empty bassinet and Liam’s blanket lying on her seat.
The reality of Liam going out the side of the plane with his abductors nearly causes her knees to buckle.