Chapter 11
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Tricia slid around Rubin and stepped into the small cockpit before him. He watched in shock as she jumped into the pilot’s seat and started a preflight check while he stared.
“Not sure if I am angry, frustrated, or … impressed.”
She smirked, then fired up the engine, running only the emergency lights, as she checked on the fuel, smiling to see a full tank.
“Perfect. She’s fueled up and ready to go.
” He gave her a hard snort but sat in the copilot seat.
She hadn’t been able to resist. After all, she’d been under everyone else’s control … until now.
With a big grin, she completed her preflight check, almost feeling sorry for Rubin. And maybe a little sorrier for the pilot who was about to lose a very expensive piece of equipment. She hoped they had insurance. Still it was a huge gift for them.
As soon as they were all inside, with the doors closed, she motored the plane down the runway to the far end, where she turned it around, ready to take off.
And caught sight of Rubin’s face.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You sure you know how to fly this thing?”
“Can’t hear you, sorry.” She heard him just fine, then pointed to the earphones.
“Do you even know how to fly?” he repeated, with his earphones in place now.
“I do. So, it’s all good.” Then she saw the vehicles racing toward them.
Hayden called out, “We’ve got company.”
“I see them,” she confirmed, “and I’m not sticking around to find out whether they’re friendly or not.”
And, with that, she gunned the engines and raced down the runway. She lifted off, just as people exited their vehicles and ran onto the tarmac, shooting at them. It was chaos for a brief moment, then they were suddenly up and out of range. She called out, “You guys okay?”
“We’re okay. Did we take any serious damage?”
“All the engine checks appear to be fine,” she replied. “We still have trouble on our heels, but we’ll stay low. At least this way, we can get a few miles on them.”
“Yeah, but we’ll also have to find a place to land,” Ruben reminded her. “Did you think of that?”
She nodded. “Right. Well, guess what? Hayden, that’s your job.”
“On it.”
Rubin relaxed, as he stared around, and added, “I have a pilot’s license, you know? So, if you need help …”
She stared at him, one eyebrow lifting. “Does it look like I need any help?”
He smiled. “No. You look damn capable to me. I might have stolen a plane earlier if I’d known you could fly.”
She shuddered. “God, I can’t believe you stole a plane.”
“Stealing cars one at a time wasn’t getting us very far, now was it?” Then he laughed, a warm approving laugh that made her tingle inside. “Besides, seeing as you are the one flying, I would say you are the one who stole the plane.”
She glared at him in shock before refocusing on the sky in front of her. “Like hell.”
He laughed again.
“Besides, after being kidnapped, chased, and shot at, … I was ready to make a change myself. Now buckle up and enjoy. It’s gorgeous out there.”
“I’m all for making a change, particularly one like this,” he replied, as he looked at the ground below.
“It’s really beautiful, more so in the darkness, when you don’t have to think about everybody down there playing games and doing all they can to screw up your life, even though you did nothing to them. ”
At that, Hayden stepped forward, leaning in between the two of them. “Are you guys making up?”
“Of course,” Rubin muttered. “It’s not as if I have a whole lot of choice in the matter. I mean, the woman is just crazy. After all, she just stole a plane.” And his grin was a mile wide.
“Did you know he has a pilot’s license?” Tricia asked Hayden, trying to ignore Rubin.
“Yep, then again so do I. So we all have something in common.”
She laughed. “But, you know, having a pilot’s license is not the same as having you up here actually flying the plane. Which I am. Successfully, I might add. And what is our final destination?”
“First stop is straight into Switzerland, but we may have a stopover in Germany or somewhere first. I’ll navigate here. You’re on course so hold steady.”
Her eyes widened. “What the hell? How can you, without a flight plan or anything? You’ll get us shot right out of the sky.”
“I’m on that right now,” Hayden shared. “I’ve sent everything to Mason. He’ll get the paperwork straightened out at the other end, so we should get clearance to land.”
Tricia frowned. “And if they don’t give it to you?”
“Nice knowing you because you’re right. They might shoot us down.”
She turned and glared at Hayden.
“That one wasn’t a joke. Eyes forward, Pilot.”
“Good to know because, if I get shot, you might have to. If so, try not to crash us into a mountain. So a destination please.”
He stared at her, and she laughed. He groaned. “That’s not funny.”
“No, it’s not, but it is a very real possibility. We have stolen a plane, so we now have entered a very different category of thievery. Try to keep up.”
“You’re starting to sound like you do this all the time.”
“Well, I haven’t stolen a plane in a couple weeks,” she noted, her tone sarcastic. “How about you, Hayden?”
“Nope, it’s been at least a couple weeks for me too,” Hayden joked back. Still he caught her looking at him with a more serious expression.
She glanced at both men. “Tell the truth. Have you ever?”
They looked at each other, and they both burst out laughing.
Rubin admitted, “Yes, we have.”
Hayden added, “Relax. We’ve done this before. A couple times in fact.”
And, for some reason, that seemed to settle her down. She glanced at Rubin and shrugged. “At least it’s better that you’ve got experience. I would hate to think this was your first time for all this.”
“It’s not,” he stated. “We’ve done this plenty of times.”
“And it would be really freaking nice if, one of these times, you guys could make it so they can’t find us anymore.”
“That’s the plan,” Rubin said. “I just don’t know what it’ll take to make that happen, but that is the plan. Trust the plan.”
“And the pilot.” She grinned widely at him, then sighed. “I know I shouldn’t blame you because it’s not your fault. I was the one carrying the damn tracker.”
He glanced at the small wound that had already scabbed over. “And that’s not your fault either, so stop feeling guilty about it.”
“So, do you think they’ve got another plane and are behind us? Were more planes sitting out there? I wasn’t looking closely but thought there were.”
He considered that. “There were a few, but that doesn’t mean that they’re behind us.”
“But it’s possible?” she asked, her heart sinking. Of course it was, but she really wanted reassurance, not the truth at the moment.
He nodded. “It’s quite possible, but let’s hope not. I haven’t had a midair dogfight in a very long time, so I’m out of practice.”
She stared at him in shock.
He chuckled. “I’m joking.”
She closed her eyes and whispered, “That’s not something you should joke about.”
“No, it probably isn’t,” he agreed, “but it stopped you for a moment, didn’t it?”
She groaned. “Everything’s a joke to you.”
“Actually,” he clarified, “nothing is a joke to me, but humor does keep things on the calmer side. Plus, with any luck, you can begin to relax, and we’ll get there safely, as soon as we can.”
Tricia frowned. “Do you think the owner used this plane for dubious reasons? I mean, that was a very small out-of-the-way airport.”
“It’s certainly a possibility, and, in that case, it could very well be that losing the plane is the least of their troubles.”
“Oh shit,” she muttered. “If this plane was used for drug runs—”
Rubin nodded. “If so, they could be in a whole different position today.”
“But what if the drugs are on board?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Then I guess we have another problem to deal with. However, I doubt anybody would leave the drugs on board and unprotected like that. It’s more likely they were supposed to load up and leave first thing this morning—before a certain lady pilot borrowed their ride.”
“Anyway,” Hayden interjected, “I’ll leave you two to your twisted jokes that you both play so damn well, and meanwhile I’ll contact Mason.”
She sat back, eyed Rubin, and asked, “You really were joking, weren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Only halfway. But if things do get ugly—and there’s still a slim chance that they might—you might get your first real flight experience under adverse circumstances. Hope you paid attention during ground school.”
“I have flown before, thank you,” she stated. “Just because my license is new doesn’t mean I don’t have any experience. But I can’t say I’ve had to parachute out of a burning plane or anything else equally nightmarish.”
“I understand that,” he noted, “and it is a good reminder. Flying when it’s free and clear on a peaceful day versus flying when it’s not are two very different things.”
“Well, I’m flying right now, so maybe save the backseat driving unless it’s necessary. Unless you’re expecting trouble?”
“Expecting trouble, no. But you never know what’ll happen with this kind of deal,” he noted. “I just want to get you home, safe and sound, without losing any parts along the way. Especially not the wings.”
And, with that, she shot him a hard smile and returned her attention to the sky in front of her. “I sure as hell hope not. I’m flying, so all the rest is on you.”
“Great. Thanks.”
The sky was beautiful even if the entire scenario was a bit unreal. Still something was incredibly peaceful about all of it.
Rubin settled back and asked, “Why didn’t we snag coffee before we made good our escape?”
“Sorry, I didn’t stop to get you any,” she told him cheerfully. “I was busy stealing a plane.” And she had to laugh out loud. Who would have thought breaking the law would be so freeing in a way. Maybe it was entirely because she’d been victimized, and now it gave her back a sense of control.
“I should have thought of it myself,” he muttered. “Presumably there was a coffeemaker in the airport office.”
Tricia nodded. “Yeah, we didn’t have enough time, and I don’t know if anything is on board here, but you can go take a look. Make yourself useful.” She couldn’t stop smiling at her newfound freedom to order him about, even if only in some playful banter.
He frowned at her, as if not understanding what had changed in her world. But honestly a lot had. And the more distance between her and the assholes they’d left on the ground back there, the better. “Although we probably shouldn’t steal their coffee too.”
“What? You feel bad taking their coffee when we’ve already stolen their plane?” He glanced around at the dark sky and laughed. “Seems foolish, doesn’t it?”
She laughed. “Exactly. Go ahead and check if anything’s on board. Including food. The fact that we helped ourselves to a cup of coffee won’t be an issue. Unlike crashing, which would be.”
*
Rubin unbuckled his harness, then got up to make his way to the back. Hayden looked up at him. Rubin pointed. “I came to see if any coffee was back here.”
Hayden smiled and nodded. “Good idea. I bet there is. I’m surprised you’re leaving her up there all alone.”
“Yeah, I am too, but Tricia has proven to be a damn good pilot,” he admitted. “And coffee right now would be great.”
Unable to do anything but try to keep his mind off any more unpleasant possibilities, Rubin headed to the tiny gallery area, where he found a coffeemaker and happily found coffee too, as well as granola bars and a few other snacks. He even spied a small fridge.
And the coffee helped, no doubt about it. The next four hours of lying low gave him some of the most beautiful scenery but also kept his nerves strung out.
“Change of plans, we’re landing in Germany,” Hayden announced, out of the blue.
His eyebrows shot up, and he asked, “Where?”
“A military base, one of ours. Mason is contacting the authorities reporting our plane scenario. He’s urging for an investigation of the airfield and the plane’s original purpose.”
“Okay, that makes sense. Thank heavens for his smoothing our way. Keeps the paperwork and red tape to a minimum.” He sank back and nodded. “We need to tell Tricia.”
Hayden smiled. “Will do.” He got up and moved to the copilot seat, then stopped and looked back at him. “Unless you mind,” he said, motioning to Tricia.
He rolled his eyes at him and said, “You’re good. Besides, I need to catch some shut-eye. I’ll sit here and nap for a bit.”
“You do that,” Tricia called from the cockpit, then smirked. “Don’t worry. We’ll let you know when we land. We won’t leave you sleeping on a stolen plane, waiting to be found, although that would be funny.” She then couldn’t stop laughing.
“Great,” he muttered. He closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.