Chapter Four
I hated to admit it, but I was glad Hangman had warned me ahead of the flight about the G-force I’d be exposed to. I followed his instructions, holding my breath and focusing on forcing blood into my head as the jet took off like a bat out of hell.
Thankfully, it hadn’t lasted too long and before I knew it, we were cruising along.
There were no windows in the passenger compartment, but I could track our progress on my Infolink device.
In less time than I had expected, we were leaving the English Channel behind and heading out over the Atlantic Ocean.
“Just how fast is this jet?” I asked.
Hangman’s voice rumbled in my ear. “We’re cruising along at a steady six-hundred miles an hour right now. She’s capable of six-twenty.”
“Nice. How long ‘til we’re over Colombia, do you think?”
“Ten hours, give or take.”
I blinked. “I thought it was at least a twelve-hour flight?”
“In a commercial jet, maybe,” Hangman chuckled. “We’re making significantly better time.”
I slumped back into my seat. Now I was sitting in the darkness, the steady drone of the jet’s engines lulling me, I felt my exhaustion catch up to me. I fought a yawn behind my oxygen mask.
“Why don’t you try to get a few hours of sleep?” Freddie said. “You’ll be more refreshed when you arrive in Bogotá.” Sensing my hesitation, he continued. “I’ll wake you with plenty of time to get your head back in the game before arrival.”
I smiled. “Alright, probably a good idea. Hangman?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to get my head down for a bit. If you need me, just holler.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll keep a close eye on everything,” Freddie said, voice gentle. “Just relax. I’ve got you.”
“You’re such a good boy,” I sighed, a thrill shooting through me when I heard him exhale. A smile was still playing on my lips as I allowed my eyes to slide shut.
I wasn’t aware of falling asleep until a pinging began to ring in my ear. I stirred, confused for a moment about where I was. I glanced around the darkness, wondering why everything was so loud until my conscious thoughts caught up with me. Oh right, the jet.
I’d barely come to when I felt my stomach flip over, the jet juddering and seeming to plummet through the air. Turbulence?
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I said, the radio crackling in my ear.
“Sorry for the rude awakening,” Hangman replied. His voice sounded tense, like he was concentrating. “We’re just coming up on Bermuda but a tropical storm has rolled in over the Atlantic. I spotted it on the radar a while back and was hoping we’d beat it here, but—”
I heard alarms bleeping and the jet lurched to the side, sending my stomach roiling once more. I wasn’t a nervous flier in the least, but the jostling around certainly made me nauseous. I took hold of the grab rail above my head, keen to steady myself a little.
“Relay, thoughts?” I asked.
“This storm has moved in a lot quicker than we’d anticipated. Wind speed is currently fifty-two miles per hour, but it’s building and seems to be heading in a similar trajectory to our flight path. The jet can outrun it, but I’m no pilot.”
Everything was shaking as the jet was battered by wind and rain. I could hear Hangman fighting for breath over the radio as he grappled with the controls to keep us on course.
“It’s no good,” he eventually muttered. “I’m going to have to bring her down.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Freddie responded before I had a chance to.
“You’ve made excellent time so far. I think grounding until the storm passes would be the most sensible course of action. Even if we can get the jet to the drop off point, if the poor weather conditions follow you to Colombia, it wouldn’t be safe to airdrop you regardless.”
I huffed. “Fine. Bring her down when you can, Hangman.”
“Pinging you the coordinates for an abandoned airfield,” Freddie said.
I could hear his fingers tapping on the keys of his laptop and my Infolink screen lit up on my arm.
A moment later, I felt the jet’s nose dip as Hangman followed the route set out by Freddie.
The journey was still less than smooth, the jet jerking and jumping as the strong winds caught the wings, but soon enough I heard the whirring of the landing gear being lowered and we hit the ground with a loud thud before screeching to a halt.
I heard Hangman exhale. “That was a bit hairy.”
“Good job. You didn’t kill us,” I joked, hurriedly unfastening myself from my seat.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he muttered. “So, now what?”
“I’ll keep eyes on the storm,” Freddie replied. “Once the way ahead is clear, I’ll be in touch. For now, perhaps use this time to rest and prepare.”
The low emergency lighting flickered to life, illuminating the dark cabin. It looked like we were here to stay for now. I shifted forward in my seat and unclipped my parachute, making myself comfortable. “Guess I won’t be needing this on for the moment then.”
As much as I didn’t like the idea of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, I would make good use of the time.
I pulled up the mission docket, keen to get reading.
My eyes had barely begun skimming when a hatch opened up between the passenger compartment and the cockpit.
I watched as Hangman dragged himself through the gap, struggling to squeeze in thanks to his large frame.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered beneath his breath as he finally managed to clamber through, collapsing into a heap on the floor before me.
“Nice of you to drop in,” I teased. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I didn’t fancy sitting in that cramped cockpit for the next God knows how long,” he replied, running a hand through his dark hair to sweep it from his eyes. “You don’t mind me keeping you company here, right?”
I shrugged. “Not at all. I was planning to refresh my memory on the mission ahead, but chatting with you seems like a lot more fun.”
Hangman shot me a handsome grin and held up a hand. “Don’t let me interrupt. I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit.”
“Sure, go right ahead.” I pretended to turn my attention back to the screen on my arm, but a moment later my eyes were fixed back on the handsome pilot.
I watched with a dry mouth as he unzipped the front of his flight suit, shrugging out of it to reveal that deliciously muscular torso, clad in a skintight undershirt.
He tied the sleeves around his waist, and I licked my lower lip, eyes roving over him.
I had always had an appreciation for the male form, and Hangman’s was about as perfect as they came.
I could empathise with Freddie – it was almost impossible not to be turned on by a body like that.
Hangman grabbed a second parachute pack from the wall and after plumping it a little, lay down – flat on his back and his head on the parachute – before releasing a heavy sigh.
“Comfortable?” I asked, uncaring when his eyes jumped up and caught me watching him.
“Not in the slightest, but it’s not the first time I’ve used a parachute as a pillow and it won’t be the last, I’m sure,” he laughed.
“Where did you learn to fly?”
“I was an RAF fighter pilot for a long time before being recruited into the special forces,” he replied, his eyes already closed.
“Nice.”
It made sense. The Guild didn’t trouble themselves with anything less than the very best. Hangman being recruited spoke to his prowess as a pilot.
Just like I had been, he would be the cream of the crop in his respective field.
It was nice to spend some time with someone who had lived military life.
Freddie had a surface-level knowledge of it, but understanding these missions in theory was very different than being on the front line.
I knew without doubt Hangman had killed people, shooting enemy forces from the sky.
He must have. I found it endearing that we had the same darkness inside us.
An hour or more passed by in comfortable silence – me trying to read and Hangman trying to sleep. Neither of us were very successful, and Hangman was the first to give up. He sat forwards with a sigh, scrubbing his hand through his hair.
“No good?” I asked, this time keeping my eyes fixed on the Infolink screen.
“It was always going to be a bit of a long shot,” he replied. “I don’t sleep well at the best of times.”
“Me neither.”
Our eyes met across the cabin and a sexy smirk crept onto Hangman’s face.
“Sleeping next to a pretty little thing like Relay must help, surely?”
I wasn’t sure if Freddie was listening in to this conversation, but I didn’t much care either way. We had no secrets and I already knew he was attracted to Hangman, even if he was being stubborn about admitting it. Perhaps I would have to take control for him here as well?
“Oh, definitely,” I replied, shutting my screen down and crossing a leg. “He’s rather good at getting me nice and relaxed at bedtime.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
To my delight, I had Hangman’s full attention now and I barely resisted a shiver when he heaved himself up onto his knees. The cabin was so small, and he filled the space in a way that made me feel hot and breathless.
“I like to think I’m rather talented in that department too, y’know,” he murmured.
“Is that an offer?”
“Could be, if you wanted it to be.” He paused. “I’ve already gathered whatever is between you and Relay is open, right?”
“Wide open.”
He fixed me with a heated expression. “I thought you said you weren’t taking applications?”
I laughed softly. “Maybe I could be persuaded, but only for a very special candidate.”
“Interesting,” Hangman all but purred. “Has Relay shared you before?”
I narrowed my eyes. “He’s mine to share, not the other way around.”
Hangman’s eyebrows quirked with surprise, but I could tell from the intensity of his gaze that he wasn’t put off. “You’re the one in charge around here in all respects, huh?”
“Damn right.”
“How do you feel about that changing?”
I stilled, brows furrowing into a scowl. “I don’t think—”
“Everyone needs a day off, right? You’re so used to being in control. Have you ever relinquished yourself for even a moment?”