Chapter 20
20
Trudging ahead of Remi, he opened the door of his helicopter for her. He got the Agusta 109 series bird for a steal at a salvage yard—where helicopters go to die—though it had still cost a pretty penny. Great for flying in weather like this, so he had no regrets. “This will get us out of Cole’s grip faster so we can lose him for the time being. You need time to figure this out.”
When she still hesitated, he urged her on, waving her over. “Let’s go.”
He didn’t want to be a jerk, but neither did he want her to remain in danger needlessly when he had the power to get her to safety, even if it was short-lived. They had a slim window before another wind and rainstorm moved in, and a stormy flight would make Remi even more uncomfortable. He wanted her experience with him to be a good one for reasons that had nothing at all to do with running from his rogue brother.
But she might not experience a helicopter flight with Hawk as the pilot because Remi hadn’t budged, she hadn’t followed him. He grunted under his breath. She was going to need some strong nudging.
Remi stared at the helicopter, a battle raging in her eyes.
And Hawk stared too, like an idiot, but for a different reason. The thick, lush greenery behind her framed her. Her auburn hair hung long and tangled. Even exhausted, her eyes were bright, but torment lurked in her gaze.
He couldn’t put it into words, even in his own mind, but on some deeper level, he understood. Hawk didn’t know Remi’s favorite color or what sauce she dipped her French fries in, but in the way that counted right now, he knew her. Or he was just a fool desperate enough to play games with himself.
He closed the distance and gently gripped her arms, unsure of how she would react. Hawk couldn’t force her, and maybe he shouldn’t act like he was the one running the show. But this was a good plan.
Why couldn’t Remi see that? “You’re one of the strongest people I know.”
And he meant it. She’d been through something so horrible that her mind had shut off the memories, and her mind needed to get with the program or whatever stayed in the shadows could get her killed.
If they didn’t act.
He intended to do everything in his power to keep her safe and end Cole’s pursuit.
“This is our fastest way out of here. Did you forget that your life is in danger?”
He was surprised she wasn’t already dead. And that scared him the most—once Cole was done playing games, he would end her. Could Hawk stand in his way and save her? Would he lose his life in that effort? He was willing to die, but he wanted to save them all. Save Remi and stay alive too, long enough to bring Cole back to the light.
Say something!
Finally, Remi’s expression shifted. She sucked in a breath. “And my life won’t be in danger in that thing? It looks old. I’m sorry, Hawk, no offense, but frankly, it looks like a piece of junk.” She bit her lip.
He pressed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Remi Grant.” This was what he could afford on his slim salary plus some of his inheritance. “This is my baby. My project.”
“I’m not sure I want to go up in stormy weather in your project helicopter.”
“You don’t get it, do you? She might not be beautiful, but everything bad that could happen has already happened to her. She’s solid.” He blinked the raindrops from his eyes. He couldn’t hold back anymore if he was going to get her in his bird. “Listen, you know I flew a helicopter for the Army as a Night Stalker. The pilots who fly special ops units—think Navy SEALs—to their covert missions. That means I can fly anything, anytime, anywhere in the world.”
He’d said it with conviction, bringing that emotion all the way from deep in his core. And, like my baby right here, everything bad that could happen has already happened. Except, well, he hadn’t died. “I can get us where we need to go.”
An icy wind slapped at his back, and that meant he was running out of time. He could fly this bird in a storm, but every helicopter and every pilot had a limit. Nor did he want to make this experience worse for Remi. If the storm picked up too much, she would never fly again.
Please.
Shrugging out of his grip, she stomped to the chopper.
“No, Remi. Get in on the left side. Helicopter pilots sit on the right.” She’d been a photographer and probably had flown in helicopters with two pilots, so this wasn’t something he would expect her to know. Though even in that case, the PIC—pilot in command—sat on the right. Usually but not always.
After she sent a handful of dagger stares his way, she slowly got in. Not like he wanted her going into this with a bad attitude, already deciding she hated it, but her safety was what mattered now. He’d gotten her inside his project bird, and that was enough for now.
He did a quick preflight check—rotors were clear of debris. Plenty of space to fly out of here. After finishing the mental list, he did a final walk-around and then jumped inside before Remi changed her mind.
He got in and put on his headset. Handed her one too so they could talk. Then he powered up, reviewed the weather, and focused on getting them in the air while he still could. With the inclement weather, he’d have to fly IFR—instrument flight rules—and he filed a verbal flight plan since he had no time for anything else. If something happened to them, someone needed to know where to find them. He wanted to get in the air before the wind became too much—and before Cole tracked them.
When the helicopter lifted off the ground, she sucked in a breath.
Then she did it again, and again.
Much too fast.
“You’re going to hyperventilate. Close your eyes. Think about something else.” He steadied the bird, focusing on lifting out of the trees. He had to get high before Remi entertained thoughts of jumping out.
Grinding his molars, he mentally berated himself for being much too hard on her. She was suffering from PTSD on multiple levels of which he couldn’t begin to understand, even with his own struggles. She’d experienced such trauma that her mind had shut it away from her.
As for his experiences? His memories?
If only he could forget them.
What is it about some minds that hide the horror, bury it away, and other minds turn the memories into a living nightmare?
The helicopter lifted high and hovered over the house and woods.
Remi yelped. She gripped his forearm and squeezed. “Hawk! I can’t ... I can’t, I can’t!”
“You can .”
Yeah, he was a complete jerk. But sometimes a person had no choice but to go through the fire. In this case, the storm.
She fell silent, for which he was grateful. It was hard ignoring her pleas, and he hoped that she knew she could do this. She would be better for it on the other side. Maybe she would even remember the past. And if he was wrong about it all, and putting her through grueling torture was a mistake, then he’d own that on the other side.
He angled toward the Olympic Mountains—the shortest route to Seattle—planning to skirt around them. Heavy gray clouds threatened to completely hide the frosted peaks.
“Remember when you said you would give me the chance to convince you to run my tour package out of your lodge? Well, this doesn’t count. Sure, you’ll get the grand tour at some point, but I want you to give me the chance to show you my world after the storm.”
With this flight, he could be blowing those chances. Right here and right now. He doubted his words would convince her not to count this experience against him, but he had to try. As for being a jerk to get her into this chopper, if it meant saving Remi’s life, then there was no question he was doing the right thing. He would take that hit like a champ.
She groaned and covered her eyes. Was she going to pass out on him? The wind gusted, pushing and shoving the helicopter more than was comfortable, even for him, because this was a lesser helicopter than he’d flown for the Night Stalkers. But she was his, all his.
“Focus on the beauty of God’s creation. The Hoh Rainforest is just below us. You’re a photographer, so you should appreciate the view.” Stupid line. Everyone could appreciate the view. Another time, another place, she’d fly with him and bring her camera and capture the most fantastic shots, just like she had with the waves. He hoped.
And, yeah, he was turning into a praying man.
You hear that, God? I’m a praying man now. And I want to ask for safety for this flight. And if you could offer a little hope for my brother, that’d be nice too.
She dropped her hands. In his peripheral vision, he saw her chest rising and falling dramatically and then, finally, slowing. Calming. She blew out a breath, lifted her chin, and looked out the window. “It’s beautiful.”
Progress. He inhaled deeply. Now he could focus on flying. Remi was a big distraction.
“Oh.” Remi fished her cell from her pocket. “I got a text.” She read it. “Wow. Okay.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“From Dr. Holcomb. She said not to come to Seattle. That I’m in danger.” Her voice shook on the last words. “I already know that. I told her that someone was trying to kill me.”
Well, that wasn’t good. Remi was counting on seeing Dr. Holcomb. “Anything else?”
“No. Wait. Yes. More came through. She says to meet her in Port Angeles. She’ll be at Downriggers on the Water at eleven thirty a.m.” He got on the radio and adjusted his flight plan. Port Angeles was on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and part of the Olympic Peninsula.
“Squatchcon is going on now,” she said.
“Squatch what?”
“Con. Like a Sasquatch convention. You know, Bigfoot.”
“Yeah, I know. We had Bigfoot sightings in Kentucky too. What does that have to do with meeting your doctor?”
“Nothing. It’s on a flyer back at the lodge in case someone wants to go. Jo had wanted to go. Usually it’s in March.”
Remi fiddled with her phone.
“What else did she say?”
“She said to turn off my cell phone so I won’t be tracked.”
Interesting. “You could still be tracked depending on who is doing the tracking and how sophisticated they are. Cell phones can still give off signals, even when turned off. Like, you can still locate your iPhone with Apple’s locator app when it’s turned off.” He pulled out his cell and handed it over. “There’s no cell service here, but we’ll have it in Port Angeles. We don’t need our phones pinging the cell towers if someone is searching or tracking the GPS. Mine never allows tracking, but turn it off for me anyway. We’ll get burner phones.”
He viewed the map, reviewed the weather alerts, and set course for WilliamR. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.
“To the right is Mount Olympus. We can’t see the peak. The clouds are too low.”
“But I can still see that it’s covered in snow. It’s breathtaking from this view. I’ve never actually seen it since you can’t see it from Seattle. It sits in the middle of the range. I’ve heard you have to go to Hurricane Ridge, and you can view it from there. No roads go in or out of the Olympic range. Just around it.” She glanced his way. “Maybe that’s why people want a helicopter tour of the mountains.”
A warm zing filled his chest. She was getting it. Showing someone the wonders of the world always made him happy, but for some reason, Remi’s reaction dipped much deeper into his heart.
He couldn’t explain it.
Maybe it was her big blue-gray eyes that had snagged him from the beginning. Or the small intake of breath she’d taken just then. He shouldn’t be thinking about her like this, not while they were both in survival mode.
He couldn’t have imagined he would be on the cusp of finding his brother while caught up in trying to save a woman’s life. A woman he wished hadn’t caught his attention, hadn’t intrigued him.
“Oh ... maybe someday I could get used to this. Maybe someday you can take me back up when there aren’t any clouds.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Her words drew him back to the moment, the present, where he very much needed to remain focused. He’d been flying on his own personal autopilot. Remi sounded somewhat relaxed. Maybe this would be a good experience for her, after all—well, not counting that she was running for her life. And despite the fact that he wanted her to love this as much as he did—even with his own horrific memories—he should really focus on why they were here.
They knew who was after her, but Cole was a hired man, and they needed to know more. And why.
“Besides what you’ve told me, have you remembered anything else?” he asked.
“No. It’s all still blurry. The feelings. It’s almost as if I’m reliving it, and right now I need to think about something else. Talk about something else. Let’s talk about you. Tell me what happened back in King County.”
He cringed. Wanted to know what she knew, what she’d heard, what she’d read or seen on television. But he had no intention of talking about it if he didn’t have to. Not yet anyway. But he did get her strategy. If she was going to share with Hawk, then she’d want something from him.
“How about I tell you about the Night Stalkers.” Then he wouldn’t have to tell her about what happened in King County, the part that wasn’t in the news.
Sure, he could fly anything, anywhere ... until he couldn’t.