Chapter 6
The plane came to a bone-jolting stop, tilting precariously to the left side, dangling above the ground as it rested amidst large tree trunks and branches. Marc jerked around in his seat, barking, “Kendall? Kendall?”
His breath left him in a rush as she lifted her head, brushing her hair from her eyes with a shaking hand. Her eyes sought his as she gasped, “We’re alive?”
In spite of their precarious situation, Marc felt a grin tug at his lips with her question. “Yeah…we’re alive.” Sobering, he scanned her quickly, noting her wide-eyes and pale lips. No bleeding…still strapped into the seat. “Kendall, are you hurt?” He repeated the question as she gazed blankly at him.
Blinking, she finally replied, “No, I don’t think so. I hit my head, but I think I’m okay.” She gasped as the plane settled a few more inches and he ordered, “Don’t move at all. Let me assess our situation and then we’ll get out of here.”
Marc’s high-tech wilderness phone rang and he grabbed it quickly. “Luke? We’re alive. Landed but not fully assessed yet. Both appear okay for now. You got our location?”
“Yes, and all the Saints are here. Jack’s got Nick on conference right now.”
“Pull up the security videos from the hangar. I know either you or Charlie can bypass the FBI. I want to know who the hell fucked with my plane!”
“Charlie’s on it already,” Luke confirmed.
“We’ll call when we’re on the ground and I get my supplies.” Disconnecting, he turned back to Kendall. “I’m going to see how to get us out and then I’ll get my equipment. I need you to stay still until I can get you to the ground safely.”
Nodding, she silently agreed, unsure her voice would be steady enough to speak. She watched as he unbuckled himself and carefully moved from the pilot’s seat. She looked out of the left window, seeing the ground below. Thankful not to be too high in the trees, she tried to loosen her tight grip from the armrests, but her fingers appeared unable to obey.
The craft shifted slightly again as Marc maneuvered his way to opening the door on the passenger side. Sticking his head through he knew this was the best way to get Kendall to safety, as they were firmly pressed into a tight fit between three large trees. A blast of Artic wind hit him and he cursed once more. Jesus, she’s not dressed for this! If it was just me…
Admitting his thoughts were not helping, he focused on the task at hand. One of the wings was sheered off but the side of the plane rested firmly against a tall tree with branches that could be used as a ladder to get to the ground. Now, to get her out safely.
Carefully squatting back down through the door, he looked toward the rear seats seeing the frightened, but perfectly still, woman and said, “Okay, you’re doing great. Now, I need you to unbuckle and then take my hand and I’ll get you out.” She did not move a muscle. Instead, her gaze jumped from the window to him and back to the window and he recognized shock. “Kendall,” he said softly, and then repeated firmly, “Kendall!”
Her eyes jumped to his and he said, “Unbuckle your harness.”
A quick shake of her head was the only movement she made. Squatting lower, he reached between the seats and laid his hand on hers, gently pulling her fingers from their tight grasp of the seat. With one hand now free, he leaned back further and grabbed the harness buckle and unsnapped it. She fell forward and he caught her with his hand on her chest.
“Kendall…I need you to work with me. I’ll tell you what to do one step at a time.” Gaining a jerky nod, he said, “Take my hand.”
His voice, both gentle and commanding, slid over her. Lifting her hand ever so slightly, she found it engulfed in his firm grasp. He pulled and her body moved forward toward him. The plane shifted again with her movement and she froze as a whimpering gasp escaped her lips.
“Eyes on me, Kendall. Don’t look anywhere else but right at me.” Marc saw the instant panic hit her face and worked to maintain her attention. “That’s it,” he crooned, gaining her attention. “Stay with me.”
It was not easy to maneuver her between the front seats, but her small frame made it possible for her to step one leg next to his and then pull herself to where she was standing on the console next to him. As her face was now close to his, she whispered, “What do I do now?”
“I’m going to help you climb out the door above and I want you to grab anything you can hold on to until I get out as well.”
“I…I can’t,” she said, hating the words but knowing they were true.
“If I go first and then help you out, can we do that?”
A sharp nod was her response and she prayed it was right. She watched as he hefted his body out the door and onto the side of the plane that was facing up. As he leaned back in, she slowly lifted her arms and allowed him to pull as her feet fought for purchase on the seat to help boost herself up. With her top half out of the plane, she could see the thick evergreen trees all around. A blast of cold wind slapped her face, causing her to gasp at the shock of it. Blinking rapidly, her gaze sought Marc’s.
“I’m afraid…” she whispered, too fearful to speak loudly in case even a slight noise would shake the plane. Terror of plunging to the ground clawed at her throat as she watched, wide-eyed, at his movements.
“I’ve got you, Kendall,” he reassured, his face close to hers. His warm breath hit her cold cheeks and she wished she were in his embrace with their feet already on the ground, not dangling from the treetops.
Marc continued to pull her gently until her whole body was laying flat on the plane near where the wing was sheared off. “We’re going to slide to the big limbs over here and then we’ll climb down, okay?”
She heard him ask but knew no response was needed. Scooting an inch at a time, the wind slamming her constantly, she held her breath until her hands clasped around a thick limb. Thankful another sturdy branch was in her sight just a few feet below, she slid first one foot and then the other onto it, while still clutching the top branch with her hands.
Marc shifted to where his large body covered her as he stood on the same limb. “Okay, we’re going to climb down together, just like you would have done when you climbed trees as a kid.”
“I…didn’t,” she breathed, her voice catching in her throat.
“You never climbed trees?”
Barely shaking her head, she breathed, “I didn’t play outside very much.”
Knowing she was out of her element, he nodded, glad she was staying calm. “Okay, just like getting out of the plane, we’ll do this one step at a time.”
With his body cradling hers, his hands on her hands, he shifted them down to the next limb. He could feel her heart pounding and her arms beginning to shake violently. “Okay, let’s do this another way. I’m going to turn you around so that you’re facing me. You’ll wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist…kinda like a backwards piggyback.”
Before he gave her a chance to worry about the movement, he shifted her arms so that her body slid against his and she was now peering up at his face, eyes wide in fear. He smiled encouragingly as her hands locked around his neck and he used one hand to lift her right leg upward.
She immediately latched her leg around his waist and they repeated the process on the other side. Kendall was now completely at his mercy to get her to safety. Swallowing deeply, she closed her eyes tightly as he moved them down another limb.
“We’ve only got about twenty feet to go,” he said.
She was not encouraged, instead clinging tighter, plastering herself against his chest. Jiggled every time he climbed down one more limb, she shook with fear.
“You should open your eyes,” he said, worried about her pale complexion, no color in her lips despite the cold. “You would see how close to the ground we are.”
Prying one eye open, all she could see was his face right in front of hers, his eyes holding her attention. Sucking in her lips, she watched as he offered a small smile as he said, “Almost there.” With two more downward steps, his hands settled on her waist. “You’re safe now.”
She slowly unhooked her legs from his waist and lowered them to the ground. He kept his hands on her, holding her closely as she gained strength. This close, he could see her dark brown eyes held flecks of gold and green as they stared unabashedly up at him. Her pale skin was smooth and where she had been biting her lips, they had regained their color.
She shivered—from cold or his perusal she did not know—but welcomed his closeness nonetheless.
He took her hand and led her away from the tree they just climbed. “We don’t want to be standing under the plane if it decides to fall to the ground,” he explained. He wrapped his arm around her, hoping to offer some warmth until he could take care of her properly. Lowering her to the ground near a clump of evergreen bushes offering a wind break, he knelt beside her. Checking her eyes, he gently said, “Kendall, I’m going to lift your sweater to check your chest and abdomen for bruises from the harness. Is that okay?”
She nodded wordlessly before he quickly lifted the turtleneck and confirmed there were indeed red streaks across her chest and collarbones. Feeling her bones and running his hands along her ribs, he ascertained none were broken. Lowering her sweater, he noted the color in her cheeks as she averted her eyes.
“You’ll have some bruising and soreness, but thankfully, nothing appears broken. What concerns me most is the bruise on your forehead from where you hit it. Lucky for us you already have that handy headache medicine, because I’m pretty sure you’re gonna need it. You’ll tell me if it gets too bad—we need to monitor for a concussion.” With a mumbled yes and slight nod of her head as confirmation, he moved closer to capture her gaze. “I’m going back up to get our equipment.”
As though the reality of their situation suddenly hit, she gasped, “Oh, my God.” Jerking her head around, all she could see was thick forest. “What are we going to do?”
“Shhh, it’s okay,” Marc assured. “I always pack for every contingency. I’ve got two large duffle bags with emergency rations of food, weapons, and cold-weather gear. I’m used to camping, hiking—surviving outdoors. We’ll be fine.” Seeing her shiver, he pulled her back in and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. “You stay here and I’ll be back with everything.”
“Who’ll find us?” she whispered into his shirt, her face pressed against his chest.
“The people I work with will have us out of here in no time,” he said. “Kendall, look at me.” He waited until she leaned back and lifted her chin. “I’ll take care of you. We’ll be fine,” he promised.
*
“Gooddamn, son of a bitch!”
Her legs having given out, Kendall had slumped to the ground, her back resting against the rough bark of a tree trunk. She had watched, amazed at the agility of such a large man, as Marc had climbed back up to the plane and was now screaming obscenities. Jumping up, she started to run over but remembered his rules. Number one was to do exactly what he said to do and the second one was to stay where he told her to stay.
Inside the plane, Marc seethed, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. Having opened the first bag, the one he had started to check this morning before he was interrupted by the changes in the plan, he quickly zipped it back up and moved it to the pilot’s seat so he would be able to toss it to the ground. Only half his supplies were there, including a sleeping bag, one of his guns and half his ammunition, some food, and a change of socks and underwear.
Turning back, he lifted the second bag but noticed it, too, was much lighter. Setting it back down, he unzipped it and roared as he realized someone had pilfered the contents. “Goddamnit!” As he took an accountability of what was left, he noted the second sleeping bag was missing, along with his other weapon and food. Who the hell was there this morning? Hank! The little shit!
Zipping the bag back up, he maneuvered it to the front seat as well. He looked to see what Kendall had with her and, grabbing her purse and tote bag, along with her coat, he moved them to the front as well.
Climbing back out, he hauled one bag after the other to the top of the plane before letting them drop to the ground.
“Marc? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Stand back!” he shouted, but then looked down to see she was still by the tree where he left her.
She watched as the large bags fell to the ground and then her bag and purse followed. Fighting the desire to scramble over, she was still afraid enough of being underneath the plane to stay still. It appeared steady, lodged in its tree hammock, even with Marc moving around inside, but she was not about to take a chance. Besides, he seems furious and he told me to stay here!
Marc disappeared back inside the plane to see what else he could salvage. He pulled out all the identification papers, an extra coat he kept inside, a tarp and some rope he had hidden in the back for emergencies—thank goodness—and another hidden gun. Tucking what he could inside the coat pockets, he put everything else in one of the bags and took one last look around. His anger, having already risen to the surface, was about to erupt. He knew the plane was insured and could be replaced, but the modifications he and the Saints had made for its security had made it the perfect craft for the missions they took. Now, he would have to start over.
Climbing out, he made his way to the tree and repeated the climb down. As he jumped the last few feet to the ground, he turned and looked at the pale woman still leaning heavily against the dark tree trunk, her arms crossed around her waist as though holding herself up. His job became exponentially more difficult with the knowledge that Kendall was completely unused to being outdoors in this cold weather, much less hiking or camping. And snow was coming. No problem…I keep her safe right here for the evening until the Saints can get us picked up. Sucking in a deep breath, his protective instincts in full force, he stalked toward her, not stopping until he was directly in front of her.
Opening the front of his coat, he pulled her forward before wrapping his arms around her, tucking her tightly against his body with the jacket covering both of them. “Let’s get you warm and then I’ll take care of what needs to be done so we’ll be safe for the night.”
“Night?” she squeaked, her voice buried against his shirt. His body was warm as his size blocked most of the wind.
“No one will be able to get to us before tomorrow,” he said against her hair, noticing the light floral scent of her shampoo.
“But what about the Canadian police? Or the Mounties? Or…or…someone who knows we went down?”
Wondering how much to tell her, he decided honesty in moderation was best. “Kendall, my plane was sabotaged…while it was in the custody of the FBI. The reason I lost my cool up there was because someone also stole some of my equipment, knowing that when we went down, if we survived the crash, we’d have less of a chance with fewer supplies. I’m guessing they either didn’t have time to take it all, or figured I’d notice if they did. Either way, having half the supplies gives us a chance out here.”
He watched her swallow deeply, her large eyes staying on his. “I don’t understand,” she said, her brow crinkled. “Why…why?”
Marc lowered her to the ground, slipping his coat off and wrapping it around her, glad that it swallowed her body. “I don’t know. But right now, I need you to stay here while I make a call and talk to my people, okay?” He reached behind him and grabbed her purse and tote bag. “Here’s your things in case you need them. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk about twenty feet away to make his call before her gaze drifted back to what was left of the plane dangling in the trees. Sabotage…stealing supplies…someone wanted them dead. Her breath came in pants as she tried to understand what had happened, but her vision blurred as she hyperventilated. Falling to the side, she curled up in his large coat, trying to keep from fainting as the fleeting adrenaline left her body weak.