“Just a lot of trees.”
“We’ve got about five more minutes,” Destiny said, trying to keep her voice steady. They had very little chance of surviving a crash into a lot of trees.
She scanned for anything but the dark green of thick jungle. Then she spotted an area of lighter green. It might just be a different type of tree, but it was the only thing she saw that even had a chance of being flat. She turned the plane toward it.
The engine sputtered and choked. Her heart sped up as she realized that they were going to go down in that light green area, whatever it was.
“Ethan, brace,” she ordered. “We’re going down.”
“But you—” he protested.
“I will too, but not yet. You brace now!”
“You can do this.” He cupped her cheek in one warm hand, letting her draw strength and courage from his trust. Then he braced his knees and elbows, and buried his face in his arms.
She could see the light green now, a small glade within the jungle. It would be a hard landing to make and they’d hit some trees for sure, but it was just barely possible. Destiny kept her touch light on the controls, tempted as she was to grab them hard. The plane bucked and lurched, and would have thrown them both out if they weren’t strapped in.
Lightly, lightly, she thought. Skim like a seagull over the water…
She’d lied to Ethan, she realized. She wouldn’t be able to land the plane and brace at the same time.
Keep the nose up, and touch down lightly, lightly, light as a feather…
The plane slammed into the ground, skidded to the side, and crashed into the trees. Her shoulder hit hard, then her head. She wasn’t knocked unconscious, but she was dazed, unable to react quickly. White smoke rose up from the engine, then a tongue of orange flame.
I have to get out, she thought. I have to get Ethan out.
But she couldn’t move. It was as if she was locked into a straightjacket.
Ethan moved fast enough for both of them. He unsnapped his belt, reached over and unsnapped hers, and tried to yank her out of her seat. But she was stuck tight. Crumpled metal had folded over her chest and knees. Her arms were pinned, so she couldn’t exert any leverage to free herself.
Swearing, he pulled harder. She didn’t budge. Then he fumbled under the seat, yanked out a crowbar from the tool storage compartment, and used that to pry the sheet metal away from her body.
The flames were coming closer. The heat was searing. Sweat poured down her face and chest. The plane could go up in a fireball at any second.
“Get out, Ethan,” Destiny begged him. “Forget me. Save yourself!”
“No!” Ethan yelled. “Never!”
He gave a desperate wrench with the crowbar, and the sheet metal moved. Destiny pushed with her feet as he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled. Her shirt tore and her skin was scraped, but she came free.
Together they leaped from the burning plane. Ethan tugged her toward the safety of the trees, but she saw her backpack dangling from the wreckage. It had survival equip
ment in it that they’d need. She grabbed it and yanked. It had been snagged on a sharp piece of metal and tore open, spilling some of its contents into the fire. She tucked it under her arm, clamping down on the torn part to prevent anything else from falling out, and bolted with him.
They got three steps into the jungle when the plane blew up. The shockwave of heated air knocked them both sprawling. Destiny looked back, worried that they’d have to get up and run if it started a forest fire. But the jungle was too damp for that, and there had been very little fuel left in the plane. The fireball went out, and the few patches of flame on the ground flickered, then died. In minutes, nothing was left but blackened metal and singed moss.
They lay in a tangle on the mossy ground, shaking with spent adrenaline. Ethan was pale beneath his tan, and the wounds in his head and hand were bleeding again. When he wrapped his arms around her, he left smears of blood on her skin.
“You’re safe,” he whispered. “You’re safe. I thought you’d never come free.”
“You saved me.”
“You saved me.”
She sighed, letting her head rest on his shoulder. It felt like something forbidden—don’t touch if you can’t commit—but his solid muscle and warmth was so comforting, and the rise and fall of his chest reassured her that he was safe and alive.
Destiny would have liked to lie there indefinitely, but they hadn’t flown all that far, and if she’d seen a landing area, any pursuit from Apex could have too.