He sucks air in over his teeth. “I think it’s better that we’re prepared.”
I turn back toward the plane. Even through the fear and panic, I’d done my best to memorize the steps I’d taken and the position where I’d been sitting. “I’ll go.”
“No,” Reed says. “You stay here with Laney.”
One thing I hate is being told what to do. “Cade is hurt. He should stay here with Laney. You and I need to go back in.”
My father knows me well enough to understand that I’m not going to back down.
“Okay,” he relents, “but there’s debris everywhere. I’ll have to guide you back to the plane. No arguments.”
I don’t like the lack of independence, but I don’t really have a choice. “Fine.”
There’s one item I definitely plan to get, and that’s my violin. I refuse to see it go up in flames. The mere thought of that happening is enough to stir similar feelings as when I’d thought of either Cade or my father being dead in the crash. It would be a kind of grief for me. Maybe to others it’s a mere object, but it’s a part of me, and losing it would be like losing an arm or a leg.
Or how I’d felt upon learning I’d never see again.
I sense my father standing in front of me, and I place my hand on his solid shoulder. Allowing him to guide me, we retrace our steps to the plane. We’re lucky it broke apart and that it’s the nose that’s on fire. Even so, getting closer, I can feel the heat ofthe flames on my skin. It’s bound to spread, so we need to work fast.
With Reed leading the way, we climb onboard. He guides me back to my seat. I hate feeling so helpless, but at least I’m here to help carry the bags.
“You get yours and Cade’s stuff,” he says. “I’ll get mine and Laney’s.”
It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the heat and noise. My bag and, more importantly, my violin, are in the overhead lockers. I glide my hands across the surfaces, maintaining constant contact.
Smoke catches at the back of my throat, and I cough. I bruised my ribs—or possibly worse—in the crash, and the combination of coughing with this injury has me almost doubled over with pain. I grit my teeth and clench my fists, fighting the urge to cough again. I need to grab what I can and get out of here.
I find Cade’s belongings as well and haul the bags onto my shoulder. I’m grateful that I’m big and strong, and carrying all of this isn’t an issue. I’d prefer not to have to come back again.
Feeling around, I hope to locate my missing phone, but there’s no sign of it. Damn.
I remember the blankets and pillows that were individually wrapped in cellophane and put my hands on those, too. It might be warm right now, especially with the fire blazing, but it’ll get cold at night. Since we have no idea how long it will be before we’re rescued, if we’re out here for any length of time at all, we’ll definitely need these blankets with the changing weather.
My father’s footsteps come up behind me and he coughs. “I haven’t been able to find any phones. How about you?”
I shake my head. “They could be anywhere. They could have fallen from the plane when it broke apart for all we know.”
“True.”
I hold up the blankets. “If you see any more of these, grab them. It’ll probably get cold later”
“Good thinking. Now, get out of here. The fire’s spreading.”
I take his shoulder again, and we stumble back out of the plane. Laney is there to meet us, taking a couple of the bags out of our arms. We go back to where we left Cade sitting on the ground.
“If the fire spreads,” I tell the others, “we’re going to have more to worry about than just being found.”
Being caught in the middle of a forest fire will kill us, even if the plane crash didn’t.
Laney is crying. I’d overheard what Cade had said to her earlier, about her basically being a gold digger. I’d also heard what she’d said in return. Cade could be an intimidating fucker, but she’d held her own. I think back to when she’d come to my dressing room, relishing for a moment in the memory of her soft skin beneath my fingertips when I’d traced the outline of her face, the scent of her shampoo or body wash, I wasn’t sure which, and the gentle heat of her breath between us.
Now, she’s trapped out here with the three of us.
I almost feel sorry for her. Stuck with three desperate men. My father introduced her as our stepsister, but it’s not like we’re actually related. Perhaps she’ll be the one who turns to us for comfort and a little escapism? People act differently in dangerous situations than how they would in real life.
Cade is the one we’ll have to worry the most about. He’s not exactly known for his self-control. Plus, he’s been acting strangely lately. It hasn’t escaped my notice that he’s claimed to be with me when he’s been somewhere else. Clearly, he’s hiding something from our father.
I wonder if it’s a woman, but it’s not like Cade to be coy about something like that.