Before Cash could ask her what she meant, a loud boom replaced the hum of the engine . . . and then a clicking, sputtering sound. The plane started to shake, and Cash gripped the controls as his eyes snapped to the gauges.
“Cash?”
Jade’s panic came through loud and clear, matching his own anxious worry. But there was no time to panic. He needed every ounce of his focus on finding a spot to land, because that engine wasn’t going to hold up when it sounded like a toy whose batteries were dying.
No, don’t think of dying.
“What’s happening?” Jade asked, gripping the dash.
“Engine’s out.” He surveyed the land, looking for a road, an open field, anything that didn’t involve homes or population. “We’re about to make a hard landing. Hold on.”
Chapter Two
Jade was certain her fingers were permanently embedded in the dash of the Skycatcher. Cash, on the other hand, seemed calm and in control as he radioed their dire situation.
She closed her eyes and focused on his soothing voice. How the hell could anyone be so calm at a time like this? The unusual sounds coming from the engine were terrifying—and even more terrifying when they just went silent.
“We’re making an emergency landing,” he warned in a stern tone. “Make sure your belt is tight.”
With a quick jerk, Jade tugged the excess belt and prayed like she’d never prayed before. Because isn’t that what people were supposed to do in a dire situation?
Jade seriously didn’t want to die like this, and certainly not with Cash. Oh, mercy, she was sorry she said she didn’t want to go to the wedding. She’d much rather go and wear the hideous dress and blow fake air kisses than not to make it out of this aircraft alive.
The plane dipped, and she let out a cry when her stomach sank. There was no way to describe her fear because she’d never actually been this petrified before. Nausea consumed her and she had to focus on her breathing, focus on the feel of the dash beneath her hands, focus on Cash’s arm brushing against hers . . . anything to keep from zeroing in on what could be her final moments.
“It’s okay,” Cash stated in that still, calm tone that should settle her but only infuriated her. “I’m dropping altitude to try to get us to that field up ahead. Don’t panic on me now, Red.”
“Really? Don’t panic?”
She wasn’t even addressing the whole “Red” reference because they were well past that. She hated it, he knew it, but they had much bigger issues to deal with.
The plane dipped again, and Cash’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the controls. Maybe he wasn’t as calm as she thought, and perhaps she should keep her eyes closed.
Cash radioed their situation again, but there was no reply. The radios in small aircrafts were mainly for other planes in the vicinity, so there was no magical air-traffic controller who could respond and help save the day out here in the middle of nowhere. They were on their own, and she had to put her trust in Cash to save them.
Jade watched as the ground kept getting closer and all she could think was that they were going way too fast to live through this. Her heart thumped heavily against her chest, her sweaty palms slid against the dash, and she was fighting back a serious case of queasiness.
“I can do this.”
Cash’s voice came through the
headset, and she wasn’t sure if he was reassuring her or trying to convince himself. Either way, she prayed he was right.
As the ground got closer, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“If you kill us, I’m going to be really pissed.”
Cash grunted. “Duly noted. Now brace yourself.”
She gritted her teeth as her entire body tightened, preparing for the worst while desperately hoping for the best.
The plane hit the ground with a hard bounce, then lifted up again. Back down, then up. Jade’s body jarred with each hit, and she just knew the plane would fall apart if this kept up. Cash’s mutterings and string of curses filled the headset, so she tried to hone in on that instead of all the fear that consumed her. She didn’t dare open her eyes because she didn’t want to see where they were.
When they bounced again, they stayed on the ground, sliding, but she could tell they were slowing down. Jade risked opening one eye and then the other. A tree line in the far distance had her worried they may not stop in time, but for the most part there was nothing but an open field. Not a telephone pole, not livestock, nothing.
With a shuddering jerk, the plane finally came to a stop. She didn’t know how long the whole ordeal had lasted, but she did know it took at least five years off her life. Her heart might never beat a regular rhythm again.
She glanced to Cash, who still gripped the control as he stared straight ahead. The corded muscles in his forearms remained tight, his jaw clenched, his breathing harsh. Cash wasn’t nearly as unaffected as she’d thought.