by Jamie DeBree
"I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this plane. What do you say we get out of here? I just activated the emergency GPS tracker in my watch, so another team should be here to pick us up soon."
The light moved and she looked up to watch him surveying the hole she was in.
"I think you can shimmy through that space between the seat backs to get to the slide. Let's go."
She thought about refusing just to test his resolve, but considering the lengths he'd already gone to in order to kidnap her, she was fairly certain he'd just shoot her and leave. If she could get outside and on the ground, she'd probably have a better chance of getting away too. Pushing the supplies and blankets to the side, she shimmied around and through the space between the seats and the ceiling, her heart racing when she nearly fell out the open hatch. Finally she found stable footing on the edge and lowered herself carefully to sit with her feet on the slide.
"Stay right there," Sean said from somewhere above her. "I'm coming down."
Holly ran her fingers over the surfaces beside her, hoping to find something, anything that would make a good weapon. The only thing she found was the plastic knife she'd tossed away earlier. Running her thumb over the thick teeth, she wondered if it would penetrate the inflated sidewalls of the slide if there was enough force behind it.
Only one way to find out.
Taking a deep breath and fisting the knife point out in her hand, she launched herself over the edge of the hatch.
She'd jumped too far out. Time slowed, like in the movies as she felt gravity pulling her down, the slide's angle too steep for her momentum. Flailing, she stabbed desperately with the knife, knowing the only way to slow her fall was to penetrate the thick layer of rubber and create friction. Time was running out quick, and each stabbing motion brought her closer to the plastic material, but not close enough.
Swinging her arm out to the side, she pushed the serrated edge into the seam where the side bolsters met the bottom, and dragged it hard and pushed her other shoulder into the rubber bottom, finally anchored just as her feet hit the bottom barrier. She bounced back up, the uneven angle of the inflated side throwing her off balance as she was catapulted out to land in the dirt ten yards away.
"Ow," she said, keeping her voice low and curling up into a fetal position. Every part of her body hurt, and as some of the initial hurt dulled, she forced herself to wiggle her toes and fingers. Satisfied that they were okay, she tested her larger joints. Luckily it didn't feel like she'd broken anything.
"You never were very graceful, were you Holly?"
Sean's voice floated at her from somewhere above. He hadn't left the plane yet. That meant there was still time, if she could find her way back to the slide in the dark.
Bright light swept over the ground just inches from her position. The damn flashlight. If she could just avoid it and get to the bolsters from behind, she might be able to do some damage. The plastic knife had gone flying when she'd bounced off the bottom edge, but something sharp was poking into her hip. Moving carefully, she rolled over and felt the ground with her fingers. The pointed edge of a small rock pressed into her palm, and she picked it up - a far more effective weapon than plastic utensils.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Sean's taunt sent shivers down her back as the beam of light moved closer. He was sweeping the ground with it, going side to side in a steady motion, to his detriment. She waited until it reached the farthest point away from her, then pushed to her feet and limped toward the plane, using the point where the flashlight was for reference. Unable to see, her knees hit the end of the slide and she fell, unable to hold back a grunt of pain as she scrambled around to the other side. Bent over with her hands on her knees, she breathed for a moment, safe from the light, at least. Then she turned and jammed the pointed rock into one of the inflated edges as hard as she could and pulled down, relieved to hear a small ripping sound followed by the hiss of air escaping. She ran to the other edge and did the same thing, the slide already beginning to fall toward her.
Slipping the rock into her pocket just in case, she tried to remember which way Eddie had gone earlier. She had to hide - the deflated slide would only slow Sean down, not stop him. But if she went the wrong way, she could easily get lost in the corn field. The highway was a nearly straight shot from the center of the plane, but that would be too obvious. She took a few deep breaths, shoved the pain to the back of her mind and started walking as fast as she could in a straight line through the tall stalks under the plane's nose.
* * *
Eddie followed the highway until he saw the blanket bundle he'd abandoned earlier. Turning onto the dirt road, he stopped long enough to retrieve his supplies and then continued into the corn field, the dim headlights illuminating only a few feet in front of him at a time. He knew he needed to turn off into the field soon, but the truck was old, and he wasn't confident that it would be able to navigate the soft topsoil while mowing down six foot stalks. At least he'd be driving with the rows, instead of across them.
Moving as slow as he dared, he watched the right shoulder for a shallow pitch into the field. When he found it, he turned the wheel sharply and guided the truck into the corn, hitting the gas hard enough to give it a push, but not so much it would dig the rear tires in. Still, his forward momentum slowed to nearly nothing, and he fought the urge to gun the engine, switching into a lower gear instead.
Slowly the vehicle inched forward, and he carefully gave it a little more gas, letting the tires shift until they found a path. Finally they settled between the rows where the dirt was slightly more compact, and he put his foot down, mowing down a two-row path through the corn.
The headlights were nearly useless, blocked by the crops, but a beam of light shining taller than the field caught his eye as it moved slowly back and forth. It had to be coming from the plane - it was too close to be another farm, and too low to be an aircraft in flight. But why would Holly be drawing attention to herself?
He pushed the truck as hard as he dared, watching as the light stopped moving briefly, and then plummeted to the ground.
"No," he whispered, pushing harder on the gas. "It couldn't have been her. She just dropped the light, is all. It wasn't her." He gripped the steering wheel tighter, all of his muscles contracting as he tried to convince himself that everything was okay.
But why had she been holding the light in the first place?
The trip felt like hours, though he knew it wasn't. When he finally saw the slide lit up in front of him and hanging limp directly below the hatch, he thought his heart would stop.
Leaving the engine running, he got out of the truck.
"Holly!" He ran to the slide, checking every side and covering as much ground as he could. "Holly? Holly, answer me! Where are you?"
He couldn't find her, but there was no answer from overhead either, and his pulse pounded with fear. Widening his circle, he peered as far as he could in the dark down each corn row, scanning the ground for footprints or anything that might give him a clue for where she was. Surely if she'd fallen, she'd be near the plane...it was a small piece of hope, but a motivating one.
On the tail side of the plane, he found scuff marks and smaller footprints in the soil, and he ran back toward the truck, positive they had to be hers. She couldn't have gone too far with her leg, but if she was moving across the rows rather than with them, it would make everything much harder.
He frowned as he got closer to the truck, thinking he must be more tired than he'd originally thought. It seemed like the headlights were moving toward him, but that couldn't be...or could it? Thinking back, he remembered getting out of the truck, but leaving it running for the light. A quick pat of his pockets told him he didn't have the keys.
The engine revved, leaving no room for doubt. But if Holly had gone the other way...who was behind the wheel?
The truck was coming fast, and Eddie dove to the side, scrambling around the back-side of the slide just in time. Gaining his feet ag
ain, he sprinted toward the tail end of the plane and the rows where he'd seen Holly's footprints. He had to get to her before whoever was in that truck did.
* * *
Holly sat between the thick stalks, her heartbeat picking up speed again when she heard Eddie call her name. Did she dare go back? After walking what felt like a long way through the dark field, she'd circled around, staying at the perimeter distance she'd set in a half-circle until she was behind the plane. Or she thought she was, anyway - it was impossible to tell in the dark. It was risky, she knew, but there was no way she could go farther in the soft loam. Her leg just wasn't up to it yet.
She had to warn Eddie about Sean. Be brave, she thought as she used her good leg and a corn plant to steady her as she rose. You can do this.
One step and then another, she moved in the direction of the shouts, emerging into the clearing to see the truck idling just under the nose of the plane, and Eddie jogging through the headlights, looking for something. Her, maybe. She started to call out, but stopped when a shadow slipped out of the darkness and into the cab.
Sean.
Holly watched helplessly as the engine revved and the truck started rolling toward Eddie, who jumped aside at the last minute before he would have been run down. She yelled then, but her words were drowned out by the loud motor as Sean floored the truck and drove off into the field. She strained to see in the dark, looking for Eddie near where he'd jumped, but he wasn't there. He'd been so close...why had he left the clearing?
The noise from the engine faded, and she decided to risk revealing her position. It was better than sitting in the dark by herself. Maybe Eddie was still within earshot.
"Eddie?" She hobbled to the slide and tried not to think about what would happen if he got hurt. "Eddie! Where are you?"
"Here."
She turned around, joy swelling at the sound of his voice from somewhere behind her. "Thank God. I thought you'd gone again."
He came striding out of the black night holding out his arms, and she went to him, throwing her arms around his neck as he pulled her tight against his chest.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered in her ear as he held her tight. "Who was that in the plane? I thought it was you, but--"
"Sean," she said, pulling back slightly. "Sean survived, somehow, and he got free while I was waiting for you to come back. He got a gun when he went into the pantry, and I had to get away from him. I deflated the slide, but he came down anyways and I hid in the corn..." She stopped for a breath, and he pulled her close again. His strong arms around her were a haven, and while she knew they had to find a way home, she felt safe for the moment.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked, raising her head just enough to look up at him. He closed the distance between their lips and kissed her, slow and soft. It reminded her of that first night in the bar, when he'd kissed her merely to make a point. It all seemed so long ago, like another lifetime, really.
"I suppose," he said after one last kiss. "We should find a place to settle in for the night. You can't walk out on that leg, and with the truck gone, we're stuck until it's light at least. Once the sun comes up we'll figure something out."
Chapter 14
"Well isn't that just sweet. But I think we can find better accommodations than a corn field for the lady, don't you Mr. Pierce?"
Holly froze at Sean's voice behind her, putting up no resistance when Eddie swung her around to put himself between them. He turned, his whole body tense as he faced her stalker. Holly grasped his arms, ready to hold him back. In a fair fight, she knew he could beat Sean, but considering the other man had a gun pointed right at them...
"What are you doing, Sean?" she called out. "Why did you come back? You've got the truck, just take it and go. Leave us alone."
He chuckled. "What's the matter, darling? Were you actually looking forward to a roll in the dirt - or corn, as it were - with your precious rock star? Wouldn't you rather end up in a big, soft bed with someone who will adore you forever - who has adored you since your first book? If you'd just gone along with the plan, pretended to be my girlfriend for awhile, you'd have fallen in love with me eventually."
Holly shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see the gesture in the dark. "That would never have happened, Sean. You're delusional."
"If I am, so are you," he said, his tone too confident. "Don't you remember, Holly? That was the whole plot of your fifth book, 'Acting Out'. Girl pretends to be actor's girlfriend to help boost his reputation because she needs money desperately, girl and actor fall in love, they eventually live happily ever after. It was like you wrote it just for me, to tell me what you wanted. When I read that, I started planning how I could make that fantasy come true for you."
Eddie looked over his shoulder at her, but she shook her head again.
"Fiction, Sean. It was all fiction - as in, not true. And there was no kidnapping, and no one got shot either. You really do have a twisted mind, you know that? I don't know how--"
Eddie reached back and grabbed her wrist, squeezing hard before she got the message and shut up. It was too late though. Sean brought the gun up and leveled it at Eddie's forehead.
"It's not true," he said, his voice ringing loud in the cool night air. "You and I are meant to be together, just like in your book." He took a step back, and then motioned for her with one hand. "Come over here, with me. Do it now, or I'll shoot him, and then I'll shoot you, And not in the leg this time."
Eddie tugged at her arm when she started to move, but she twisted out of his grip, squeezing his shoulder with her other hand as she moved around him. She knew what she had to do - it was the only way they were going to get out of this alive. Mentally steeling herself, she put herself between Eddie and the gun, and started walking slowly towards Sean.
"On second thought," Holly said, keeping her pace measured as she moved Sean's direction, "Maybe I haven't given you enough of a chance." She waved a hand behind her back when she heard Eddie cough, hoping he'd let her do this without interfering. It was the only way either of them would make it out of this infernal corn field alive.
"Damn straight," Sean said, holding out his hand to her, the other still steady with the gun. "Come here, sweetheart. Give us a hug."
It took everything she had to allow herself to be drawn into his chest, his arm wrapping around her in a vise grip. Glancing back at Eddie, she could feel the hurt and confusion coming off him in waves. He'd understand later. She hoped.
"Sean," she said, putting on a demure pout she'd seen other women use with good success. "About that bed. Do you think we could go find one now? I mean..." she ran her fingers over his chest, idly playing with a button on his shirt. "Eddie could ride in the back, and we could drop him off somewhere in town, and I could ride with you up front. All cozy-like, if you know what I mean..." She let her hand drift lower, brushing the top of his waistband before settling on his stomach.
His muscles rippled under her touch and she looked up at him, turning her head to the side with a laugh when he tried to kiss her.
"Does that mean you agree?" she asked playfully, tracing a circle over his chest with one finger. "It is cold out here, and dark..."
"The truck's that way." He turned her to the side, and pointed into the corn. "About three rows in. You go get settled, and I'll be along after I take care of Eddie."
She backed away with her hands up, putting herself between the two men again. "That's not the deal, Sean. You want me, you can have me, but Eddie goes too. Otherwise, you might as well just kill us both." Her heart pounded as she focused on the gun, but she held her ground, confident that he'd make the right decision.
"You'd really die for this schmuck?" He shook his head. "So that...what you just did - that was all a lie. I should have known."
Holly took a step forward. "It wasn't a lie, Sean. Think of it more as a taste of what could be." She took another step forward, her shoulder pressing against the barrel of the gun. "You said yourself that if I spent en
ough time with you, I'd fall in love with you. Do you still believe that? If you do, this is your chance. The only one we'll ever have. Do you want to just throw that away?"
He was silent for a long moment. Finally, he lowered the gun.
"Fine, he said, clearly still resistant.”He rides in the back, you up front. Right beside me."
She nodded, then turned back to Eddie. "Is that okay with you?"
* * *
Eddie struggled to maintain control, forcing a terse nod at Holly. No, it wasn't okay. He didn't want her anywhere near Winston, but at this moment, it didn't seem like there was any other way. Winston was getting more unstable by the moment, and Holly was clearly trying to diffuse the situation and get them back to civilization. As much as he hated to admit it, this was probably their best chance.
"It's fine," he said, trying not to growl the words. Her eyes glittered in the moonlight, fear and resolution shining in their depths before she turned back to face her stalker.
"So it's settled then," she said, her voice slightly higher than normal. "Why don't you show us the way?" She went to him, and Winston threw an arm around her shoulders, glancing back once at Eddie before they walked away. Eddie followed, making sure he stayed within tackling distance, just in case.
When the truck came into view, Sean pulled Holly over to the driver's side with him, pointing casually to the back with the gun.
"Make yourself comfortable," he said, his tone saying otherwise. "And I expect you to stay down and quiet. No making noise or trying to attract attention. Got it?"
Eddie hoisted himself up on the tailgate and stepped into the bed. "Fine. Whatever. You hurt her, I'll kill you."
Sean laughed. "Yeah, whatever man." He opened the door and gestured for Holly to climb in, but she hesitated.
"You know, it's tricky driving through this soft topsoil. I grew up on a farm...maybe you should let me drive, just until we get to the highway. Then we can trade places. What do you say?"