by Madelon Smid
“You may have. I didn’t. I wanted some thinking time before responding. I thought this time apart would give us both a clearer perspective.”
She wanted to ask if it had, what he’d concluded, and if there was any way he could talk her out of sabotaging their us out of fear. She sorted how she’d ask in her head, licked her lips again, “Ad—”
The elevator lurched, stopped. Total silence filled the small space.
“Are we there?” Sky’s stomach muscles had tightened like she was pulling five Gs. She didn’t think she would like his answer.
Adam pressed the open door button. Tried again. He pressed the red emergency button. Nothing happened.
“Shouldn’t an alarm go off?”
“I’d have thought so.” His cheekbones appeared sharper as the skin over them tightened. He opened the panel that held the emergency phone and pulled out the receiver.
“I don’t think anyone will answer.” Sky pointed a shaky finger at the place where the severed cord entered the panel.
Adam lowered the receiver, shut the panel door, and slid into a seated position on the floor. “Then I guess we just wait. Dad will wonder where we are, and people will start looking for us.”
Silence settled over the space. It grew heavier and more uncomfortable as the minutes passed. Sky wished she hadn’t made her position clear until after she’d left the building. This was ghastly. A look at Adam’s face showed the same closed expression as a minute before. He seemed lost in thought. She took several deep inhalations hoping she’d relax. Tucking her body into the corner, she determined she’d stay on her feet, not get cozy on the floor with Adam.
“Enforced intimacy…always awkward.” Adam looked up, raised an eyebrow, and pointed at the floor. “For God’s sake, sit down. I won’t jump on you.”
Flushing that he’d read her mind, she slid down the wall across from him, curling her legs under her and wrapping her arms across her chest.
A glint entered his eyes, when he observed her posture, but he didn’t comment.
“I remember being stuck on a date with a girl I really disliked. Her mother trapped me into it. She was Mom’s best friend. Back seat of the limo, while the driver had the glass partition up, and this girl moved in on me like a boa constrictor.” He shuddered.
“What did you do?”
“I kissed her on the cheek and told her, as nicely as a seventeen-year-old guy can, it was never going to happen. I thought of her as a sister.”
“She must have been crushed.”
“Short term pain, for long term gain.” He winced, shifted his weight off his hip. “She stopped chasing me and found herself a great guy. They’re married with three boys.”
Silence filled the tiny space, until it felt so heavy Sky couldn’t bear it.
“Mine was a first date. He took me to a pretentious restaurant and made me sit in the middle of the room. I hated it.”
“Was there a second date?” He eyed her with interest.
“I took him to a go-cart track and bought him a burger. He hated it.”
“I take it that was the last date.”
“Nope. I almost married the guy. He just kept pushing till I said yes. I broke it off a week before the wedding.”
“What, you couldn’t agree on the flavor of cake?”
“I wouldn’t agree to quit flying.” She wrapped her arms tighter, feeling awkward. This was more intimate than having sex with him. Why the peanut butter and gravy was she telling him about the worst betrayal in her life? She hadn’t even told Pops, because she didn’t want him to know how dumb she’d been, almost marrying a man who had so little regard for who she was.
After a short silence, Adam’s quiet voice filled the space. “He didn’t know you at all. Flying is in your bloodstream. It’s the oxygen you breathe. Once you’ve ‘put out your hand and touched the face of God,’ as John McGee described, there is no going back.” Elation lit his face. He had passed his medical, had returned to the air he loved.
She read his thoughts, just as he anticipated hers. “I was so happy to hear you passed your medical. Congratulations, again. You need flying as much as I do.” For seconds, Sky could forget her tension and just be happy for Adam.
“We both need that rarified air.” His smile expressed his appreciation for her support.
Sky’s heart took a nose dive. How could she withstand such charisma? “Speaking of air, are we going to run out of it?” She felt like the atmosphere had just gained another level of weight.
“There’s a vent into the shaft. So that won’t happen…” He stopped talking as the elevator jerked, dropped a few inches, and came to a jarring halt.
Sky scooted across the elevator faster than a crab at a picnic and grabbed his hand. He closed his fingers around hers, warm and reassuring. “Probably just the maintenance man getting it started,” he suggested.
The elevator creaked and dropped another foot.
“Or the brakes are going,” she gasped, freeing her hands so she could wrap her arms around his chest. “Oh bagels and beer nuts, I always thought I’d die crashing in a plane, not an elevator.”
He pulled her closer. “You’re not going to die. This is no longer a wait for help situation. We need to act now.” He straightened and, leaning both hands against the side of the elevator, bent his good leg. “Use my leg as a step and climb on my shoulders. There’s a hatch you can get through at the top. See it?”
Sky looked up and noted the seams of the square cut into the elaborate copper paneling of the ceiling. She set her foot on his leg, swung her other leg around his shoulders, and hitched onto them.
“Can you get it? Push up.” He straightened to his full height.
She pushed, and the panel lifted. She rose on her knees so she could crawl through the opening. He grunted with pain as her shin scraped his scapula, but took one hand from the wall to help her balance.
“All right. Shit…” he bit out as the elevator made another grinding sound and slid lower. He fought for balance.
“I can smell smoke and hot oil,” Sky said. “I think the brakes are burning out.”
He didn’t question her. “Climb onto the roof. You’ll see a ladder on the side of the shaft. You can jump on to it and reach the next floor. Do it now.”
She looked down at Adam.
“Go. Get clear before it falls.” He looked back at her, hands on hips. She saw his total determination to save her, while he went down with the ship like some hero.
“Screw you, Hamilton. I’m not moving an inch till you’re out here, too.”
“You’re swearing,” he pointed out.
“It will be a minor offense compared to what I do with you if you don’t get up here. Don’t tell me you can’t do a chin up. Now jump, and I’ll pull you over. I won’t move till you’re on top of this thing with me.”
“You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met—except for your grandmother,” he muttered.
Crouching, he leapt, grabbed the edge of the opening, and drew his body higher. The hatch was so narrow, he couldn’t maneuver, or get his arms wide enough to lever his weight. As his head came through the hatch, she grabbed him under the arms and pulled with everything she had. He got purchase with his arm on the top and hoisted himself out with her help.
“See,” she shrieked as the elevator dropped again. The shaft was filling with acrid blue smoke.
“The ladder,” he yelled.
She leapt for it.
“Go down, smoke rises.” He stepped across the narrow opening, as soon as she moved down several rungs.
She kept descending, until she was even with the doors on the next floor down. Gagging, choking, she hammered on them.
He descended, forcing her lower. “Come up over me and brace me,” he called over the continual grinding noise that filled the shaft. “Press your upper body against my legs, while I get these open.” He pulled a utility knife out of his pocket.
Sky climbed up the few rungs separating th
em and pressed her chest against his hips, her hands reaching the rung near his shoulders. “I’ve got you. Go ahead,” she choked out. Dizziness was taking over her brain, stealing her focus.
He leaned far out, stuck his knife in the rubber strip joining the doors, and pried. The door cracked a quarter inch. He got his fingers in and pulled the closest door toward him. Suddenly, voices on the other side called out, the fire alarm went off, and a face appeared low in the opening.
“Holy shit,” the guy said. “There’s someone in here.”
“Climb over me, so they can reach you,” Adam instructed Sky.
This time she didn’t argue. If his testosterone was raging, fine by her. She just wanted the two of them out of the shaft.
Hands reached as she leaned as far as she could off the ladder. For a second, she swung over open space, her stomach churning, then she was lying on the floor in the corridor. She scooted out of the way, not sucking in air, until Adam lay on the floor beside her. A mighty grinding sounded inside the shaft, followed long seconds later by the crash, as the elevator hit the bottom of the shaft.
The men released the doors, cutting off the billowing smoke, and knelt beside them.
Sky coughed so hard, she expected her insy belly button would become an outsy. The clatter of feet and the ringing alarms sounded like far off noises. She fought to stay conscious.
Adam’s fingers curled around her hand. “Stay with me, Sky. Help is on the way.”
Then first responders arrived. Firefighters milled around, while a member of the emergency response team strapped an oxygen mask over her face. Hands ran over her checking for injuries.
“Déjà vu much,” she said, gazing into Adam’s eyes. They warmed.
“Well, there’s a story for our grandchildren,” he said.
She grinned at the soot on his face, as his teeth flashed white. “At least there’s a chance we’ll have grandchildren. Thank you.”
“This was definitely a team effort. We work well together.” He rolled onto his side, then staggered to his feet. Dropping a hand, he pulled her upright.
A large man raced down the hallway. “Son…son, are you all right?” He grabbed Adam and hugged him close, before pulling back, his breathing ragged.
“I’m fine, Dad. Take a breath.” Adam hugged his dad back, concern showing on his face.
“I took the stairs, because we have the elevators locked off. Firemen are putting out the fire in the shaft,” he explained.
Sky tiptoed out of range. Her movement attracted Adam’s attention. He seized her hand, and with his other on his father’s arm, steered them out of the chaos by the elevator and down the hall. Choosing an empty room, he herded them inside and closed the door. “That’s better.” He approved the quiet. “Dad, this is Sky Stravinski. Sky, my father, Adam Patrick Hamilton, the Third.” He grinned, as he drew out the number.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Hamilton.” Sky held out her hand, realized it had a fine film of black oil on it, and tucked it behind her back.
“I’m not standing on ceremony, Sky, call me Patrick.” He pulled her into a hug. “You must have nerves of steel. I admire that in a person.” He released her and looked hard into her eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’ll do everything I can to get to the bottom of it.”
“This pretty much proves our theory, Dad. If you had security lock down the lab and seize all the computers, when the alarm went off, I think you’ll find the person who hacked into our system.
“I called them immediately. As soon as we locate the computer used to hack into our central system, we’ll have our guy,” Patrick sounded relieved.
“But anybody could access that computer. How will you prove who did?” Sky asked.
“Everyone writes code their own way. It’s like your signature, identifying you. We’ll recognize the code belongs to one of our engineers. We’re pretty certain who. We just have to catch him,” Adam explained.
“I’m sorry the trap caught you instead,” Patrick said. “I should have had him arrested sooner and then searched for more proof. Instead, I allowed him another go at you.”
“This man tried to kill Adam before?” Sky queried.
“We think it’s the same guy who contaminated the fuel in my F18. He stole the schematics for a prototype I’d designed and sold them to a foreign country.”
“Corporate espionage?” Sky breathed. “Can this get any more James Bondie?”
Patrick and Adam looked at each other in bewilderment.
Sky laughed at their expressions. “A Molotov cocktail, an exploding plane and fuel tank, a cockpit full of toxic vapors,” she gasped, then waved her hands, “a crashing elevator.” She held back another laugh with difficulty. “It’s like a B movie. No one would believe us.” She exploded in mirth.
“Don’t forget the fiery crash of my F18.” Adam chuckled, met her eyes, and broke into laughter.
“Are you two insane?” Patrick asked.
“No, we’re the king and queen of fire and smoke,” she giggled. Embarrassed by her response, she clenched her fists and fought for control.
“She’s going into shock.” Adam stopped laughing, as he saw the gooseflesh on Sky’s arms and the visible shudder she gave, before wrapping them across her chest.
“Dad, we’ll hunker down in my office, until the elevators are cleared for use. Sky, can you make it up three flights?”
“I’ll fly up.” She flapped her arms, stifling a sob. He captured her arms, slid his hands down them, to still them, and locked his fingers between hers.
She settled at the now familiar ritual.
“I’ll sort this out and call you when we’re clear,” Patrick said. His phone rang. He answered and listened. “Excellent. Security has Wei Chan’s computer, and the tech I had standing by has identified Chan’s code. They’re calling in the Texas Rangers.” He wrapped an arm around Adam. “The threat against you is in cuffs, and I needn’t worry about you anymore,” he concluded.
Sky looked at Patrick. “Does this mean all the attacks on me have been about Adam? Your stolen prototype? Now they’ll stop?”
“I’m not sure how they could be connected, Sky. But we’ll keep investigating until we have a good explanation for everything and the perpetrators under arrest. You’re not on your own,” Patrick assured her.
“I like you.” She pulled free of Adam’s hold and planted her hands over her mouth. Had she really said that aloud, like some vacuous teen?
Patrick’s eyes twinkled. “I like you, too. Now go with Adam and get cleaned up.”
Feeling like a fool, she followed Adam out of the room. “Popcorn balls and fudge brownies,” she muttered. “I’ve got to stop inhaling fumes. They’re making my brain mushy.”
Adam chuckled. “I like you, too.” His quiet voice sounded over the tapping of her feet on the stairs. “Too much for my own good.”
****
“So when are you taking Sky to meet her grandmother?” Patrick sat back, as his housekeeper removed his plate, and waited for Adam’s answer.
“I told Adam I won’t meet her.” Sky cut in. “I see no purpose in it,” she explained, as Patrick looked at her in bewilderment.
“No purpose. The woman loves you and wants to make up for all the years she wasn’t there for you. No purpose.” He shook his head.
“She can’t love me. She doesn’t even know me. And I don’t require her to make anything up to me. Mom and Pops gave me the best life possible.” Sky sounded defensive.
Adam deemed a change of subject was best. He gave his dad a slight shake of the head. “Have you seen the schedule for your flight time tomorrow?” he asked Sky.
“They emailed it through this afternoon. They invited the top five competitors on the circuit, hedging their bets, so they’d end off with the champion present. I fly at eleven hundred forty hours.”
“The grand finale. Your routine won’t be quite as exciting as when your canopy rips away, but you’ll still wow them,” Adam te
ased.
“Oh, I still might have a surprise or two up my sleeve. I believe in keeping a trick in the drawer.”
“That’s what scares me about you.” Adam set his wine glass down. “You always fly on the edge. You know, the Grand Prix is just a spectators’ show. You can take it easy. You’re not going for points.”
Sky and Patrick both looked at Adam as if he’d turned into a zebra.
“This from the son I said the same things to for years. You never listened, now you’re sounding like me.” Patrick’s eyes widened. He coughed behind his napkin and took a quick drink of wine, his eyes twinkling over the rim of the glass.
Sky turned from watching his dad’s performance and focused her ire on Adam. What was new about that, he thought.
“It’s much more important I give them a show they won’t forget. These people paid to watch me fly. I won’t shortchange them, because I’m not in a competition.”
Adam raised his hands. “Okay, I agree with you, but you have to admit I have reason for concern. Your record with planes over the last few weeks hasn’t been stellar.”
“Well you can’t blame those incidents on me,” she said through gritted teeth.
“No, but I can feel over protective because of them,” he gritted back.
Both of them smiled at Patrick, as if the conversation wasn’t veering into an argument.
“From what Adam has shared with me, I don’t understand how any of this is connected. First, a student tries to burn a plane, then an unknown sharp shooter explodes another, and finally, Andre Dupont drops a toxic capsule in your cockpit. Three separate incidents, three different people and motives. Two of them are accounted for and the perpetrators taken care of. But the sniper, who caused the most damage in the end, hasn’t been found, or his motive revealed.”
“You didn’t mention the elevator incident,” Sky pointed out.
“Well, I’m fairly sure, as are the Texas Rangers, that had to do with Adam’s stolen design, not that the real design was ever out of our sight,” he amended.
“You mean this engineer, who rigged the elevator, didn’t really sell your design to a foreign government?” Sky turned on Adam.
“He stole a copy I planted, a pre-emptive strike against corporate theft.”