Charles turned toward the exit. “I guess we can head out to meet them now.”
“Sawyer?”
Standing, he glanced over his shoulder. Roman crossed the waiting area, arm outstretched.
“What’s up?”
“I found your sunglasses on the floor of the truck. Figured you’d want them in sunny California.” He handed over a black case.
“Damn. They must have fallen out of my backpack. Thanks.”
“I hadn’t left the airport yet. I was on my phone when I noticed them.” He nodded to the other man. “How’s it going, Charles?”
“Not bad. Here comes Cathy and Walton.” He pointed toward the window.
Sawyer picked up his bag and followed the older man outside with Roman at his heels. The rain had ceased for the moment, and a ray of sunlight peeked through the clouds to glisten on the wet tarmac. One of the Secret Service agents Sawyer recognized from Devin’s apartment, Ben Albright, led the entourage. The congressman followed, pulling a large, rolling suitcase, his arm around his wife. The usual smile Sawyer remembered from his youth was missing.
“It’s nice to see you, Cathy.” He came forward to give her a quick hug.
Fine lines radiated from the corners of her brown eyes, and her mouth was pinched in a tight line. She pushed wind-whipped dark hair away from her face. “I’m sorry to miss Griff’s party. I would have loved to meet his future wife, but…” Her voice trailed off.
Her husband leaned in to drop a kiss on her cheek. “He’ll understand. I just want you to relax and not worry about anything for the next week. Promise?”
She nodded then stepped back.
Walton cleared his throat. “Thanks for offering my wife a retreat away from all the public frenzy, Charles.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He took the handle of the suitcase from his brother-in-law as their gazes locked. “Do you have a minute or two? I have a few things I want to discuss.”
“Sure.” Walton turned to Roman with a smile. “Good to see you again, son. Devin mentioned you were working for the Wildes. How’s life on the ranch?”
Roman shrugged. “I can’t complain.”
His godfather clamped a hand down on Sawyer’s arm. “Devin’s waiting inside, and something’s been eating at that girl. Go see if you can cheer her up.”
“Sure.” Apparently she hadn’t told her boss about their breakup. He certainly wasn’t going to be the one to mention it. He held up the glasses’ case. “Thanks again, Roman.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rounding the gas truck, Sawyer climbed the set of metal steps leading into the plane. He nodded to the pilot and copilot who were talking together near the cockpit. They broke off their conversation, and the younger of the two reached for his suitcase.
“I’ll take that for you, sir.”
“Thanks.”
He relinquished his grip on the bag and turned toward the cabin furnished with two club chairs and a sectional couch. The second Secret Service agent occupied one of the chairs, while Devin sat curled up on the far end of the couch. Her eyes were sober as she met his gaze.
His gut clenched with regret, but he took the seat next to her and dropped his daypack on the smooth leather upholstery between them. “How are you?”
“Okay.” Her smile looked a little shaky, and she kept her voice low. “I’m sorry. I wish…”
“Yeah, me, too, but there’s no point in talking about something that isn’t going to happen.”
The light in her eyes faded, and the hands clasped in her lap tightened until her knuckles turned white. With an effort, Sawyer stopped himself from reaching for her. He so wanted to pull her into his arms and promise they could work through their problems. Somehow. Instead, he introduced himself to the agent sitting opposite them and engaged the man, Jared Teague, in a discussion about prospects for the current NFL season.
By the time Walton and Agent Albright re-entered the plane and belted up, he was more than ready to get into the air. Damn it, Devin had been the one to call it quits between them. So why did her wide-eyed silence, which he was almost certain held tears at bay by sheer will alone, make him feel like the biggest loser on the planet? She was hurting, maybe almost as much as he was, and the knowledge could very well kill him.
The jet took off into the clouds, bucking like one of his sister’s wild horses. When Devin let out a quiet yelp after one bounce threw her against the seatbelt, he picked up the hand closest to his and squeezed.
“It’ll be rough till we get above this air mass.” The pilot’s voice came back at them over the speaker system.
The plane jostled and shook. Devin’s hand holding Sawyer’s tightened.
“Why the hell aren’t we climbing faster?” Walton twisted in his seat to glance toward the cockpit. “Maybe I should go check.”
“Respectfully, you need to stay seated, sir.” Agent Teague spoke firmly. “I’ll go ask.”
Before he could unbuckle his belt, the loudspeaker crackled again. “Please remain in your seats. We’ve encountered a problem.” The pilot’s voice was steady with only a hint of underlying concern. “We’re turning back to Cody, since that’s still the nearest airport.”
“Goddamn it.” Walton gripped his armrest. “If I miss the talk I’m supposed to give in San Jose tonight, Syd is going to have a nervous breakdown.”
The plane pitched and jerked, losing altitude.
“I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now, sir.” As the jet dipped again in a steady descent, Albright’s blue eyes glittered beneath close-cropped gray hair. “Tighten your belt, put a cushion in your lap and tuck down. This doesn’t feel right. Shit!”
“Hold on, everyone.” The pilot’s voice boomed through the speaker. “I can’t keep us in the air much longer. I see a clearing ahead, and I’m going to do my best to land the plane. Brace yourselves.”
Devin’s frightened gaze met Sawyer’s. He thrust a pillow into her hands as the plane’s wing panels lifted, reducing their speed. A glance out the window revealed rugged mountains with thick forests. His pulse raced as he pressed her down against the cushion and wrapped his arms around her.
“I love you.” Her words were barely audible as the engines roared in a reverse thrust.
His arms tightened. “I love you, too.”
The plane thumped down hard with a rending screech of metal against rock. Sawyer’s teeth knocked together as he held on. A wing shirred off with a crack as the fuselage flipped to one side. Sawyer dangled from the seatbelt cinched across his waist when the plane rolled, tilting them nearly upside down. Devin hung beside him. At the other end of the couch, Walton’s belt snapped. With a cry, he hurtled to the opposite side of the cabin, landing on the older Secret Service agent. The plane slid for endless seconds before coming to a stop with a tremendous jolt. When his belt gave way, Sawyer dropped to the ceiling of the plane with a bone-jarring thud.
His ears rang in the hissing silence as smoke filled the cabin. “Devin! Devin!” Fighting his way, upright, he frantically waved an arm until he hit soft flesh.
She moaned as he felt down her chest to the seatbelt holding her strapped upside down to the couch. When he released the clasp, she fell into his arms.
“Here! Help me with the door!” Teague’s voice came out of the smoke to his right.
With Devin in his arms, he edged past one of the club chairs and fumbled forward.
“Where’s the congressman?” Teague spoke again.
“I have him,” Albright answered. “Coming through now.”
The smoke thinned as the emergency exit door crashed against the outer shell of the plane, and Teague jumped to the ground. The older man knelt to pass Walton down to his partner, then backed out of the way. Sawyer followed with Devin pressed to his chest. She clutched tight to his neck but let go when Teague reached up to take her from him.
“Everyone out! This plane might blow.” Alb
right barked the order. “Jared. Get the congressman away from here, fast!”
Sawyer turned to face him. “What about the pilots?”
Albright stuck his head out as Devin and Teague dragged Walton away from the plane, then glanced back at Sawyer. “I’ll check on them.”
“I’ll help you.”
Thumps and bangs sounded from inside the cockpit as they climbed back inside. By the time they reached the front section of the plane, the door was partially ajar.
“It’s stuck.”
Gripping the metal edge, Sawyer pulled while someone inside pushed, and the opening widened enough for the co-pilot to push through.
“Gary’s unconscious. Help me get him out.”
Blood ran from a cut under the younger pilot’s hair. When he swayed on his feet, Sawyer took his arm to steady him.
With a few grunts, Albright forced the door open another several inches. “Help him to the exit. I’ll get the other one.”
Sawyer nodded and turned back the way he’d come. By the time he’d lowered the injured man through the gaping door, Albright appeared behind them with the second pilot slung over his shoulder. Jumping to the ground, Sawyer reached up to take the unconscious man. His legs shook as he carried him away from the smoking plane.
“Run!”
He glanced back as the agent sprinted past him. Flames shot from the open door of the jet. Gasping for breath, he put on a burst of speed and covered another fifty yards before an explosion shook the earth.
Chapter 17
Devin held her breath as a fireball went up near the tail of the plane. Sawyer hit the ground with the pilot beneath him while pieces of metal rained down. Teague left the congressman with his partner and ran back to meet them. Between the two men, they carried the injured pilot into the copse of trees where the rest of the group waited and laid him on his back.
When Sawyer straightened, she grabbed his arm, heart still pounding like she’d run a marathon. “Are you hurt? There’s blood.”
He glanced at his bicep where the shirt was ripped and stained a dark red. “Just a scratch. No big deal.” He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. “God, Devin, what about you?” His gaze scanned her from head to toe before he reached out an unsteady hand to touch her sleeve. “There’s blood on your shirt.”
“Probably Walton’s.” She coughed, and her eyes watered. “My ribs hurt.” She drew in a shallow, choking breath. “I’m okay. Just scared out of my mind.” Her grip on him tightened. “When you didn’t come out of the plane, and there was so much smoke…” Her teeth chattered as a shiver shook her.
He pulled her into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not hurt. We all made it out alive…I hope.” His gaze strayed to Walton. “How is he?”
Ben crouched by the congressman’s side. The agent ripped off a piece of his shirt then fashioned it into a bandage to place across the bloody gash on the congressman’s forehead.
Devin let out a breath. “Walton’s a little dazed but coherent. The head wound was bleeding like crazy, but it isn’t deep. What about Gary?”
“The pilot? He was knocked unconscious.” Sawyer knelt back down beside the man. “How is he?”
Jared glanced up. “He’s coming to, thank God. I think he has a broken arm. There’s also a serious lump on his head. He’s probably concussed.”
“I guess it could be worse.” Sawyer nodded toward the younger pilot. “What about you?”
Randy winced. “I cut my head when we landed.” He reached down and touched his ankle. “I think I sprained my damn ankle jumping out of the plane. It hurts like a mad dog and is starting to swell, but otherwise I’m in pretty good shape.”
Devin wrapped her arms across her chest as her gaze shifted to the craggy mountainside and the smoking wreckage of the jet. “I can’t believe you managed any kind of landing under those conditions. You came down between the trees and the cliff face. Unbelievable.”
“That was all Gary. I just sat beside him and prayed. He pulled off a miracle.”
“I’ll say.” Sawyer pressed his fingers to the injured pilot’s throat as the man shifted his head and moaned. “His pulse is thready, and his right arm is definitely broken. He’s probably in shock. What the hell happened up there?”
“The fuel gauge started dropping. Gary figured there must have been some sort of rupture in the line. When he realized we wouldn’t make it back to the airport, he took the plane down lower and tried to back off the speed. When I spotted this clearing, he went for it.” Randy’s eyes darkened, and he let out a breath. “Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Good thing it didn’t.” Sawyer’s lips twisted in a grimace. “Let’s get the injured taken care of.”
While the men splinted the pilot’s broken arm with strips of Jared’s shirt and a straight branch from a nearby fir tree, Devin settled next to Walton and Ben.
She patted her boss’s arm. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like I went a couple rounds with a heavy-weight champ. And lost. I ache all over, and my head is pounding.” He let out a huge sigh. “How bad off is Gary? He’s a good man with a wife and kids at home. If…” He pressed a shaking hand to his brow. “I feel responsible.”
Devin frowned. “The crash certainly wasn’t your fault. His arm’s broken, but Sawyer’s doing his best to stabilize him.”
“Good.” Walton closed his eyes and leaned back against the bole of a pine tree. “Did Randy say what happened up there?”
“He thinks there was a rupture in the fuel line.”
“How the hell did that happen?”
The agent’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, but we’ll damn well find out.” He pulled out his phone and checked it. “Shit! Still no service.”
Walton scowled. “Did someone on the ground try to kill us?”
Ben removed the bloody square of shirt serving as a bandage on his charge and replaced it with a fresh one. “Sir, speculating at this point won’t do a bit of good. You can bet every possibility will be thoroughly checked out.”
“What the hell else do I have to do while I sit here?” Walton shifted and moaned. “Damn, I hurt.”
Devin’s brow crinkled. “From what I could see out the plane window, no one was on the tarmac but Sawyer and Charles. Oh, and Roman. I almost forgot he came with Sawyer. I’m sure it was just a mechanical failure.”
Walton straightened his legs out before him then scowled. “After that explosion, finding the cause seems pretty unlikely.”
The agent nodded toward the smoking jet. “Looks like the fire burned out pretty quickly. Probably because there wasn’t much fuel left in the tanks.”
Devin pushed a hand through her hair and let out a breath. “Do you think we can salvage anything useful from the wreckage?”
“We can try.” He stood then frowned down at Walton. “You stay put, sir. I don’t want you to move and start bleeding again.” He glanced toward his partner. “Jared, keep an eye on him.”
“Christ, I don’t need a babysitter. Where the hell would I go?”
Devin squeezed her boss’s shoulder then rose to her feet and walked over to stand beside Sawyer. “We’re going to see if we can recover anything from the plane. How’s Gary?”
“He needs medical attention.” Sawyer kept his voice low. “The sooner the better. When you two get back, we should discuss hiking out for help.”
She planted her hands on her hips and turned in a circle. “Where are we?”
“In the Absaroka Range east of Yellowstone.” Randy glanced up from where he sat on the ground beside his colleague. “I’ve been trying to figure the closest route to civilization, and I’d guess it would have to be about fifteen miles north to Highway 14.”
“Ben doesn’t have cell service.” Devin looked from one man to the other. “My phone is in my purse somewhere in that charred mess. Did any of you have your cell in your pocket? Maybe a different carrier...”
“No such
luck.” Sawyer’s lips tightened. “My phone survived, but there’s no service. I already checked. I called 9-1-1 a few minutes ago, so maybe the signal can be traced to the nearest tower. Surely the airport knows our plane went down since we dropped off their radar.”
“By the time Search and Rescue starts looking for us, it’ll be getting dark.” Randy gestured toward the thick forest. “Plenty of dead branches to build a bonfire over near the plane. Maybe we can attract the attention of search parties from the air.”
Ben broke off a quiet discussion with his partner and stopped beside her. “I’m headed over to see if anything useful survived the fire. It’ll be cold tonight if we aren’t rescued before then. Are you coming with me?”
Devin nodded and followed the agent across the clearing to the remains of the jet. Hunks of black, twisted metal sent a shiver through her. If they hadn’t gotten out of the plane in time… She wouldn’t think about it.
“Cover your face with your shirt. The fumes are nasty.”
She pulled the neck of her blouse up over her mouth and nose after hoisting herself into the body of the plane. A charred lump that had once been the couch reeked of burnt fiber.
“Everything in here is toast.” His voice was muffled as he moved through the plane to wrench open the storage compartment. Suitcases tumbled out, the exteriors blackened but still recognizable. “Looks like the fire didn’t get to them, although some of the luggage is partially melted from the heat. Mostly they’re just smoke damaged.”
Devin nodded. “Let’s see what survived.”
They made several trips to haul the bags to the doorway and toss them out onto the ground. While Ben grabbed the last of the cases, Devin searched the rear area of the plane where food had been stored. Nothing had survived but a thermos. The metal container was still hot to the touch. With a shrug, she pulled off her shirt and carried the thermos wrapped in the cloth, holding her breath until she jumped from the plane. The thermos hit the packed earth with a thud. Retrieving her blouse, she buttoned it up.
“What have you got there?”
She glanced up as Sawyer approached. “I found a thermos. If there’s a creek nearby, maybe we can haul water in it to wash out everyone’s wounds.”
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