Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  “Yeah, it is,” Adam growled, swiping the gun out of his hand. It hit the floor and I lunged for it. Once in my hands, I backed up, watching as Adam punched the guy in the nose just once. His eyes were wide with shock. He never had a chance to retaliate. Adam made it swift, twisting his neck with a quick snap, and the disgusting pig slumped to the floor, dead.

  As we dragged him to the back of the galley, I asked, “Why the punch? That wasn’t part of the plan.” Adam could have snapped his neck as soon as he emerged from the cabin. There had been no need for anything else, other than removing the gun.

  “He touched you,” he growled.

  My eyebrow rose to my hairline. “All right,” I said, leaving it at that.

  I kept the gun - I was the one without claws in this operation - and we began making our way toward the front of the plane.

  The first cabin was empty of gunmen, and the passengers’ eyes widened with a mixture of alarm and hope as Adam and I walked past. A few made gasping sounds, and I put a finger over my lips, a sign for them to keep quiet.

  Noticing a group of flight attendants huddled in the corner, I quickened my steps, making a b-line straight for them. Adam gave me a curious look, but I just shook my head and mouthed later to him. He went to stand next to the blue curtain that separated the cabins, and pulled it back a hair to peek out for a moment before closing it shut again.

  Two women and one man sat together on the floor in front of the first row of seats. One woman had her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked back and forth. Her auburn hair had come loose from the tight bun, and the strands stood up in frizzy curls around her face and shoulders. A blonde sitting next to her stared off into space, as she mechanically rubbed slow circles over the sobbing woman’s back.

  The third attendant sat on the other side of the blonde, his legs also bent up, though his arms rested on his knees, his hands dangling in front of them. Dark smudges covered his white dress shirt, and his striped tie hung loose and ripped around his neck. A purple bruise was forming around his left eye, an obvious warning to the passengers to follow orders.

  Though he looked like he’d been roughed up a bit, his bright red hair looked like it hadn’t been touched. Cut short on the sides, the long top swept up and to the side, giving the impression that he’d just stepped out of the salon.

  Eyes the color of shamrocks watched me stride toward them. Though his posture was relaxed, his gaze was anything but. Intense yet wary, this man’s eyes said, back off.

  Holding the gun at my side so as not to scare them any more than they already were, I squatted in front of the man and made direct eye contact. I wanted him to know I wasn’t the enemy.

  “How many are there?” I asked. No sense dicking around with how are yous. It was obvious how they were.

  His lips thinned into a harsh line, and he raised one perfectly arched eyebrow.

  I sighed and held up a hand. “Listen, I’m not the bad guy here. I want to help, but a little information would go a long way.”

  “How are you,” he looked me up and down, his expression telling me he found me inadequate to play the hero, “going to help us? We got hijacked. There isn’t a thing you can do, except crash this plane.”

  The passengers gasped, and more sobs broke out behind me. “Shhh,” I hushed them. “No, we’re not going to crash the plane. I… we,” I motioned to Adam, “are police officers. Now,” I said, looking back at the flight attendant, “how many hijackers have you seen?”

  “Girl! I don’t know.” His voice rose in pitch. “Maybe, four. Five. I wasn’t really counting as that bitch kicked my ass,” he sneered.

  Okkaayy

  “Are you okay?” I looked down at his name plate. “Tommy,” I added. His face softened and he nodded. “Yeah, just a little banged up.

  “Three. No, four.” The woman next to him answered my earlier question. Her eyes weren’t glassy and distant anymore. They focused on my face, as her blonde brows scrunched down in concentration. “I had finished checking on the cabin when two of the passengers got up. I thought they were heading to the bathroom, and I wanted to warn them that we would be landing shortly. One man pushed past me, but the other grabbed my arm and dragged me back here, where two other men waited with guns. How did they get guns on here? I don’t understand why this is happening.” Her gaze sought answers, but I had none that I could give her.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, but we’ll do everything we can to help. Just sit tight and please, keep quiet. No matter what you hear. Okay?” I turned to look at the other passengers, letting them know I meant them as well. Head’s nodded, but the fear in their eyes hadn’t vanished.

  “Do you think you can really help us?” Tommy asked. His eyes were wide and full of hope.

  I swallowed hard and prayed I wouldn’t let these people down. “I’m going to do my best,” I told him.

  He let out a big sigh, as if he’d been holding his breath. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  A man in the back stood up, pulling at his wrinkled suit as he lifted his chin. “There’s no way the two of you can take them on. I say we charge to the front and take this plane back.”

  Great! One of those guys that thought he was in charge!

  A few passengers agreed, nodding and saying yeah under their breaths. I rolled my eyes and looked to Adam. His arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at Mr. suit and tie.

  “Sit. Down.” The command in his voice was enough to have the suit’s eyes widening, before he sat slowly back into his seat. “If you charge them, they will kill you,” Adam said, his eyes scanning over each passenger. A baby cried out in the back, and it’s mother shushed it.

  “But there’s a lot of us back here,” a woman in the center aisle said. She was in her late thirties, early forties, with short brown hair and a round face. She looked tired, but there was a spark of determination in her brown eyes that said this woman was a fighter. “And more in the other cabins,” she pointed toward the front. “Surely that’s better than just the two of you. We could-”

  Adam opened his mouth to cut her off, but I beat him to it. “That sounds like it would work in theory, but believe me, these aren’t your ordinary criminals. You’re right, there are a lot of you.” I looked around the cabin. There had to be at least eighty passengers. “And that could mean chaos when you add in the passengers from the other cabins. Let us sneak up on them. And if we need help, we’ll ask.”

  “You need to hurry,” Nolan said in my ear. I nodded, though he couldn’t see me.

  “Ready?” Adam asked, and I came to stand at his side, as he peeked through the curtain again. He held it open for me and I walked through, only to be pulled back.

  “Shit,” he whispered.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Someone’s coming.” He grabbed my hand, pulled me down the far right aisle, stopping halfway. “Get down,” he said, pointing at the nonexistent space between a passenger's feet and the seat in front of them.

  “I didn’t see anyone.” I told him.

  “I can hear a little better than you,” he said, reminding me of his secret. “They’re coming to check on us. Just get down. Hurry.”

  “But…”

  “I’ve got a plan. Trust me?” He stared deep into my eyes. He wasn’t just talking about trusting him at this very moment. Did I trust him? Absolutely.

  I dropped to my hands and knees, and did my best to squeeze into the tight space. The man above me grunted as my knee landed on his foot. I smiled my apology and he smiled back, though it looked more like a grimace.

  The man’s legs tensed and I listened closely. I could hear a male’s voice, but not exactly what was being said. There was a loud slap, then a woman cried out as he bellowed, “Useless bitch!” What the fuck? I shifted, ready to stand up and shoot this prick in the face, but the man I was squeezed up against tensed his legs, trapping me. I glared up at him. Sweat beaded his brow, and his eyes looked a little wild. His gaze connected with mine
a split second, and he shook his head no, before looking away.

  My brows shot up. What the hell did this guy know? But just as I was about to crawl out of my hiding space, there was a loud thump, as if something heavy hit the floor. Gasps from the passengers immediately followed, and I started frantically crawling backwards.

  Suddenly, a hand grasped my hip and I jumped up swinging, but the punch never landed, thank God. Adam caught my fist in his hand, and brought it to his grinning lips for a soft kiss. My shoulders sagged and he gave me a playful wink.

  “Two down,” he said, his eyes full of triumph.

  I huffed. “I could have done that, you know.”

  “Next time,” he shrugged, and pulled on my hand to follow him, just as Nolan started in my ear about how we needed to stop flirting and do our jobs. Blah, blah, blah. I rolled my eyes and followed my husband as we headed to the next cabin.

  CHAPTER 9

  The galley was empty, allowing us to hide as we planned our next move. As Adam peeked around the next curtain, I pulled open the door of the restroom we’d been in earlier. The hijacker Adam had taken down was still there, lying across the counter, his arm hanging limply. The dead flight attendant had been shoved to the floor and I frowned. Careful not to step on her, I moved closer and looked at the bloody and bruised man who’d attacked me. He wasn’t breathing. I held the gun to his head as I placed two fingers on his neck. He was already cool to the touch and there was no pulse. Three down.

  Turning his head toward me, I saw the small bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Gutierrez must have decided to cut his losses. I shook my head at how cold-hearted these bastards were.

  Backing away, I closed the door and turned to Adam. He raised a brow and I shook my head. His eyes said he could care less. I agreed, but I was saddened about the flight attendant.

  We hit some turbulence and the plane shook, causing Adam and me to lean against the wall for support. As we stood there, something occurred to me and I had to ask. “Do you really own a construction company?”

  His blue eyes locked on mine. “You’ve come by the site while I was working before, remember?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. And it was the highlight of my year. Seeing all those muscled men with their shirts off carrying hammers? The memory still made me sigh with pleasure to this day. “Yes,” I said again. “But do you own the company?”

  “I do. It’s a side business for both Chris and I.”

  “So, is he...?” I waved my toward him, indicating his wolf side.

  “If you mean is he a wolf shifter like me, then no.”

  I nodded and wondered if Chris knew about his best friend. Then Adam’s teasing grin lit up his face, and I narrowed my eyes on him.

  “He’s a tiger shifter.”

  I blinked at my husband and shook my head. I’ve stepped into some weird shit.

  “What about you?” he asked. “Are you an accountant? You told me you work from home, but do you really?”

  I sighed and gave him an apologetic smile. “I do my grandmother’s taxes. Does that count?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Then what were you doing all those times on the computer, when you told me you were working?”

  My smile became strained and I shrugged. “Candy Crush?”

  Adam’s mouth opened to say something, but then he shook his head and turned away. “Where are they taking the plane?” he whispered to Nolan, ending the discussion. I let it go. I was already going to need one big-ass rope to climb out of the hole I’d dug myself into.

  Nolan spoke into my ear piece too, when he answered. “We don’t know. They’re still heading south.”

  “Any demands made yet?” I asked.

  “Gutierrez wants his brother free, of course. And a helicopter to take them from whatever airport they decide to land at.”

  “And they actually think that’s going to work? That there won’t be a shit ton of police ready to blow them to smithereens when they walk off this plane?” I shook my head. God help us from stupid criminals.

  “Well, their contingency plan is what’s giving us pause. According to Gutierrez, they placed a bomb somewhere on the plane, and it’s controlled by remote.”

  “Lie,” Adam growled. “I would have smelled it.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  He opened his mouth to answer, but his brows formed a deep V as he thought. “I should have.”

  “But you don’t know for sure,” Nolan said. “It’s a big commercial jet, Adam. I know you have a sensitive nose, but if it was put under the plane or somewhere outside the jet, I doubt you’d be able to scent that.”

  “You’re right,” he replied, but I could tell by the set of his jaw, he hated the admission.

  “Just stick to the plan. Take them out and they won’t be able to push the button. Once you’ve landed and the passengers are safe, we’ll search the plane for explosives.”

  Something suddenly occurred to me. I had thought briefly about it earlier, but dismissed it as a worry for later. “Wait.” I interrupted them. “How are we going to land this thing if they’ve taken out the pilots? I sure as hell can’t fly a plane. You?” I asked Adam.

  His grin was wicked and confident. Adam could fly a plane. I sighed in relief and yet, here was another thing I hadn’t known about my husband. What else didn’t I know?

  “Come on, the coast is clear.” Adam nodded to the curtain. “We should hurry. If we try to engage the passengers, Gutierrez or one of his men might hear. There could have been more than just the men that flight attendant saw.”

  “Hopefully, Gutierrez, his brother and whoever is flying the plane are all that’s left. But I agree, we should be cautious and get to the next cabin as quickly as possible.”

  I held the gun in both hands, pointed down, as we made our way through the cabin. Our steps were quick and silent, and though a few passengers sucked in breaths of surprise when we passed, they must have figured out what we were doing and kept quiet. I didn’t turn to look at anyone, only kept an eye out for men with guns and continued on. Adam put his ear to the sliding door that separated this cabin from first class. He held up two fingers, then a third. Shit! Three men, if his hearing was correct.

  “We need to draw them out here,” he said softly. “Maybe if you yelled out for help?”

  I shook my head. “No, they wouldn’t care if a passenger needed help.”

  “True.” His lips pursed into a thin line as he thought, and I couldn’t help myself. He looked so sexy with that deep look of concentration on his face, that I leaned up and brushed his lips with mine. The lines on his forehead eased, and he grinned in bewilderment. “What was that for?”

  I just shrugged and kissed him again, a little deeper this time. He gripped my hips and pulled me flush against his hard body and I moaned into his mouth. I’d do anything to make this whole plane disappear and be somewhere else. Specifically, somewhere with a big bed and silky sheets.

  A throat cleared in my ear, and I pulled away from my husband and bit my lip. He growled in response. His gaze had turned dark and stormy with desire, and I chuckled softly before giving the door three solid knocks. Adam raised an eyebrow and I shrugged. It was the best idea I could come up with.

  Adam and I put our backs against the wall on either side of the door and waited. The plane hit another patch of turbulence. Passengers gasped and held onto their seats. I steadied myself against the wall, just as the door slid open to reveal one of the hijackers, his M16 at the ready. My eyes widened. I wasn’t expecting them to be armed that heavily.

  He stepped forward, his eyes searching for his friend, and immediately turned toward me. My finger was on the trigger, but Adam came from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. The gunman turned sharply, his rifle swinging in an arc. Adam clocked him before he even finished pivoting. He slumped, and Adam caught him in his arms, dragging him to the corner and out of sight. He took the gun and looked around at the passengers. They all stared back, looking a little
fearful, but none had made a peep. I noticed then that there were more passengers in this cabin than seats. About a dozen people I recognized from first class sat on the floor. As much as I wished they all had a safe place to buckle up, I was glad they’d be out of the way when we stormed into the next cabin.

  I quietly shut the sliding door and turned back, just as Adam was walking towards a man in military fatigues. The man stood up straight and met him in the aisle. “Take this.” Adam handed him the rifle. The soldier held it with confidence and gave Adam a single nod, his gaze reflecting his relief and determination.

  “The one’s back there,” Adam said, pointing toward the back of the plane, “have been taken care of. Keep an eye on this door and keep them calm,” he motioned to the passengers. “It’s about to get violent.”

  “Yes, sir. Good luck,” he told Adam, just as the door slid open and Gutierrez stepped through with a rifle identical to his friends’.

  “You,” he said, raising his gun toward Adam.

  I sighted my gun just as Nolan yelled in my ear. “Don’t kill him if you can get away with it. Homeland wants him.”

  I cursed under my breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him in the shoulder and he jerked forward, dropping his rifle as he cried out. Adam slammed into him and they both fell to the floor.

  Ignoring the screams around me, I followed the two men as they rolled around. My gun was trained on Gutierrez, but with Adam in the way, I didn’t have a safe shot.

  Another man opened the sliding door and came barreling through. I shot, but the bullet went wild and he was on me before I could blink. His hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply. Ignoring the pain and dizziness beginning to dull my vision, I snapped the heel of my palm up into his chin. His head jerked back and his hand loosened around my neck, allowing me to take a satisfying breath. I wasted no time, landing a kick to his groin. As he doubled over, I heard a roar that shook the plane. Adam, red faced, eyes blazing, charged at my attacker, knocking him to the floor with his powerful body.

  “Adam! I had it! Damn it!” Huffing my indignation, I rolled my eyes at the men and ran after Gutierrez, who’d gotten away when Adam’s attention had been averted. We couldn’t let him out of our sight now.