“Shannon, you make me crazy.” Billy fell on her, careful not to put his weight where it might hurt her. He touched the pink and beige lace that barely covered her, exploring the edge of the bra with his tongue. Shannon was having none of that and unhooked the front to fling it open. Her ripe pink nipples begged for his mouth and he tasted first one, then the other. Sweet, so sweet. He wanted to tell her how he felt. Take his time and slow down. Just look at her flushed cheeks and kiss her long and slow.
But Shannon was restless, her hands everywhere. “I need you, Billy. I ache for you.” She wrapped her legs around him and guided him to her. In a strong move, she forced the issue, pushing up her hips until he was suddenly inside. Oh, yeah, this was where he wanted, needed, to be. They moved together, giving and taking, seeking that elusive perfection that he knew they could reach. She held onto his chest, her fingers finding his nipples and pinching them hard. Billy grabbed her thighs and pulled them up until she cried out.
She’d tried to rush their lovemaking. Was she trying to control things? To get back at him because of the drinking thing? Damn it, he shouldn’t be able to think at all right now. He was inside the woman he wanted, holding her in his arms. He should be able to turn off the lawyer in him who always calculated the winning and losing side. Why couldn’t he just feel?
He moved, watching the way her cheeks flushed and her eyes half-closed even while they stayed on his. Right or wrong, he loved Shannon. As he leaned down to kiss her again, he sensed desperation in both of them. They wanted to make it work this time. But it never had before. No matter who took the blame, it never had before.
He pulled back then rolled them so she could take the driver’s seat. She threw her hair over her shoulders, perfect, mesmerizing. She rode him, pulling his hands to her breasts. He wanted to tell her how he felt but words might ruin this. He pulled her down to kiss her again, sick of his own cynicism.
So he just let his body do the talking, holding onto her and rising to meet her. Good, they were so damned good together. When she fell on him, kissing him like she couldn’t get enough again, he finally let himself go and felt her tremors in response. Complete and together, at last. When they fell apart to lay side by side, he felt as close to her as he’d ever let himself get to anyone.
* * * *
Shannon ran her hands over Billy’s body, gleaming under the light from the lamp beside the bed. “You are amazing.”
He smiled as she sat up and traced a path across his chest and down his stomach. He had such a great body.
“No, that was you.” He captured her hand then kissed her before she sighed and settled back beside him.
“I guess we should go to sleep. I want a well-rested pilot.” She snuggled into his side. “Did you set an alarm?”
“No need. I doubt I’ll sleep more than a few hours anyway.” He yawned until his jaw cracked. “That’s what usually happens. Insomnia. It’s a beast.”
“Wake me if you want some company.” She pulled up the sheet, shivering as his air conditioning cycled on. “Are we going to have a problem with the temperature around here? I’m freezing.”
“I like it cold. Pull up the comforter if you need to.” He reached for it instead, tucking it around her while keeping his body barely covered by the sheet. “I run hot, always have. Warm enough?”
“Perfect.” Shannon ran a hand over his chest, not surprised that he’d already calmed down. He captured her hand and held it over his heart which was beating strong and steady. “Good night.”
“Not good, great.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “Sweet dreams.”
Shannon sighed. It was something her mother had said to her, before she’d lost touch with reality. That had been years ago. Missy had become impossible to live with not long after Shannon had met Billy at her birthday party. Her parents had put on a good show for the crowd, but their marriage had already been on its last legs. An acrimonious divorce had made headlines in the Houston gossip columns, though Missy’s mental illness had never been mentioned. Instead, Conrad had taken the blame, showing up at charity functions with beautiful women on his arm.
“You’re tense. What are you thinking?” Billy squeezed her hand.
“Stupid ancient history. Nothing to do with us.” She wiggled her fingers and turned over, spooning her backside against Billy. “Relax. Sleep. Tired pilots make mistakes. You don’t want that to happen.”
He rolled to his side, pulling her in so that they fit perfectly together. “You’re right about that. So let the past go. Think about the future. Us. Flying high over the piney woods together. It’s beautiful. You’ll see.”
Shannon drifted off to sleep listening to Billy describing the land around the reservation. Tall trees, a vast lake. She let all her worries go and imagined them together flying high. Billy was trying hard to be all about fun this time around. She decided there was nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.
* * * *
“Well, you do seem to know what you’re doing.” Shannon finally relaxed and enjoyed the ride. It was a perfect fall day with hardly a cloud in the sky. The Big Thicket lived up to its name as they flew over, making it seem like a wilderness yet closer to Houston than she’d realized.
“I should hope so.” He grinned at her. “Having fun?”
“Yes. This is better than a roller coaster.” She laughed when he made the plane dip and rise then dip again. “Okay, you can stop that.” Billy had impressed her when they’d arrived at the private airport outside of town. The plane looked new, though he claimed it was decades old. He examined it from end to end and supervised the fueling himself. He told the airport manager they’d be doing a round trip, over the reservation and back.
“Thanks. I notice you didn’t say anything when I described our trip as sightseeing. No one needs to know our real business.”
“Agreed.” She had the map they’d use next to her, waiting for Billy to tell her when she should spread it out to check the well sites. This was actually exciting. Like they were doing detective work.
Billy glanced at his cell phone which was never far from his side. “Damn, it’s a text from Albert. I told Mai I was going to be out of pocket today. I should have forwarded all my calls to her.” He nodded at the controls next to him. “Take the wheel. Just hold it steady while I deal with this.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t fly a plane.” Shannon grabbed the wheel when he picked up his phone. “Billy! Ignore that. Take the controls back.” The plane’s nose dipped and she held on but didn’t know what to do. Left, right, back, forward?
“Pull the wheel toward you a little. It’s fine. You’re doing fine. I need to answer this. It’s important.” He was busy thumbing in a response.
“It’s not fine. I think those trees down there are closer than they were.” Shannon jerked the wheel when there was a sudden noise. “Did you hear that? It was a gunshot. I swear it was.”
“Probably hunters. Deer season hasn’t started yet, but you can bag turkeys or wild hogs now.” He put down the phone and took back the wheel then glanced out the window. “You’re right, though, we are lower. Did you pull back on the wheel like I said?”
“Of course I did. I’m not an idiot. We went up at first but now we’re going down. What’s wrong, Billy?” Shannon glanced at the instruments, but they meant nothing to her. Another bang. Definitely a gunshot. The plane shuddered this time. “I think someone’s shooting at us. Are we over the reservation yet?”
“No, we’re about fifteen minutes away.” Billy frowned at the instrument panel. “Shit. You’re right. Someone’s shooting at us. Son of a bitch hit the fuel tank. We’re leaking gas. What the hell?” He looked over the side. “Not a good place to land.”
“Land? We can’t land on pine trees. We’ll be stuck like hors d’oeuvres on a toothpick.”
“Nice image, Shannon.” Billy picked up his radio. “Mayday, mayday
.” He rattled off the plane number. “We’re losing altitude. Our fuel tank has been hit by random gunfire and we have to make an emergency landing.” He looked at his instruments and told whoever was listening his coordinates. When he clicked off, he waited but no one answered.
“Shouldn’t someone say something? Answer your call?” Shannon stared out the window. They kept dropping, losing altitude rapidly. She could see treetops closing in and the occasional grassy area, but where the hell were the houses?
“It’s as if there’s a frequency jammer at work. Which makes no sense. Who out here would use one of those? Look!” Billy shouted. “There’s a clearing and what looks like a crude dirt road. Hang on, I’m trying for it.” He kept doing things on the control panel and the engine coughed. Then he aimed the nose of the plane toward what did look like a wide path with enough space between the trees to work as a makeshift runway.
“Oh, God, Billy!” She held on to the arm rests as the ground came rushing at them.
“Shannon, tighten your seatbelt. Hang on to the armrests, put your face in your lap, and say your prayers.” Billy was concentrating on doing whatever pilots do to land. His hands flew over the instrument panel, then he gripped the steering wheel.
“Don’t you dare crash this thing and kill us both.” Then Shannon bent over until that seatbelt dug into her stomach. She did pray. The plane hit the ground hard, bounced, then hit again before it rolled and shuddered to a stop.
“Holy shit, we made it.” He sounded surprised. “Now sit up slowly. You’re not going to believe what’s out there.”
“You saved us!” She did sit up in time to see Billy dig under his seat and pull out his pistol. He stuck it in the back of his pants under his shirt while he unlatched his seatbelt.
“Not so sure. I’d say stay here but I don’t think that’s an option.”
Shannon looked outside. They were surrounded. Men and women had come out of the woods that lined the crude runway. And they all carried guns. Most were rifles. There were even some of those semi-automatics like terrorists favored.
“Billy! What is this? Where are we?” Shannon reached for him.
“Beats the hell out of me.” He grabbed her hand. “I had no idea anyone lived so close to the reservation. Play it cool. Let’s see what happens.”
“Get out.” The plane door was jerked open. A tall man in camouflage gestured with his rifle. “Hands in the air. Move it.”
“Easy now. What in the hell happened here? Did you think we were game birds or something?” Billy tried for a genial laugh but it didn’t work. “Someone here must have made a mistake. We were on our way to the Indian reservation and the casino. For a little gambling.” Billy kept his hands up as he jumped out of the plane. He reached back to help Shannon climb out then frowned at the place where there were bullet holes in the metal and at the gas pooling under the plane’s fuselage. “Hell of a shot if this was an accident. Surely no one here meant to take us down.”
“Shut up.” The man shoved Billy against the plane and quickly found his gun. He tossed it to one of the other men. “I’m not buying your story. On the way to the reservation? When they don’t have an airport?” He scanned the crowd around him and there were nods and mutters. “You were flying low, like maybe you were trying to see something you shouldn’t.” He poked Billy in the stomach with his rifle barrel. “The government send you?”
“What?” Billy raised his chin and shoved the rifle away. He was about the same height as the man who seemed to be in charge. “Watch it. I told you, we’re on our way to play the slot machines. We were going to land in Huntsville, rent a car. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“That makes no sense at all. Not when you could just drive in from Houston.” The man watched Shannon who had moved closer to Billy and grabbed his hand. “I don’t like this. Not at all. Charlie, look in the cockpit.”
“You got it, Will.” A man jumped into the plane and then shouted. “Check this out!” He came out with the map and powerful binoculars Shannon had planned to use when they got over the well sites. “I’ll be damned. There’s a camera with a telephoto lens too. Government spies all right.”
“Give me that map.” The man he’d called Will handed his rifle off to another guy and took the map. He frowned as he studied it. “This is a Calhoun Petroleum map. You two working with them?”
“Yes. You got us.” Shannon stepped forward, ignoring the way Billy tried to hold her back. “We’re thinking of drilling some new wells. Is this your land? We might be interested in buying the mineral rights if you own them. There’s money to be made, real money.” She felt Billy at her back, his hands on her shoulders. “Now that the price of oil is up, we’re buying again. I can get the contracts to you right away, offer excellent terms.”
“Contracts!” He spit on the ground. “Money trails. The government loves those.” The man scanned her designer jeans and the snap front Western shirt she realized was showing too much cleavage thanks to Billy’s wandering hands when they’d climbed into the plane earlier. “You don’t look like any oilman I’ve ever seen before.” He frowned. “She leave a purse in there, Charlie?”
“Yeah, right here.” Charlie was back in the cockpit, rummaging around.
“Check her identification.”
“Well, lookee here. Seems we pulled down a Ms. Shannon Calhoun.” Charlie stuck his head out of the plane. “If we were in the kidnapping business, reckon we could ask for a good chunk of change for the gal. Backs up her story though.”
“Ransom? Kidnapping? How would that help us stay off the grid, numbnut?” Will stomped over to the cockpit and pulled Charlie out by his shirtfront. “We’d have Feds crawling up our ass for sure then, wouldn’t we?” He threw Charlie to the ground and looked like he wanted to kick him but held back. Instead, he glared at Shannon and Billy. “Trouble has landed here, folks. What the hell do we do now?”
“While you two are arguing about it, we’re stuck here. You damaged my plane and broke all kinds of laws, shooting a plane out of the sky. Federal laws.” Billy stepped in front of Shannon, like he wanted to take his chances against the group, armed or not.
“We don’t recognize federal laws.” A woman strode into the clearing and there was a murmur from the crowd.
“Darlin’, I was just about to tell him that.” Will swept off his dark green cap and placed it over his heart. “What do you want me to do with ’em?”
“Who was the dumbass who shot them down?” The woman wore a long denim skirt, boots, and a loose dark green T-shirt. She had a gun belt around her narrow hips and looked like she would be happy to draw down on whoever answered her. “Well?” She swept the crowd with a hard gaze. “Look at me, Exiles!”
“Maggie, we don’t know who took the shot. But we all got spooked. The man was flying low, like he was spying on our camp. Maybe count our numbers and report to someone. We had the jammer on but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have sent out a call somehow.” Will looked like he wanted to put his arm around her, but didn’t quite have the nerve. He held both their cell phones and caught the plane’s radio receiver when Charlie, who’d dusted himself off and crawled back into the cockpit, ripped it out and tossed it to him.
“Get that plane covered up right now. It won’t take long for these people to be reported missing. Planes can’t just disappear nowadays. If it’s got a black box, put it through a shredder, whatever it takes to make it quit working.” She tapped her foot, staring at Shannon and Billy appraisingly. “Will, you and Jack take these two to my cabin and tie them up while I think on the matter.”
Maggie turned and stared at the group that seemed frozen in place. “Get a move on, people. Find a big tarp, cover it with branches. Or shove the plane into the trees. I don’t care how you do it, but make it disappear. You hear me?”
“Right. Someone could fly over and see it. Then we’ll be overrun with government
types.” Charlie was out and organizing, determined to redeem himself. It made Shannon wonder if he was the one who’d shot them down in the first place.
When a man grabbed Shannon’s arm, Billy lunged at him. It took two other burly guys in camouflage to hold him back.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll come with you. Leave him alone.” Shannon hated the way they slammed Billy against the side of the plane again.
“Don’t touch her, assholes.” Billy struggled against them.
“Billy, calm down. You know they don’t want to kill us. It’ll bring down all kinds of government problems for them.” Shannon looked down at her arm where the man gripped her tightly. “Ransom isn’t out of the question, you know. Calhoun Petroleum is worth billions. You can buy a lot of government forgiveness with money.”
“The government lies.” Maggie walked up and slapped Shannon so hard her ears rang. “Quit trying to confuse my people. We don’t deal in ransom. If we decide to get rid of you, it’ll be because we don’t have any use for you. Understand?”
Shannon bit her lip, the pain in her cheek shocking. She couldn’t speak so she just nodded. Billy was going nuts, trying to get to her. She looked back at him and shook her head. If this woman got really mad, would she draw her gun? Shannon didn’t want to test her. It was a short walk before they came to a hut that had been built to blend into its surroundings under a stand of pine trees. Shannon was sure it couldn’t be spotted from the air. Once inside, she and Billy were tied up in chairs across the room from each other.
“What were you doing spying on our camp?” A man who one of the others called Jack stepped up to Billy. “We don’t like people getting too close to our place. Looking down on us.”
“I told you. I was just going from Houston to the reservation. You weren’t on my radar.” Billy glanced at Shannon. “I sure wouldn’t bring my lady along if I was intent on spying, now would I?”
“So you say.” Jack looked at Maggie. “But we know that it can be the woman who calls the shots, don’t we, sis?”
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