He nodded, then motioned us toward the plane. “We’re good to go. I checked the weather too. It’s holding for now. We have a window through mid-afternoon, but there’s a system moving in later. I’ll have to drop you off before it gets too bad. It’s supposed to get windy before it gets wet.”
After a quick detour to open the main hangar doors, Walker unlocked the plane and lowered the stairs.
“After you.” I swept out a hand for Lana to go first.
“Sit wherever,” Walker called as we ascended the steps.
I bit back a snort. It wasn’t like there were many options. This was atinyplane. Pilot and co-pilot’s seats, plus six passenger seats.
Lana took up residence behind Walker, so I sat beside her on the opposite side. Walker took our backpacks and stowed them at the rear of the cabin in the netting.
“Buckle up,” he said, passing back through the cabin. “We’ll be on our way shortly.”
“Do you have extra headsets?” I asked. “So we can do some reconnaissance?”
“I do, but only one of them has a cord long enough to reach back here. Lana, why don’t you come sit up with me?” One side of Walker’s mouth lifted. “Toren, I’d offer you the seat, but your legs won’t fit. Plus, she’s prettier.”
I rolled my eyes. “How very not sexist of you, Walker.”
He flashed that bright white grin again. “It’s not sexist. It’s the truth. Have you looked in a mirror?”
“I happen to think Toren’s quite handsome,” Lana interjected, standing to go up front. “I know I’m not the only one, either.”
“What?” My eyebrows drew down into a deep vee. “What are you talking about?”
She looked back at me as she maneuvered between the seats. “To parrot Walker, have you looked in a mirror?”
I knew I wasn’t anything to shake a stick at, but I didn’t have Walker’s perfect smile or friendly face. I tended more toward dark and deadly in the looks department. My size intimidated most people, and I had what Cara had called “resting bitch face” thanks to my dark, slanted eyebrows.
I didn’t respond to Lana’s comment. Just frowned. She smiled and moved into the co-pilot’s seat.
“Here.” Walker thrust a headset between the seats.
“Thanks.” I took it, settling it over my ears as he fired up the engine.
A mechanical whine filled the cabin as the engine caught. The headset dulled the roar just enough to hear Walker’s voice as heasked Lana to flip a switch on the panel in front of her. I settled into my seat and watched him pull out a spiralbound, laminated checklist from the pocket beside his left hip. Diligently and efficiently, he worked through it until he completed the last item and flipped the book closed, tucking it back where it belonged.
“All right. Let’s get airborne.” Releasing the brake, he pushed the throttle forward, and the small plane crawled toward the door, emerging into the growing dawn.
Lana glanced back at me as we took off a few minutes later. Our eyes met for just a moment. There was something there—determination, and something else. Anticipation, maybe. And possibly a hint of fear.
I felt it too. This was risky, what we were doing. Even though Tina had narrowed down the area, the wilderness in the Lace River watershed covered thousands of acres of unforgiving, dangerous landscape.
But there was no going back now. We were already on our way.
I turned my attention to the window, watching the ground fall away as Walker steered us into the sky.
I wouldn’t turn back, even if I could. Dustin was out there somewhere in the sea of trees and rocky ridges. Lana’s story about what Tina told her had left me with an uneasy feeling. He didn’t sound like a flake. He didn’t just forget to check in. There was a reason he hadn’t contacted his fiancée.
I just hoped it wasn’t a deadly one.
Chapter 4
Lana
What am I doing here?
The question circled through my mind, refusing to leave as I stared out the window of the six-seater plane. I truly should have told Toren no when he told me to pack a bag and meet him at the airport this morning. Tina could just call the police, and I could help her plead her case.
