Page 106 of Mile High Heist

He rattled. Coughed.

Madoc made a circling motion with his finger.

I nodded, grinning again. “Just so we’re on the same page. You won’t be taking the girl or the prototype. You touch her, you attempt anything fucking stupid, I’ll beat you to death.”

At the next rattling silence, I decided to bring it home. Enough foreplay. “You have ten minutes to step out.”

“You dare—”

“Whoops. Now you have five minutes. Otherwise, no kit. You bleed out. And we all go up in flames.”

I hung up just as he spluttered again. The phone immediately rang, but I answered it only to slam it back in the bracket.

It went silent after that.

“Cocky,” Madoc remarked drily.

He was right. I was cocky. Enough that I considered kissing him just to wipe that smug look off his face. So few things surprised him. Even less interested him.

Now probably wasn’t the best time.

I sagged against the wall again. I was severely dehydrated, and probably had internal bleeding somewhere. But it felt good to have a win.

My stomach growled. Jesus, I was also starving. An appetite was a good sign.

I pushed off from the wall. “Come on,” I said, heading toward the cabin. “Let’s steal some snacks while we wait for him to bend over.”

I froze, a half-step into premium economy. Shit. I’d forgotten about the stupid lockdown.

Fifty heads swiveled toward us. The uptight flight attendant, Marcus, gave us a harried look as he juggled complimentary neck pillows.

“Sirs,” he stressed, swooping toward us. “The captain has initiated a full lockdown. Please return to your seats at once. We cannot—”

A voice crackled over the plane’s intercom, cutting him off.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement.”

What. The. Fuck.

“As of thirty minutes ago, I took control of this aircraft. This is not a drill. This is not a test.”

I turned to Madoc, who wasn’t blinking. Neither of us was fucking blinking.

“Rest assured, none of you have to die today. Whether you reunite with your loved ones depends entirely on what you do in the next five minutes.”

A sharp cry of alarm rang through the cabin. “Is this a joke!?” A man’s voice bellowed.

No. It wasn’t a fucking joke.

The snake was calling in the cavalry.

Cold sweat prickled over my skin. Every cut on my body burned, exposed and raw.

I watched as faces paled and twisted in horror. Marcus dropped his neck pillows and stumbled back, cupping his mouth.

The cabin fell silent except for the low, mechanical hum of the engines.

“You all have a choice,” the Viper went on. “Your lives, in exchange for one.”