Page 123 of Mile High Heist

Then Nate launched from his hiding spot on the Viper's left. His blind spot. With the Viper focused on Ryle, Nate tackled him to the ground.

There was a struggle, Nate landing a few hard blows as the gun slid down the aisle, beneath the seats.

A victorious Nate straddled the Viper’s chest, shooting me a thumbs up like a fucking moron. I exhaled through my teeth.

But he dropped his guard too soon.

The Viper snapped up, headbutting him. Nate folded, gripping his broken nose. I was seeing spots, the air so thin that I could barely take a half breath, but I kept moving. Kept pushing.

The Viper knew he was losing. He didn’t bother searching for the gun as he scrambled back to the exit. He shoved Olivia aside, who’d been clinging to nearest seat, reaching for a mask. Her face was bone white.

I crawled forward, gritting my teeth. The Viper pulled on the handle. The door cracked inwards, then slammed open under the immense force of the outside air. The roar of the plane’s engines filled the cabin.

Olivia barely dodged the door in time. She grabbed onto the handle and pressed herself flat against it, her mouth open in a silent scream as the whole cabin was suddenly sucked toward the door.

I was sucked with it. Unrestrained, I gripped the bottom of a seat, anchoring myself as the passengers screamed. Luggage and other loose items shot through the air like shrapnel. The roaring that battered my eardrums was painfully familiar.

Then something smashed into the side of my face, knocking one of my back teeth loose. I spat it out, then quickly grappled when I realized what hit me.

The fucking gun.

Turned out, the universe decided it owed me some good fortune after all.

I picked up the gun and searched for Ryle. I found him a few feet away, crawling toward me, his face white. When he was within arm’s length, I gripped his collar and dragged him to my face. “Cockpit!” I shouted in his ear. “Madoc! Go!”

Ryle scrambled away as fast as he could. He’d help Madoc repressurize the cabin and keep the captain alive. We couldn’t fucking die like this.

I turned back towards the rear exit. The Viper was still there, one hand gripping the doorframe as the wind tore through the cabin. Olivia was pressed up against the opposite side of the opening, her hair whipping across her face. He had her exactly where he wanted her.

I knew what the Viper was going to do. He was going to grab her and drag her out of the plane with him.

I had one shot.

Timing and sheer dumb luck. My specialty.

I lifted my arm and aimed. Luckily, I was a pretty good shot, even under pressure.

The Viper shifted, dragging Olivia with him. For one terrible second, my line of fire disappeared.

Then he turned, and my clean shot returned.

I levelled the weapon and held my breath.

Then I exhaled and my pulse slowed. One shot. One clean shot, and the last Viper would be dead. Olivia would be safe. It all came down to this.

I fired.

The bullet tore through the Viper’s arm. Blood splashed across the walls, then streaked like wet paint toward the opening. The Viper crumpled, his grip breaking. For one second, he hung there. Then the wind took him. He was sucked straight into the morning sky.

Gone.

I dropped the gun and dragged myself toward Olivia. She’d managed to hook her hands and one leg around the door. Just a bit further and I’d be able to grab her.

Come on!

I got to my feet, bearing down against the vortex as I gripped a loose seatbelt. I reached for Olivia. She was just a foot away. I could see the white of her eyes, her rapid blinking as she stared at me in fear.

I ignored the searing pain in my ribs. I had the rest of my life to recover. If I could grab her, I could strap her into the seat. I could save her. I could keep her. I could…