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The plane went down, nose first, with a speed that lifted her off her seat and made the safety belt cut into her waist. All the while, she kept her eyes on the flames, waiting for the inevitable. She could only think about Sean, Matt, and Emily. Remorse filled her. She’d left Matt after a fight and Sean without telling him she loved him.
Juan no longer held her hand. He clutched his mask to his face and braced his body with one arm. Tony’s broken glasses lay on the floor next to Garcia’s feet. They had seconds, if that much. She held her breath. Then the sky went dark, and they flew straight into a cloudburst. Drops of water pelted the plane. The flames died. All that was left of the explosion was black smoke.
A blue expanse stretched out below. They were over the sea. Juan jerked down her mask and pulled the elastic over her head. She hadn’t even registered she’d stopped breathing until air filled her lungs again and she choked on oxygen.
“Juan!” She touched her neck. “The collar.”
If they crashed and she got separated from Juan, the device would activate. Being shocked in the water would mean she’d drown. That was, if she survived the crash.
Juan took a device from his pocket and pressed a button. A green light blinked. The collar snapped open. She ripped it from her neck and dropped it on the floor. For the first time in days, she wasn’t shackled. Ironically, being free from the collar meant she was most probably going to die.
They headed for the water with sickening speed. She pinched her eyes shut and braced herself for the impact, but instead of hitting the water with the force she expected, the plane glided as if lifted by a slipstream. When the underbelly hit the water, the plane halted so abruptly the force threw her forward, leaving her dizzy from the whiplash.
Garcia jumped to his feet and ran to the door. Pounding on it, he screamed, “We’re locked in. We’re going to drown!”
“What’s the code?” Juan asked the doctor.
“I don’t have it.”
Juan clenched his jaw. “What do you mean you don’t have it?”
A gunshot sounded from the other side. The door slid open.
One of the guards stood in the frame. He looked around. “It was blocked. Had to shoot it open. Everyone okay?”
The doctor wiped a hand over his head. “We’re fine.”
“The plane is sinking.” The guard motioned at the emergency exit. “Get down the chute and into the boat. You,” he pointed at the doctor, “bring Nicolas.”
Juan shoved Asia through the door toward the exit. The other men followed. An inflatable slide stretched to the water where a raft waited.
“Move,” the guard inside the boat called. “The plane will take the boat with it when it goes down.”
Everyone rushed down the chute and climbed into the boat. Once they were seated, the guard rowed for all he was worth, pushing them through the water away from the aircraft.
“What about Nicolas and the doctor?” Asia asked, shivering in her seat.
The guard grunted under the strain of the oars. “They’ve got their own boat.”
“Where are Godfrey and the pilot?” Juan asked.
“Jumped.”
Juan stared at the guard. “Jumped?”
“Parachutes,” the guard replied.
“You mean to tell me no-fucking-body was flying our plane?” Juan grit out.
The guard shot him an irritated look. “Autopilot, asshole.”
Surprisingly, Juan kept his mouth shut.
Gripping the edges of the raft, Tony looked around. “Where are we?”
The guard pointed with an oar. “Not far from the shore.”
All Asia could see was water. She still couldn’t believe they’d made it. She should’ve been dead. It was a miracle.
Juan yanked his phone from his jacket pocket and flicked his finger over the screen. He rambled off some coordinates from the GPS software and pulled up the built-in compass.
“Head south-east,” he said.
“I know where I’m going,” the guard replied, sweating profusely.
In the distance, the roof of the plane disappeared under the water. No other boats dotted the sea. After what seemed like forever, the shore came into sight. Palm trees lined the sand. Lush vegetation stretched out behind. The coastline was deserted.
Asia had never felt luckier. She had another chance at correcting her mistakes, starting with Matt. She’d let her brother live his life and follow his dreams. She’d never assume to know what he wanted again. She’d apologize to Sean. Trying to take the bar from him had been wrong. She should’ve told him she’d fallen in love with him. As soon as she could get away from Juan, she’d do exactly that.
When the water around them turned shallow, Tony jumped out and helped to maneuver the boat onto the sand. A group of men in green combat gear rushed from the bushes, rifles in their hands.
Asia’s breath caught in her throat. The beach wasn’t deserted after all.
