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It’s a lie. Right now, my body feels like I could float away, and keeping my eyes open isn’t easy. I’ve been in worse situations, but this isn’t good. If they’ve noticed the plane has gone missing, whoever was after me might come looking, and we’ll need to put distance between us and the plane.
“Will you be able to land this thing?” asks Ann.
“In my sleep.”
“Well, from the look of you, that’s a probability,” Simon says sarcastically.
“You’d best buckle up then, hadn’t you?” Sitting straighter in my seat, I scrub a hand over my face. “Do either of you have any water?”
The painkillers have given me a dry mouth. Ann shakes her head, and I twist in the seat to look at Simon. He has his head down, looking under the seats.
“I’ve got mints?” he offers, holding out his hand.
“They’ll do.” Simon shuffles forward and puts them in my hand. “Thank you.”
The mints stimulate saliva in my mouth and make me feel slightly better. Rubbing my eyes again to keep myself alert, I take back the controls.
“Not long now.”
Ann peers at me, her expression a mask of concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
The fake smile appears, and I give her a chin lift. Ann doesn’t push me any further, no doubt she can see it in my face that I’m tired. Concentrating on the plane, I continue on to our destination.
The plane lands with a thump. It’s a little-used road, and it bounces, hitting every rut in its surface. The plane may be old, but she’s well cared for, and, for a moment, I feel guilty that I’m landing her on such a rough surface. With any luck, she won’t get stuck in a pothole and flip onto her back.
When I finally stop the plane, I look at Ann. She’s got one hand on the armrest and the other clutching the door, her knuckles white as she holds on for dear life. With my good arm, I unbuckle my seat belt and open the door.
“That wasn’t so bad. Everyone ready?”
Sliding out of the plane, my legs give way as I hit the ground, falling flat on my ass.
“Dad!” yells Ann, and I can hear her scrambling to get to me.
“I’m okay.”
Simon comes out the same door as me and kneels beside me. “Like fuck you are. How far are we from the nearest town?”
Simon helps me to my feet.
“We aren’t far from Roanoke Rapids. From there, we can get ourselves a car.”
Ann appears beside me. “Jesus, Dad, you look awful.”
“Thanks, honey.”
She looks to Simon, and again, unspoken words pass between them. Eventually, he nods and puts an arm around me.
“Go.”
Ann searches his face. “You’re sure?”
“We don’t have any other choice.”
Not understanding their conversation, I say, “What choice?”
“We need to get as far away from this plane as possible. I’ll move faster without you, but we need to protect you, so Simon is staying. I’ll find a car and come back.”
I know it’s the smart move, but I don’t like my daughter being away from me unprotected. Ann gives Simon her gun.
