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I wilt with relief that Reed is back. I wonder if I should tell him what Cade has just said, but I don’t want to be the one to stir the shit. I guess I can’t really blame Cade for being suspicious of me or for protecting his brother’s fortunes. The truth is, Idofeel like Reed owes me.
I flash Reed a smile. “All good. Cade and I were just catching up, weren’t we, Cade?”
He smiles right back, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Sure. We were just getting to know each other.”
Reed gestures toward Cade’s empty seat. “I can sit over there, if you want?”
That’s the last thing I want. “No, it’s fine. We’re done, aren’t we, Cade?”
He nods and gets to his feet. I suddenly feel like I’m able to breathe again.
I sit back and close my eyes, a part of me wishing I’d chosen to go with a foster family. My thudding heart gradually slows as the adrenaline caused by the confrontation with Cade ebbs away. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I take the opportunity to doze.
I SLEEP DEEPER THANI’d anticipated.
I don’t know how much time has passed when the aircraft suddenly drops like a stone, jerking me from my dreams.
I gasp, instantly wide awake, and grip at the armrests again. I turn to Reed. “What was that?”
“Nothing to worry about. Just a bit of tur—”
His words are cut off as another drop leaves our stomachs way above us.
A male voice comes over the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. Due to weather conditions, we request you remain in your seat with your seatbelts on.”
Anxiously, I glance out of the window again. A fog has come in—or maybe it’s just white cloud—but either way, I can’t see anything. It’s a strange sensation, a cross between being cocooned and feeling claustrophobic. I try not to think too hard about how high above the ground we are. I’m pretty sure small planes like this one don’t fly at the sort of altitudes commercial aircraft do, but it’s still plenty high enough for me.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask Reed.
“I’m not sure. A couple of hours, maybe more.”
The flight attendant moves up the aisle, checking our seatbelts. She seems a little unsteady on her feet and has to grip the backs of our chairs as the plane bumps again.
It drops out of the sky, sending the poor woman flying.
She lands in Cade’s lap.
“Hey, darlin’,” he drawls with a salacious grin.
She scrambles back to her feet.
“Sorry,” she says, flustered. “Sorry. I’d better—” She motions to the back of the plane where her fold down seat is located.
My stomach churns with nerves. Is this normal?
The pilot’s voice comes over the intercom again. “Sorry, folks. We seem to have some issues with some of the computer readings giving us an incorrect altitude, and the poor visibility isn’t helping. We’ll have things under control shortly.”
“Incorrect altitude,” I say to Reed in alarm. “Doesn’t that mean he doesn’t know how high we’re flying?”
Is that why it’s so bumpy? Because we’re caught in some weather system close to the ground? Or have we gone the other way and we’re too high? If the pilot doesn’t know where we are, what’s going to stop him crashing with another plane, or flying into the side of a mountain?
“I’m sure it’s fine,” he reassures me, but I’m not buying it.
My chest is suddenly tight, my palms sweaty. I want nothing more than to get off this damned aircraft, but I’m trapped. I reach out and grab Reed’s forearm, appreciating how strong and solid it feels beneath my fingers.
As far as my first experience of flying goes, I can’t say I’m enjoying it. Even with the comfortable leather seats and the posh food, I’d still much rather have both feet on the ground.
I look out of the window, hoping to see something that will reassure me, but there’s nothing but white outside.
