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“Darius?”
Thank God. It’s my father.
“Are you okay? I ask. “Are you hurt?”
“I—I’m not sure.” There’s a pause while he checks himself over, then he says, “Jesus, Laney.”
“Is she alive?”
“I—I think so.”
Should I be disappointed? I don’t know how I feel.
“What about Cade?” I ask instead.
“He’s bleeding and still unconscious.”
“What about the crew?”
“I don’t know. The plane has broken into three pieces. The front, where the pilots are, is on fire. The back is just...gone.”
The back where the flight attendant had strapped herself into her seat.
Holy fuck.
“We need to get out of here,” I say. “The fire might spread.”
A feminine groan comes from my father’s direction.
“Laney?” he says. “Are you okay?”
It’s a fucking miracle we’re not all dead.
“What happened?” Laney asks.
“We crashed,” he tells her.
“Oh, my God.” She sounds on the verge of tears, but that’s hardly surprising.
I try to get to my feet, but something pulls me back again. I remember the seatbelt. I feel around for it, hoping it won’t be stuck. My fingers find the catch, and I free myself.
“Cade?” I say, edging my way out of my seat and into what remains of the aisle. I have no way of knowing if objects are lying in my path, so I shuffle along, my arms raised to protect my face.
My fingers find my brother’s shoulder, and I trace my way up his neck until I located the pulse point. It’s slow but steady. I want to believe he’s fine, but beneath the acrid tang of smoke, I smell blood.
“Cade? Wake up, bro. The plane went down. We need to get out of here.”
I give his shoulder a shake, though I’m worried I might hurt him more. He lets out a groan, and I shake him again.
“Wake up.”
His voice is gruff, but I’ve never been so pleased to hear it. “What the—”
I sense the moment he comes around fully and realizes what has happened. My hand is still on his shoulder, and he stiffens and then sits bolt upright. He lets out a cry of pain.
“Fuck. My fucking leg.”
“What’s happened?” I ask.
