A loud, screeching pop echoed from outside the plane accompanied by a plume of black smoke billowing from the engine turbine. Flames erupted against the night sky. Great. Even Fletcher couldn’t recover from that. Looked like another emergency landing in bumfuck nowhere. Awesome. Cruiser had Juliet’s talent show to go to in six hours. They were supposed to be wheels on the ground in four hours if everything went right. So why would anything go right?
On cue, Chance strolled out of the cockpit, hands in his tuxedo pockets like he didn’t have a care in the world. A bullshit smile plastered across his face promising you smooth sailing from here on out.
“There’s been a slight change of plans,” Chance singsonged as he strolled to the cabinet door, “hardly an inconvenience.” Opening the storage cabinet, he handed Wolf two parachute packs.
Taking the packs, Wolf stood up, pulling Emery along with him.
“Alright, suit up,” Wolf called above the ever-growing sounds of flames and failing airplane engines.
“For what?” Turning, Emery looked at Wolf, her beaded gown glimmering and shaking like a stripper’s pasties that were barely holding on.
Was she kidding? For the love of God. Pushing himself out of the beaten up, ratty, old airplane seat, Cruiser grabbed a pack. This would make what, three jumps in the past two months? Chance needed to scam better planes.
“We’ve gotta jump.” Wolf shoved the parachute pack over Emery’s shoulders. “That means you too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Emery shook her head. “I don’t do that. Surely there is something else we can do. Maybe Fletcher…”
Before she could finish, Fletcher threw the cockpit door open and started yanking on his own parachute. “I don’t know, Chancey, I think you need to up your game in the stealing planes department.”
Stopping dead, mid buckle, Chance looked at Fletcher like he’d been accosted. “I did not steal this plane. In fact, Walter Ginzole has it on loan for a movie production. And, for the record, this is the finest plane Bee Line Airlines has to offer.”
“Wasn’t Bee Line Airlines shut down last year over safety violations?” Fletcher pulled the straps tight. “Yeah, remember right after that crash into the mountains?”
Chance waved dismissively at the insinuation. “Which is why their safety and maintenance is spot on right now. They have an inspection coming up in three weeks.” He leaned in, insistent, “Trust me, they are on top of things.”
Another explosion lit up the sky, and the plane veered, sending them all stumbling to the left before righting themselves.
“Wolf, I am sure you can think of another way, right?” Emery smiled weakly. The smile faded entirely as Wolf ripped the seam of her dress so he could buckle the leg straps and cinch them down.
Cruiser pulled his own harness tight, med-pack on the front, parachute on the back, he was ready to go. He drilled jumps day and night in Pararescue school and had more jumps than any of them combined outside of Fletcher, who had a natural affinity for crashing planes.
Snapping the last buckle on Emery, Wolf yanked on the straps, sending her stumbling into him.
“The only other way is being the first one to the scene of the crash.” Wolf shot her a confident smile and pulled on his own pack. “Trust me.”
“Trusting you is how I ended up here.” Emery shot back. “I was at a lovely charity ball before you showed up. This is not okay.” Putting her hand on her hip Emery tried to stare down Wolf, who was busy getting his own rig on.
Cruiser butted in, “Did you miss the fiery engines of death part?” That whole unexpected dilemma….
“Since when is that something unusual when flying with you lunatics?” she shot back.
“Wolf,” Dex interrupted, opening the forward, letting in the rushing noise and cool air and the smell of burning jet fuel. “We gotta go!” Dex bailed out first. He was the strongest and could make a longer trek to the rendezvous point.
“She’s got a point, Cruiser. If you’ll excuse me.” With a jaunty wave, Chance disappeared out the open door.
Wolf didn’t stop what he was doing. “Trusting me is how you didn’t wind up tied to a chair in Terance The Terrible’s basement.”
“I have keys to his handcuffs and I drugged his meal.” Emery argued, unwavering. “I would never end up in that basement unless it’s where he hid the information I want.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t have.” Wolf gave his pack a last pull and smiled at Emery. “Time to go.”
Damn right, it was time to go.
“Really? Did someone turn the condescending to a million?” Emery lit into Wolf. Her pack was in place, but her sights were set on Wolf. “I had it under control and I had a plan unlike you and your stupid-”
They didn’t have time for this.
Cruiser shoved her out of the plane, cutting off the rest of her argument. Ah… silence. He looked at Wolf. “There you go, problem solved.”
Slamming into Cruiser like a ton of bricks, Wolf shoved him out of the way, diving out the door. What the fuck was that all about? Cruiser looked at Fletcher. “Did Wolf break jump protocol?”
“Yup.” Fletcher confirmed with a pat on the back. “Pretty sure that’s because Emery’s never done a jump before.” Fletcher shoved him into the night sky. “See ya.”
Cruiser was weightless, wind rushing around him, howling in his ears as he freefell. Correcting himself, he turned onto his stomach and splayed out to get as much drag as he could. Clothing pulling and flapping against him, Cruiser looked at the altimeter on his watch. 3, 2, 1, and his parachute pulled, jerking his body against the air and wind currents, guiding him softly to the ground with a bit of a tug here and there on the navigation handles. Landing in a crouched run, like his feet never left the ground, Cruiser smiled. There, that wasn’t so bad. Getting out of the chute and unlatching his med-pack, he got his bearings.
Now, what the hell did Fletcher mean, Emery’s never jumped before? She was a spy and she trained with them all the time. His chute was barely put away when crunching in the trees turned into voices. Dex, Wolf, and Emery appeared.
“Nice of you guys to finally show up.” Cruiser landed on the rendezvous coordinates like he was supposed to. Unlike the amateurs that had to hike to the rendezvous point.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Emery’s sob cut through the dark treeline. Was she crying? It was hard to see tears in the dark, but it sure as hell sounded like blubbering. Emery stumbled away from Wolf, swatting at his hands, fumbling with the latch of her chute, a good five feet away. Her beaded gown showed up like a beacon to any of several people trying to kill them. Excellent.
Pressing a button on his watch until the compass showed up, Cruiser looked at Fletcher as he sauntered over, like he was coming back from the corner coffee stand.
“We going North by Northwest?” Cruiser asked. He knew they were, but the pilot knew how far off course they went and Cruiser didn’t.
“That’s-” Wolf undid his chute the rest of the way. “You have to-” Stepping out of the pack, Wolf got in front of Emery, stopping whatever tirade she was on, and got the pack off of her inside a half-second. “It’s a friction harness.”
“Don’t touch me.” Emery huffed. “You’re all insane.”
“Hey, insane is my job.” Fletcher frowned.
“Fletch,” Chance cut in as he appeared from the tree line, “maybe leave this one alone.”
“And you.” Emery turned, stomping in Cruiser’s direction, fabric shining and rustling. She swung, smashing her fist into his nose. “You pushed me out of a plane, in the dark!”
Cruiser’s head snapped to the side, blood rushing out of his nose, opening up like a faucet.
“What the fuck!” Stumbling back, Cruiser’s hands went to his nose. “You’re a spy. How the hell do you not know how to jump out of a plane?”
“Why... would a spy… jump… out of a plane?” Emery was punctuating every word with a slap to his face and head. “We deal in information, not plane jumping. 007 is fiction.”
“Stop hitting me.” Under the onslaught of slaps, Cruiser batted her hands away. He stepped into her, closing the gap, so she couldn’t hit him anymore. “It’s not my fault you run with mercs and don’t know the basic survival skills.”
“Parachuting is only basic survival if you’re insane.”
There was a quick flash of movement from Wolf in Cruiser’s periphery, and his world went black.
******
“Cruiser?” Emery turned to his limp form. Shaking with fury and something much worse, fear, Emery wanted answers. Information was much better than emotions. Feelings were meant to be controlled and used. Yet here she was, overcome by all the ugly emotions she wanted nothing to do with. Why? Because Cruiser shoved her out of a plane and she thought she was going to die. But before she could deal with Cruiser, Wolf knocked him out.
Who did that? She turned her glare to Wolf. She was going to . . . what was the point? Fighting with Wolf was like trying to catch the wind in your hands. Emery went the direct route. “What in the hell is going on?”
Fletcher sidled up to her. “Well, looks like Cruiser made an oopsie and thought you knew how to jump, so he shoved you out ‘cause the plane was on fire, and about to go kaboom.” Fletcher used his hands to mimic a plane crashing and burning because he was a helper. “And then you got scared cause it was dark, and you were hitting terminal velocity, and Chief bailed out in a death dive to keep you from splatting, cause he was scared too. Cruiser kept up the stupid ‘cause, well, Cruiser. He stepped up on you, and he got kaboom.” Fletcher grinned, pleased with his explanation.
Now she had a headache.
“Oh, yeah…” Chance’s buttery smooth voice cut through the chaos. “Hey, I’m going to go find Dex and set up a perimeter.” Smoothing his tuxedo shirt down, blowing out his cheeks in a bit of a puff, he added, “Maybe ignore the fact that you just knocked out our concussion prone medic. No problems with that at all . . ..” voice trailing off, he disappeared into the trees.
“Cruiser and I will settle up when he wakes up.” Watching Chance go, Wolf’s jawline was tight and eyes hard. Taking a deep breath, he focusing his attention back on her. “Are you okay?”
Was she okay? Was that a joke?
“No, Wolf, I am not okay. I got kidnapped off my mission before I got the prize. Then you mouth off about my inability to run the job, seconds before I got tossed out of a plane in the dark. And to finish it all off, you punched Cruiser.” She was back on the plane. One second she was talking and next there was no ground, no right side up, and only sudden, sure, death. Son of a bitch. She was crying again.
Wolf’s arms wrapped around her, and she was safe. Crying into his rock solid chest, she heard him say, “Chance broke into Terrance’s boss’s house. He overheard plans to bring you back. They know Terrance is in over his head. I couldn’t get word to you, so we moved in.”
“Terrance had enough Ativan in his drink to take down a rhino.” The question was, what did the bosses know and how? That was all better than thinking about the feeling of free falling.
“Terrance isn’t the problem.” Wolf’s voice was powerful and soft, not arguing but pointing out what he knew. “And Cruiser, I swear to God, I’m going to kill him.”
“Why? Because he’s the only idiot here who assumes I’m competent?”
“Because he almost killed you and was stupid to step up on you because you called him on it.”
“Oh.” Replaying the events, Emery saw a different view, Wolf’s perspective. Cruiser stepped up on her and she was too mad to see it. That was stupid and risky and what the hell was she thinking? How did she not see the threat? “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry about the job.” Wolf said as Cruiser groaned on the ground at their feet. “This was not how things were supposed to go down.”
“I was afraid.” She hated saying that. The words smacked of weakness and failure.
“Anyone would be.” Why did he have to be so damn confident about that? “Getting shoved out of a plane is a great way to die.”
“And that doesn’t help.”
His chin on top of her head, Emery could hear Wolf’s heart pounding in his chest. “No, it doesn’t.”
Cruiser moved and groaned again.
“You okay?” Wolf’s voice was hushed so only she could hear.
“I will be. I’m sorry I lost my cool.” Letting emotions get the best of you never helped. She knew that.
Hand stroking through her hair, Wolf kissed her head. Turning away, he kicked Cruiser’s boots.
“Get up.” The order echoed against the empty night air.
Eyes blinking open with a moan, Cruiser grabbed his face. He made it to his knees before Wolf came around and kneeled in front of him, grabbing Cruiser’s shirt.
“You’re going to get up and you ‘re going to keep your goddamned mouth shut, you understand?”
Cruiser’s bloody hand caught Wolf’s wrist, but he didn’t try anything. Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, Emery barely caught the nod before Wolf pulled him up to his feet.
Taking half a step to intervene, Emery caught herself. This wasn’t the time or place. Cruiser made a mistake, and yes, he got in her face, but she hit him. She instigated this, yet he was paying the price. Damn it, how did she make this worse?
“How many jumps do you have?” Wolf’s voice was deep and threatening.
It took Cruiser a second to figure out how to form words again. “347. Roughly.”
“First jump with a new person. What do you need to know?”
“Experience level.”
“What is Emery’s jump experience?” Grinding out the words out Wolf tightened his hand around Cruiser’s shirt.
“None.” Cruiser staggered up, getting his feet solidly under him. Blood still dripping from his nose, Cruiser put a hand up. “I know.”
“You. Know. What.” Wolf’s words clawed out of his mouth.
Cruiser coughed, clearing his throat and sputtering until turned his head and hacked up a giant blood clot. His voice lost the nasally edge. “I could have killed her.”
“And then what did you do?”
That got him a blank look and furrowed brow. A shake of Cruiser’s head let him know the medic had no idea what Wolf was talking about.
Wolf yanked Cruiser’s collar. “You squared off with my woman.” Cruiser’s head went flopping back and forth from the force of the shake.
“I what?” Cruiser’s hands grabbed at Wolf’s shirt, keeping himself from stumbling all over the place. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“You ever come at her again and I will knock your head off.”
“Yes, sir.” Cruiser didn’t fight it. Verbally, physically, or anything else. That probably saved his life.
Muscles tense and jaw tight, Wolf snarled, shoving Cruiser hard. Like he was afraid of what he would do if he stayed too close to Cruiser.
Stumbling back and losing his balance, Cruiser fell to the dirt again. Rolling, making sure Wolf wasn’t coming at him anymore, he settled on his knees, face down in the dirt.
Wolf was done with Cruiser, that much was clear. Now was her time. Emery moved, kneeling down next to Cruiser. He didn’t know she couldn’t parachute. He should’ve asked, but he wouldn’t hurt her, no matter how much he postured. What should she say to this?
The one thing Cruiser would like. Nothing.
Reaching into Cruiser’s medic pack, Emery popped a small ice pack, mixing it in her hands until it was cold. Carefully putting her hand on his shoulder, Emery held out the ice pack, waiting for Cruiser’s reaction.
It took Cruiser a second before he lifted his head up, bruised, swollen eye, looking at her until he spotted the ice pack. Cruiser sat back on his haunches, taking the icepack with him and looking warily at her. “Are you okay?”
She wasn’t expecting that question. It was shocking enough to have the truth slip out before she could stop it. “I don’t know. I feel like I should ask you that.”
“I’m fine.” Cruiser said with a groan. He wasn’t. “I really thought you knew how to jump.”
“I work in restaurants and bedrooms. Bravery is your field.” Emery paused long enough to grab two Tylenol out of his bag and hold them out. “Besides, I’m afraid of heights.”
Ice pack to the side of his face, Cruiser ran the back of his hand under his nose, slicking it with slowing blood. “You’re afraid of heights?”
“Mostly I’m afraid of impacting the ground at high velocity.”
Cruiser looked at her, nodding like things were slowly processing. “I’m really sorry.”
“I know. It’s okay. I never said anything.”
“I’m not sure that has anything to do with me shoving you out of a plane, but I’m pretty sure I just saw a squirrel wearing a crown, so I may not be the best judge of shit right now.”
“I think I broke your nose and I’m pretty sure Wolf gave you another concussion.” They needed Cruiser. Brain intact. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Cruiser shook his head and instantly regretted it, stopping and slowing the world down. “I had it coming.”
“I lost my cool.” The stupid truth wouldn’t stop vomiting from her mouth. “I thought I was going to die before Wolf . . ..” Emery let the words trail off. It didn’t matter, she was okay. Right?
“Don’t.” Cruiser didn’t let her finish, moving the icepack from the side of his face to the bridge of his nose, he side-eyed her. “This one’s on me, not you.”
She nodded. There was no point in talking about it, and they needed to get out of here. “It would be great if we never spoke about this again.”
“Done.” Cruiser agreed. “But you really need jump lessons.”
“I would prefer a new gown.”
“Yeah well, that’s on wolf.”
“He isn’t in the greatest mood right now, perhaps later.”
“Good call.” And just like that, everything was done and Cruiser was using her to help get back to his feet. “We gotta get moving. That wreck is going to show up on radar.”
And that was it. There was no time to think about anything but survival. Thank God.
On cue, Chance strolled out of the cockpit, hands in his tuxedo pockets like he didn’t have a care in the world. A bullshit smile plastered across his face promising you smooth sailing from here on out.
“There’s been a slight change of plans,” Chance singsonged as he strolled to the cabinet door, “hardly an inconvenience.” Opening the storage cabinet, he handed Wolf two parachute packs.
Taking the packs, Wolf stood up, pulling Emery along with him.
“Alright, suit up,” Wolf called above the ever-growing sounds of flames and failing airplane engines.
“For what?” Turning, Emery looked at Wolf, her beaded gown glimmering and shaking like a stripper’s pasties that were barely holding on.
Was she kidding? For the love of God. Pushing himself out of the beaten up, ratty, old airplane seat, Cruiser grabbed a pack. This would make what, three jumps in the past two months? Chance needed to scam better planes.
“We’ve gotta jump.” Wolf shoved the parachute pack over Emery’s shoulders. “That means you too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Emery shook her head. “I don’t do that. Surely there is something else we can do. Maybe Fletcher…”
Before she could finish, Fletcher threw the cockpit door open and started yanking on his own parachute. “I don’t know, Chancey, I think you need to up your game in the stealing planes department.”
Stopping dead, mid buckle, Chance looked at Fletcher like he’d been accosted. “I did not steal this plane. In fact, Walter Ginzole has it on loan for a movie production. And, for the record, this is the finest plane Bee Line Airlines has to offer.”
“Wasn’t Bee Line Airlines shut down last year over safety violations?” Fletcher pulled the straps tight. “Yeah, remember right after that crash into the mountains?”
Chance waved dismissively at the insinuation. “Which is why their safety and maintenance is spot on right now. They have an inspection coming up in three weeks.” He leaned in, insistent, “Trust me, they are on top of things.”
Another explosion lit up the sky, and the plane veered, sending them all stumbling to the left before righting themselves.
“Wolf, I am sure you can think of another way, right?” Emery smiled weakly. The smile faded entirely as Wolf ripped the seam of her dress so he could buckle the leg straps and cinch them down.
Cruiser pulled his own harness tight, med-pack on the front, parachute on the back, he was ready to go. He drilled jumps day and night in Pararescue school and had more jumps than any of them combined outside of Fletcher, who had a natural affinity for crashing planes.
Snapping the last buckle on Emery, Wolf yanked on the straps, sending her stumbling into him.
“The only other way is being the first one to the scene of the crash.” Wolf shot her a confident smile and pulled on his own pack. “Trust me.”
“Trusting you is how I ended up here.” Emery shot back. “I was at a lovely charity ball before you showed up. This is not okay.” Putting her hand on her hip Emery tried to stare down Wolf, who was busy getting his own rig on.
Cruiser butted in, “Did you miss the fiery engines of death part?” That whole unexpected dilemma….
“Since when is that something unusual when flying with you lunatics?” she shot back.
“Wolf,” Dex interrupted, opening the forward, letting in the rushing noise and cool air and the smell of burning jet fuel. “We gotta go!” Dex bailed out first. He was the strongest and could make a longer trek to the rendezvous point.
“She’s got a point, Cruiser. If you’ll excuse me.” With a jaunty wave, Chance disappeared out the open door.
Wolf didn’t stop what he was doing. “Trusting me is how you didn’t wind up tied to a chair in Terance The Terrible’s basement.”
“I have keys to his handcuffs and I drugged his meal.” Emery argued, unwavering. “I would never end up in that basement unless it’s where he hid the information I want.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t have.” Wolf gave his pack a last pull and smiled at Emery. “Time to go.”
Damn right, it was time to go.
“Really? Did someone turn the condescending to a million?” Emery lit into Wolf. Her pack was in place, but her sights were set on Wolf. “I had it under control and I had a plan unlike you and your stupid-”
They didn’t have time for this.
Cruiser shoved her out of the plane, cutting off the rest of her argument. Ah… silence. He looked at Wolf. “There you go, problem solved.”
Slamming into Cruiser like a ton of bricks, Wolf shoved him out of the way, diving out the door. What the fuck was that all about? Cruiser looked at Fletcher. “Did Wolf break jump protocol?”
“Yup.” Fletcher confirmed with a pat on the back. “Pretty sure that’s because Emery’s never done a jump before.” Fletcher shoved him into the night sky. “See ya.”
Cruiser was weightless, wind rushing around him, howling in his ears as he freefell. Correcting himself, he turned onto his stomach and splayed out to get as much drag as he could. Clothing pulling and flapping against him, Cruiser looked at the altimeter on his watch. 3, 2, 1, and his parachute pulled, jerking his body against the air and wind currents, guiding him softly to the ground with a bit of a tug here and there on the navigation handles. Landing in a crouched run, like his feet never left the ground, Cruiser smiled. There, that wasn’t so bad. Getting out of the chute and unlatching his med-pack, he got his bearings.
Now, what the hell did Fletcher mean, Emery’s never jumped before? She was a spy and she trained with them all the time. His chute was barely put away when crunching in the trees turned into voices. Dex, Wolf, and Emery appeared.
“Nice of you guys to finally show up.” Cruiser landed on the rendezvous coordinates like he was supposed to. Unlike the amateurs that had to hike to the rendezvous point.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Emery’s sob cut through the dark treeline. Was she crying? It was hard to see tears in the dark, but it sure as hell sounded like blubbering. Emery stumbled away from Wolf, swatting at his hands, fumbling with the latch of her chute, a good five feet away. Her beaded gown showed up like a beacon to any of several people trying to kill them. Excellent.
Pressing a button on his watch until the compass showed up, Cruiser looked at Fletcher as he sauntered over, like he was coming back from the corner coffee stand.
“We going North by Northwest?” Cruiser asked. He knew they were, but the pilot knew how far off course they went and Cruiser didn’t.
“That’s-” Wolf undid his chute the rest of the way. “You have to-” Stepping out of the pack, Wolf got in front of Emery, stopping whatever tirade she was on, and got the pack off of her inside a half-second. “It’s a friction harness.”
“Don’t touch me.” Emery huffed. “You’re all insane.”
“Hey, insane is my job.” Fletcher frowned.
“Fletch,” Chance cut in as he appeared from the tree line, “maybe leave this one alone.”
“And you.” Emery turned, stomping in Cruiser’s direction, fabric shining and rustling. She swung, smashing her fist into his nose. “You pushed me out of a plane, in the dark!”
Cruiser’s head snapped to the side, blood rushing out of his nose, opening up like a faucet.
“What the fuck!” Stumbling back, Cruiser’s hands went to his nose. “You’re a spy. How the hell do you not know how to jump out of a plane?”
“Why... would a spy… jump… out of a plane?” Emery was punctuating every word with a slap to his face and head. “We deal in information, not plane jumping. 007 is fiction.”
“Stop hitting me.” Under the onslaught of slaps, Cruiser batted her hands away. He stepped into her, closing the gap, so she couldn’t hit him anymore. “It’s not my fault you run with mercs and don’t know the basic survival skills.”
“Parachuting is only basic survival if you’re insane.”
There was a quick flash of movement from Wolf in Cruiser’s periphery, and his world went black.
******
“Cruiser?” Emery turned to his limp form. Shaking with fury and something much worse, fear, Emery wanted answers. Information was much better than emotions. Feelings were meant to be controlled and used. Yet here she was, overcome by all the ugly emotions she wanted nothing to do with. Why? Because Cruiser shoved her out of a plane and she thought she was going to die. But before she could deal with Cruiser, Wolf knocked him out.
Who did that? She turned her glare to Wolf. She was going to . . . what was the point? Fighting with Wolf was like trying to catch the wind in your hands. Emery went the direct route. “What in the hell is going on?”
Fletcher sidled up to her. “Well, looks like Cruiser made an oopsie and thought you knew how to jump, so he shoved you out ‘cause the plane was on fire, and about to go kaboom.” Fletcher used his hands to mimic a plane crashing and burning because he was a helper. “And then you got scared cause it was dark, and you were hitting terminal velocity, and Chief bailed out in a death dive to keep you from splatting, cause he was scared too. Cruiser kept up the stupid ‘cause, well, Cruiser. He stepped up on you, and he got kaboom.” Fletcher grinned, pleased with his explanation.
Now she had a headache.
“Oh, yeah…” Chance’s buttery smooth voice cut through the chaos. “Hey, I’m going to go find Dex and set up a perimeter.” Smoothing his tuxedo shirt down, blowing out his cheeks in a bit of a puff, he added, “Maybe ignore the fact that you just knocked out our concussion prone medic. No problems with that at all . . ..” voice trailing off, he disappeared into the trees.
“Cruiser and I will settle up when he wakes up.” Watching Chance go, Wolf’s jawline was tight and eyes hard. Taking a deep breath, he focusing his attention back on her. “Are you okay?”
Was she okay? Was that a joke?
“No, Wolf, I am not okay. I got kidnapped off my mission before I got the prize. Then you mouth off about my inability to run the job, seconds before I got tossed out of a plane in the dark. And to finish it all off, you punched Cruiser.” She was back on the plane. One second she was talking and next there was no ground, no right side up, and only sudden, sure, death. Son of a bitch. She was crying again.
Wolf’s arms wrapped around her, and she was safe. Crying into his rock solid chest, she heard him say, “Chance broke into Terrance’s boss’s house. He overheard plans to bring you back. They know Terrance is in over his head. I couldn’t get word to you, so we moved in.”
“Terrance had enough Ativan in his drink to take down a rhino.” The question was, what did the bosses know and how? That was all better than thinking about the feeling of free falling.
“Terrance isn’t the problem.” Wolf’s voice was powerful and soft, not arguing but pointing out what he knew. “And Cruiser, I swear to God, I’m going to kill him.”
“Why? Because he’s the only idiot here who assumes I’m competent?”
“Because he almost killed you and was stupid to step up on you because you called him on it.”
“Oh.” Replaying the events, Emery saw a different view, Wolf’s perspective. Cruiser stepped up on her and she was too mad to see it. That was stupid and risky and what the hell was she thinking? How did she not see the threat? “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry about the job.” Wolf said as Cruiser groaned on the ground at their feet. “This was not how things were supposed to go down.”
“I was afraid.” She hated saying that. The words smacked of weakness and failure.
“Anyone would be.” Why did he have to be so damn confident about that? “Getting shoved out of a plane is a great way to die.”
“And that doesn’t help.”
His chin on top of her head, Emery could hear Wolf’s heart pounding in his chest. “No, it doesn’t.”
Cruiser moved and groaned again.
“You okay?” Wolf’s voice was hushed so only she could hear.
“I will be. I’m sorry I lost my cool.” Letting emotions get the best of you never helped. She knew that.
Hand stroking through her hair, Wolf kissed her head. Turning away, he kicked Cruiser’s boots.
“Get up.” The order echoed against the empty night air.
Eyes blinking open with a moan, Cruiser grabbed his face. He made it to his knees before Wolf came around and kneeled in front of him, grabbing Cruiser’s shirt.
“You’re going to get up and you ‘re going to keep your goddamned mouth shut, you understand?”
Cruiser’s bloody hand caught Wolf’s wrist, but he didn’t try anything. Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, Emery barely caught the nod before Wolf pulled him up to his feet.
Taking half a step to intervene, Emery caught herself. This wasn’t the time or place. Cruiser made a mistake, and yes, he got in her face, but she hit him. She instigated this, yet he was paying the price. Damn it, how did she make this worse?
“How many jumps do you have?” Wolf’s voice was deep and threatening.
It took Cruiser a second to figure out how to form words again. “347. Roughly.”
“First jump with a new person. What do you need to know?”
“Experience level.”
“What is Emery’s jump experience?” Grinding out the words out Wolf tightened his hand around Cruiser’s shirt.
“None.” Cruiser staggered up, getting his feet solidly under him. Blood still dripping from his nose, Cruiser put a hand up. “I know.”
“You. Know. What.” Wolf’s words clawed out of his mouth.
Cruiser coughed, clearing his throat and sputtering until turned his head and hacked up a giant blood clot. His voice lost the nasally edge. “I could have killed her.”
“And then what did you do?”
That got him a blank look and furrowed brow. A shake of Cruiser’s head let him know the medic had no idea what Wolf was talking about.
Wolf yanked Cruiser’s collar. “You squared off with my woman.” Cruiser’s head went flopping back and forth from the force of the shake.
“I what?” Cruiser’s hands grabbed at Wolf’s shirt, keeping himself from stumbling all over the place. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“You ever come at her again and I will knock your head off.”
“Yes, sir.” Cruiser didn’t fight it. Verbally, physically, or anything else. That probably saved his life.
Muscles tense and jaw tight, Wolf snarled, shoving Cruiser hard. Like he was afraid of what he would do if he stayed too close to Cruiser.
Stumbling back and losing his balance, Cruiser fell to the dirt again. Rolling, making sure Wolf wasn’t coming at him anymore, he settled on his knees, face down in the dirt.
Wolf was done with Cruiser, that much was clear. Now was her time. Emery moved, kneeling down next to Cruiser. He didn’t know she couldn’t parachute. He should’ve asked, but he wouldn’t hurt her, no matter how much he postured. What should she say to this?
The one thing Cruiser would like. Nothing.
Reaching into Cruiser’s medic pack, Emery popped a small ice pack, mixing it in her hands until it was cold. Carefully putting her hand on his shoulder, Emery held out the ice pack, waiting for Cruiser’s reaction.
It took Cruiser a second before he lifted his head up, bruised, swollen eye, looking at her until he spotted the ice pack. Cruiser sat back on his haunches, taking the icepack with him and looking warily at her. “Are you okay?”
She wasn’t expecting that question. It was shocking enough to have the truth slip out before she could stop it. “I don’t know. I feel like I should ask you that.”
“I’m fine.” Cruiser said with a groan. He wasn’t. “I really thought you knew how to jump.”
“I work in restaurants and bedrooms. Bravery is your field.” Emery paused long enough to grab two Tylenol out of his bag and hold them out. “Besides, I’m afraid of heights.”
Ice pack to the side of his face, Cruiser ran the back of his hand under his nose, slicking it with slowing blood. “You’re afraid of heights?”
“Mostly I’m afraid of impacting the ground at high velocity.”
Cruiser looked at her, nodding like things were slowly processing. “I’m really sorry.”
“I know. It’s okay. I never said anything.”
“I’m not sure that has anything to do with me shoving you out of a plane, but I’m pretty sure I just saw a squirrel wearing a crown, so I may not be the best judge of shit right now.”
“I think I broke your nose and I’m pretty sure Wolf gave you another concussion.” They needed Cruiser. Brain intact. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Cruiser shook his head and instantly regretted it, stopping and slowing the world down. “I had it coming.”
“I lost my cool.” The stupid truth wouldn’t stop vomiting from her mouth. “I thought I was going to die before Wolf . . ..” Emery let the words trail off. It didn’t matter, she was okay. Right?
“Don’t.” Cruiser didn’t let her finish, moving the icepack from the side of his face to the bridge of his nose, he side-eyed her. “This one’s on me, not you.”
She nodded. There was no point in talking about it, and they needed to get out of here. “It would be great if we never spoke about this again.”
“Done.” Cruiser agreed. “But you really need jump lessons.”
“I would prefer a new gown.”
“Yeah well, that’s on wolf.”
“He isn’t in the greatest mood right now, perhaps later.”
“Good call.” And just like that, everything was done and Cruiser was using her to help get back to his feet. “We gotta get moving. That wreck is going to show up on radar.”
And that was it. There was no time to think about anything but survival. Thank God.