Chapter 16

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Lara gripped the edge of the seat, both in trepidation and excitement. The time was finally here. After meeting with the seller, Ricky Norman, at the regional airport that morning they’d all been escorted to the waiting chopper. Owl and Stone had gone over every last inch of the Bell 505 helicopter sitting on the tarmac. But throughout their examination, Owl had kept his eye on her. She was standing in the morning sun, watching.

Instead of feeling nervous about being out in the open, Lara was calm. No one could sneak up on them, not as exposed as they were out on the tarmac, and long before anyone could get to her, Owl would be there.

The evening before had been full of anticipation. Owl and Stone were like two little kids the night before their birthday. They’d all slept like rocks—thankfully, Stone hadn’t had any nightmares—and had woken up before their alarm went off, ready to get to the airport and set eyes on their potential new helicopter.

And the first sight of it hadn’t disappointed. She was sleek and shiny, and Owl and Stone practically drooled.

Stone had graciously let Owl take the controls first. Both the pilot and copilot had the ability to fly the chopper. Owl and Stone had a discussion the night before about whether they wanted to remove the controls from the copilot’s seat and decided for the moment, at least, they wanted them to stay. The two were used to flying together, and honestly, it gave Lara a sense of comfort to know if something happened to whomever was flying, the other person could take over. The guys might change their minds in the future if they had more interest in tours and needed that front seat to hold paying customers, but for now they were content to leave the chopper the way it was.

All three of them had a headset on since it was so loud in the cab, allowing them to talk to each other and to the small control tower. They were given the go-ahead to take off, and Lara held her breath as the machine slowly lifted off the ground.

This was happening, and she could feel the excitement in the air.

At first, she couldn’t take her eyes from Owl. It was obvious very quickly that he was in his element. He had a small smile on his face as he operated the controls. Lara had been in awe of him before, but seeing him flying a real chopper made her even more impressed.

The helicopter moved smoothly through the air as he used the stick to move them forward and the lever on the side of his seat to control the altitude. She knew the basics of the lever and stick, but the pedals were still difficult for her to master with the simulator. Owl didn’t have any of those issues. He and Stone kept up a constant stream of chatter about mechanics and wind speed and other technical issues she had no interest in.

Stone had his own set of controls on his side of the chopper, but he kept his hands in his lap as his friend flew them over the gorgeous towns and forests. Every now and then, he’d pass along what one of the screens in front of them was reporting.

Turning her attention to the small window next to her, Lara gazed out at the passing scenery. The Seattle area was beautiful, and they’d been blessed with a beautiful day for the test flight. The sun glinted on the water and Lara was amazed all over again at how many small islands there were off the coast.

As beautiful as this area was, Lara realized that she actually liked New Mexico better. She hadn’t seen it from above, obviously, but she loved the forest around The Refuge and was even partial to the dry air, compared to the humidity here in Washington.

“What do you think, sweetheart?”

The sound of Owl’s voice rumbling in her ears through the headset made Lara tingle. She turned to look at him. His head was turned and he was staring at her.

“Shouldn’t your attention be on the road…er…sky? Whatever?” she reprimanded.

Both Owl and Stone chuckled. The laughter sounded as if it was in stereo in her ears.

“It’s not like a car,” Stone explained. “As long as he keeps his hands steady on the controls, we’ll keep going in one direction at the same altitude forever.”

“And if he doesn’t? Keep the controls steady?” Lara asked.

Stone shrugged. “Then we’ll crash,” he said simply.

“Shut it, Stone. I’m fine. We aren’t going to crash,” Owl soothed. “What do you think?” he asked again.

“Um…it’s fine?” Lara wasn’t sure what he wanted to know.

“How’s the seat back there? Is it comfortable? Can you see out the window okay? Does the seat belt fit, does it pinch anywhere? You aren’t feeling nauseous or anything?”

“Oh, the seats are fine. I mean, it’s not like your couch or anything, but it’s not uncomfortable. And yes, the windows are amazing. The belt is fine, and you didn’t ask, but the headset is so cool! I can hear you guys as if we were standing next to each other back in the lodge. And I’m not airsick in the least. Probably because you’re such a good driver.”

“We’ll see how you feel when it’s Stone’s turn to fly,” Owl joked.

Stone punched him in the shoulder. “Whatever. We both know I can outfly you any day of the week.”

The two men were in great moods, which made Lara relax even more. Up here, they were at their happiest. And up here, no one could hurt her. No one could make her do anything she didn’t want to do or sneak up on her. She was free. Free from worries, free from fear.

Owl flew them for a bit longer, warning her every time he was going to test one thing or another, so instead of being terrified when the chopper fell abruptly, or when he banked left or right, she was exhilarated. She trusted Owl completely. Experiencing his skill as a pilot firsthand was much more impressive than watching him practice on the simulator back at The Refuge…and that was already pretty darn remarkable.

When he was satisfied with how the craft handled, Owl gave the controls over to Stone. Surprisingly, Lara could discern subtle differences between the two pilots’ skills. While Owl’s handling of the aircraft was smooth and she could barely tell when they changed altitude, Stone was a touch more heavy-handed, but not so much that it made her sick to her stomach. He was more prone to using the foot pedals to rotate the cabin back and forth, letting him see more of the area he was flying over simply by manipulating the tail rotor.

Lara didn’t prefer one technique over the other. With Stone at the controls, she didn’t have to alternate looking from the front of the chopper to the side window. Because of the way he continually turned the aircraft, she could simply look out the side.

Once again, Owl and Stone were talking shop, and Lara soaked in the moment. She had a feeling by the time they made it back to New Mexico, she would be more than ready to be done with flying for a while, but for now, it was a new and novel experience.

When they finally touched down again, Lara couldn’t help but share Owl and Stone’s excitement. They were more than pleased with how the helicopter handled and convinced everything seemed perfect.

They walked toward the main building at the airport and met back up with Ricky Norman.

“So?” the man asked. “Is she everything I told you she was?”

“She’s perfect,” Stone told him.

“Yup,” Ricky said with a smile. “Then we have a deal?”

“We have a deal,” Owl told him and reached out a hand.

The two men shook, and Ricky turned to Stone, who also shook his hand. “So, I’ll see you three in the morning then? You have all the info you need for the payment transfer?”

“We’ll get with our accountant and start the ball rolling as soon as we leave here,” Stone told him.

“Good, good. I’ll be here bright and early tomorrow morning to meet you and we can sign the paperwork,” Ricky said. “Then you three can get started back south.”

“Tomorrow,” Owl said with a nod, reaching for Lara’s hand.

If she hadn’t been looking at Ricky, she would’ve missed the way his gaze dropped to their hands and his lip curled.

She couldn’t imagine what offended him so much. Surely two people holding hands wasn’t a shock?

But before she could think too much about his odd reaction, Owl was turning and taking her with him as they headed for the doors. Stone was already on the phone with Brick, telling him all about the chopper and how perfect it was. From earlier conversations, Lara knew Brick would then get in touch with Savannah to start the wire transfer.

It was hard to believe it was really happening. The Refuge was going to own a chopper. She looked up at Owl as she squeezed his hand. “This is exciting.”

He grinned at her. “It is. Us having a helicopter will save so much time if we need to look for missing hikers or help with rescues. And I have a feeling we’ll start making money sooner rather than later with sightseeing tours.”

Lara nodded. “Stone was your copilot when you were in the Army, right?”

“Occasionally another Night Stalker, but mostly him. Why?”

She shrugged. “I just wondered how that worked. Did Stone operate the tail rotor while you did the other stuff?”

Owl chuckled. “No. The copilot assists the pilot when we’re in the air with things like radio communications and checklists.”

“Oh, so you both had controls at the seats, like with this helicopter?”

“Yup.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah. Stone and I…I loved working with him. He was always the calm one in situations. We had some close calls together, and you never would’ve known it by looking or listening to him. He has the ability to keep cool and go with the flow. When we crashed? He was damn near stoic. As we were falling from the sky, he calmly talked me through doing what I could to keep us from crashing uncontrollably.”

Lara was fascinated. Owl had told her some things about that awful time in his life, but the memories always made him tense. In contrast, he sounded relaxed right now. “Is there such a thing as a controlled crash?” she asked skeptically.

Owl chuckled. “Actually, yeah. Any crash where you don’t die is a controlled one.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, he was also the one who stayed calm when we were discovered, stripped, and thrown into those cells. It drove me crazy at first. I mean, I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t more…emotional. But his stoicism was what helped us both stay in control. I owe him everything.”

Lara squeezed his hand.

“I think that’s why he has night terrors,” Owl said softly. Stone was still on the phone and wasn’t paying any attention, but it was obvious Owl didn’t want him to accidentally overhear them talking about him. “Because he shoves shit so far down, it unconsciously comes up when his guard is down…when he’s asleep.”

“Probably,” Lara agreed.

“Thank you for coming with us,” he said, changing the subject. “I know this isn’t easy for you, but having you here…it’s nice. For both me and Stone.”

“It’s nice for me too. I feel as if I’m really taking control of my life back. Carter is still out there, I know that, but me being here kind of feels like I’m spitting in his face. Like I’m actually living, even though he doesn’t want me to.”

“You are. And every day, I learn something new about you.”

Lara smiled up at him. “What’d you learn about me today?”

“That you love flying. The expression on your face as we flew was the same thing I feel deep down, when I’m in the air.”

She loved that. “Being in a helicopter is so different from a plane.”

“Yup.”

“We’re all set!” Stone said, breaking the intimate moment.

Lara didn’t mind. She was looking forward to a lifetime of those kinds of moments with the man at her side.

“Brick was happy to hear everything checked out. He’s gonna start the ball rolling with the money transfer. Tomorrow at this time, we’ll be in the air headed south.”

“We’re all good for the first fuel stop and our overnight?” Owl asked.

“Yup.”

“Awesome.”

“So…what are we gonna do for the rest of the day?” Stone asked.

Lara felt Owl shrug, and she looked up at him.

“Sweetheart?” he asked.

A part of her wanted to go back to the hotel. Wanted to hide out, away from people. Away from anyone who might hurt her. But hadn’t she just said that she enjoyed taking control of her life back? How enjoying her life was like spitting in Carter’s face? She wanted to hold on to that feeling. Besides, it wasn’t as if Owl, or Stone for that matter, was going to abandon her somewhere on her own.

The thing that made up her mind was the deep-seated belief that Owl would do whatever she needed him to do. If she said she wanted to go back to the hotel, he’d take her back there without a second thought and without feeling salty or bitter about it. He’d sit with her in that small room and find a way to entertain them. Stone probably would too. But the morning had been so fun. Exciting. And she didn’t want to ruin the good mood they were all in.

“I’ve heard the view from the Space Needle is awesome. I mean, I’m sure it can’t compare to seeing the world from the window of a helicopter, but…”

Owl and Stone’s smiles were so big, they looked almost goofy.

“And there’s Pike Place Market. Oh! Seattle is the place where they have that gum wall, right? I think it’s close to the market too.”

“A gum wall?” Stone asked, looking confused.

“Yeah! It’s a wall covered in chewed gum!” Lara said enthusiastically.

“Gross,” Owl muttered.

“And this is on the top of your must-see list?” Stone asked, the skepticism easy to hear in his voice.

“I just hope they haven’t cleaned the wall recently,” Lara mused.

“Right, so Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and disgusting gum wall…anything else?” Owl asked.

“Ivar’s?” Lara asked, pushing her luck.

“Who’s that?” Stone asked.

“Not who, what. It’s a restaurant. They have amazing oysters…so I’ve heard,” Lara said.

“Didn’t peg you for an oyster girl, but if that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll have,” Owl told her.

“Hopefully they’ll have hamburgers,” Stone muttered.

Lara couldn’t stop smiling. They hadn’t even done anything yet, and she felt amazing. Like her old self. Owl led her to their rental car and lobbed the keys at Stone. “You’re driving,” he ordered as he settled himself in the back seat with Lara.

“Great, now I’m a chauffeur too,” Stone mock-grumbled.

Once she was buckled in, Lara leaned her head against Owl’s shoulder. He put his hand on her thigh, and she sighed in contentment. The worry was still there, but she’d managed to push it down far enough inside her where she could pretend she was a normal woman. On a normal business trip with her normal boyfriend.

She wasn’t normal, she still had a serial killer who’d vowed that she was his, but for now, just for today, she was going to try to ignore the bubble of anxiety that lived inside her. Carter Grant couldn’t get to her. Not with Owl and Stone by her side. She was going to enjoy the day, seeing sights she’d only read about, and then tomorrow, she’d get to do something very few people had a chance to do…travel the country by helicopter.

* * *

“It’s a go,” Ricky Norman said as soon as Carter picked up the phone.

Carter smiled. Huge. “Any problems?”

“None. They took the helicopter up as planned.”

“Was she there?”

“The chick? Yeah.”

“How’d she look? Was she scared? Nervous?” Carter asked impatiently.

“Not really. Actually, she seemed pretty relaxed. Especially around that man of hers.”

“What? What man?”

“The preppy one. The one without glasses. They were holding hands when they left and looking pretty chummy. I thought you said she was your girlfriend?” Ricky asked.

Fury swamped Carter, making it hard to think. Speak. Finally, he growled, “She’s mine.”

“Right. Whatever you say. The money for the bird is supposed to be wired later today, but you still haven’t paid me.”

“You’ll get your money when you deliver the goods,” Carter told him between clenched teeth.

“I’m thinking that’s not fair,” Ricky said. “I’m taking all the risks. Disabling cameras at the airport, getting rid of two people, kidnapping a third. It’s likely I’ll be a wanted man after this. I’m thinking I need at least half up front.”

“No,” Carter spat.

“Right. Then the deal’s off.”

A film of red fell over Carter’s gaze. He was so pissed right now, if Ricky was in front of him, he’d kill him without a second thought. “No, it’s not,” he bit out.

“Then you better wire half my money today. If it’s not in my account by five o’clock this afternoon, the deal’s off. Your girlfriend and her…friends…will fly off with their new chopper tomorrow and live happily ever after on that fortress down in New Mexico, and you’ll have to figure out a new way to get her back.”

Carter’s hands shook with fury. “Fine,” he bit out.

“Fine, what?” Ricky asked.

“I’ll send half your money today. But if anything goes wrong, you aren’t getting the rest.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong. You’ve got it all planned,” Ricky said calmly.

“Fucking right,” Carter said. “Let’s go over it again.”

Ricky sighed, but then said in an almost bored voice, “They’re supposed to be here in the morning to close the deal, before the airport opens. They didn’t even blink at the early time. I’ll walk them out to the hangar where the chopper is stored. It’s the only one here at the moment. I’ll take care of the men first, drug the girl with a sedative, fly her out to your island, and leave with my fancy new helicopter I didn’t have to pay for. I’ll change the serial number, sell her again, and live somewhere warm, all fat and happy.”

Carter grunted his approval, satisfied his accomplice had all the particulars memorized.

Except for the one detail Ricky didn’t know—he wouldn’t be leaving the country with Carter’s money. Once he landed with Lara, he was as good as dead.

Carter was a wanted serial killer, and last he checked, there was a hundred-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. And since Ricky knew where his new hideout was located, he couldn’t be allowed to live to tell anyone. The man was a money whore; he’d rat him out in a heartbeat.

Once Ricky gave him what he wanted, Carter would kill him. He’d dispose of the chopper piece by piece, and then he and Lara would live happily ever after.

Well…he would. Lara probably wouldn’t be very happy, but that didn’t matter.

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t be late,” he warned Ricky.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” he said snarkily. “I’ll be waiting for my money.” Then he hung up.

Carter seethed after the phone call. He hadn’t planned to give Ricky any money. Once he was dead, that money would most likely be gone forever. But eventually, Carter calmed. It didn’t matter how much it cost, as long as he had his favorite toy back.

All Carter could focus on at the moment was the fact that, by this time tomorrow, he’d be standing over a trembling, terrified, restrained Lara Osler, and she’d be sorry she dared defy him. He couldn’t wait.

* * *

Ricky scowled after hanging up on that asshole Carter. It had been difficult to keep his disdain out of his voice as they spoke. The man was arrogant, cocky, and way too confident that intimidation and fear would have everyone doing his bidding. Well, the plans Carter had painstakingly devised weren’t going to go quite as the man expected.

Ricky wasn’t anyone’s errand boy. He had plans of his own for how tomorrow would go…and it involved even more money in his pocket.

He’d meet with Lara and the two men, of course, but he’d do things his way, and Carter would simply have to deal. He knew what Carter expected, but he wasn’t the only one with nefarious connections.

Ricky had made his own deal behind Carter’s back. A deal that included a ton of money in his account and not dirtying his hands with murder.

Tomorrow was going to be fun. Ricky couldn’t wait to see the look on not only Carter’s face when he learned what he’d done, but on the faces of his victims when they realized they weren’t actually going to be flying off in their brand-new helicopter.