Olympia. Left a decade ago, and did a bit of moving around because of the job.” He shrugged. “But I’m pretty sure I’m back for good.”
“This part of the country has a way of staying with you, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s just say when I’m not working, I plan to spend my days off hiking, fishing, and eating seafood.”
“You actually think you’re going to have days off?” She let out a low laugh. “When’s the last time you had a vacation?”
“2010,” he said without breaking a smile. “My plan, though, is to put in a few more years of work, retire early, and open a bait and tackle store on the coast.”
“A bait and tackle store?”
“Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, which means you’d be bored to death.” She glanced at the prisoners. “You do this for a living.”
“A man can dream, can’t he?”
The plane rumbled beneath them.
“Sorry about the rough ride, folks.” The pilot’s voice came over the cabin’s intercom. “There’s no need to be concerned, this is going to get a bit choppy over the next few minutes. We’re going to lower our altitude and see if we can avoid some of the turbulence by flying around the storm.”
Jonas got up quickly, double-checked that their prisoners were secure, then sat back down across from Madison. “You okay?”
“I’m not a fan of rough weather, especially while up in the air, but who is?”
Jonas glanced out the window, figuring from the time that had passed since they left that they were somewhere over Idaho. He’d forgotten just how beautiful this part of the world was. Endless miles of evergreen trees, mountains, and canyons. The last time he visited his mother, he’d never imagined returning permanently, but now that he was back, the timing seemed perfect. And despite the dark storm clouds moving in around them, he was excited about this next chapter in his life.
Jonas grabbed the armrest as the plane dipped again. He double-checked that his seat belt was securely fastened. He wasn’t ready to admit out loud that the turbulence had him on edge, but it did.
He looked behind him. From the look on their passengers’ faces, they felt the same.
Paul Riley’s face had paled, and a panic settled in his eyes as he gripped the armrests. “I need off this plane.”
Barrick leaned forward. “He’s panicking. You need to do something.”
“It will settle down soon. We’ll all be fine.” Jonas tried to sound calm.
Riley tugged on his shackles. “I need to get off this plane.”
Jonas caught Madison’s gaze. He had no idea whether this was a stunt or real panic but getting off wasn’t exactly an option.
Barrick’s voice rose a notch. “He’s having a panic attack.”
Madison leaned over her armrest. “Take a deep breath and try and calm down. The pilot’s working to get us out of the storm. It’s just some turbulence.”
Riley looked unconvinced. “I’m going to throw up.”
“Take a deep breath,” Madison said. “We’re going to be fine.”
“You don’t know that. If we crash—”
“It’s just bad weather,” Jonas said. “The pilots are used to navigating around storms like this—”
“But that isn’t always enough.” Barrick linked his fingers together. “Japan Airlines Flight 123 in 1985—520 dead. Turkish Airlines Flight 981—346 people dead. In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Vanished over the ocean with 239 people on board, and more recently—”
“Barrick, be quiet. You’re not helping.” Jonas got up and crouched down next to Riley. “I want you to listen to me. Thousands of planes take off every day and land successfully at their destination. We’re going to get there safely.”
Never mind that the upcoming trial would probably leave both of them in prison for life.
Riley shook his head. “You don’t know that. Small planes are even more dangerous than commercial air—”
“Flying is the safest form of transportation there is. You’ll be fine.”
Riley sucked in a breath of air and nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced.
The plane dropped again. Jonas grabbed on to the seat back next to him as the pilot came over the speaker once more, asking them to take their seats. Jonas fought to push down the panic bubbling inside him as he stumbled back up the aisle, quickly sliding into his seat.
The pilot’s voice crackled again on the intercom. “Please prepare for a crash landing.”
A crash landing? Surely the pilot wasn’t serious. They were in the middle of nowhere with two prisoners. The plane took a nosedive, confirming the fact that this was no joke. One of the men behind them let out a long groan. Jonas