Nonstop (Open Skies #3) - Becca Jameson Page 0,53

as the man gritted into her ear. “You. Fucking call into the cockpit and tell them if they pull a stunt like that again, I’m shooting five people.”

Bex’s hand was shaking as she reached for the phone and held it to her ear. Just as she was about to speak, the man grabbed the phone from her and shouted into it himself. “You’ll keep this plane steady or I’ll start shooting passengers, understood?” He was shouting loud enough for several rows of passengers to hear him, causing panic to ripple down the rows of seats.

Bex willed the people to be quiet, but she also knew how hard that was.

The man slammed the phone back down and stepped closer to CJ, his hand on Bex’s jaw. “Hurry up.”

“I’m trying.” CJ was scrambling to grab everything he needed from around him.

Bex watched as Bracken’s foot landed on something and then pulled it back, shoving it behind him. She was a bit surprised when Raeann reached out from her squatting position, grabbed the item, and tucked it behind the last drink cart. Hopefully, it was important.

CJ kept looking around. “Fuck.”

“What the fuck is wrong?”

“The fucking fuse is missing.” He stood and spun around.

Bracken pressed back out of the way as if he didn’t want to get involved.

When Bex’s assailant let his hand slide down to her neck, she panicked. Her mind went someplace else. It was like she left her body and flashed back to the rapist who held her against the wall in that bedroom when she was sixteen. Her next vision was of the trafficker gripping Christa by the neck.

Bex forced herself to remain calm. He wasn’t cutting off her airway. Panicking was not going to help this situation at all. She needed to be strong. Stay alert. Pay attention to everything around her. She was beyond grateful to have taken Shayla’s place. That was all that mattered here, but it wouldn’t do any good if all of them died in a crash.

Suddenly Scar shouted at his partner. “Get the fuck out of the way. I’ll shoot through the door.”

Bex stiffened. There was no time to react. One second later the man shot four rounds into the locking mechanism and the door swung open.

It seemed like ten things happened at once.

Bracken grabbed CJ’s gun from him and shot him in the head. This is what Bex was watching with wide, horrified eyes while Scar, still holding Bex, opened fire into the cockpit.

Screams filled the plane once again, and Bex jerked her attention back to Bracken just as he turned his aim at her assailant. She squeezed her eyes closed, praying she didn’t get shot while at the same time knowing that she would sacrifice herself for the good of the rest of the plane. If all of these people were saved, she would gladly give her own life.

A pop sounded close to her ear, and suddenly the hand around her neck dropped as the man fell to the ground.

Bex jumped to avoid being taken down with him, sucking in oxygen even though he hadn’t really cut off her air supply. Her ears were ringing louder now, all the sounds around her muffled. For a moment, she thought she’d been the one shot.

Bracken lowered the gun and grabbed Bex by the arm, forcing her to look at him. “You okay?”

She nodded as he rushed into the cockpit. The plane was steadily losing altitude. She stepped into the doorway behind him, wanting to assess the damage and find out what they would need. She could see if there was another pilot on the plane.

She gasped when she noticed one pilot—the first officer—was slumped over the controls, apparently dead, and the other pilot—the captain—was holding his shoulder, gasping in pain.

Bracken turned around. “Find out if there’s a pilot on board.”

She reached for the phone to make the call while Bracken moved the dead pilot off the controls and eased him down behind the seat. She lifted her gaze to see that many people were on their feet now.

Everyone was talking at once, shouting over each other.

“Are they dead?”

“Are the pilots okay?”

“Are we going to die?”

“What’s going on?”

She cleared her throat as she glanced at Raeann who was pulling herself to standing but looked like she was about to go into shock. Shayla rushed over to Raeann and took her by the shoulders to help her back to the seat Bex had vacated.

Bex held the handset to her mouth. “Everyone, please calm down. I need