Desert Secrets. Lisa Harris

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СКАЧАТЬ emergency scenarios and began planning his approach. Because no matter what happened in the next few seconds, he had to be in control of the aircraft. Full flaps, gears down, wings level...

      God, I could really use your help right now.

      Colton held his breath, straining to keep his plane just above the stall speed as he dropped in altitude and made his approach. The theory of landing an aircraft on a soft surface was fairly simple. Control the airspeed of the plane so the wings could support the weight of the craft as long as possible, then touch down at a minimum speed with the nose at a high pitch as the wheels made contact with the ground.

      Whether or not their actual landing ended up to be that straightforward with a section of the plane hit was going to be a whole other story.

THREE

      The impact jolted Colton forward as he touched down the plane, then managed to slide to a stop. Silence engulfed the cabin. His lungs let out a swish of air, but he wasn’t done yet. He needed to get the three of them off the aircraft.

      “Are you two okay?” He glanced at Lexi as he undid his seat belt before moving to open the door. Her face had paled, but she nodded. Bret was also clearly shaken, but seemed okay, as well.

      He waited for them to disembark, still needing to determine the damage to the aircraft. Frustration simmered to the surface as he made his initial assessment. Inside the cockpit, the radio was dead, which likely meant the instrument panel had been damaged on impact, and they’d lost their only way to communicate. Outside the plane, the damage was just as extensive. Beyond the hole left by the attack, one landing gear plus the nose of the plane had been sheared off. There was no way they were flying out of here.

      He joined the others beneath the shadow of the wing, his forehead already beaded with sweat from the heat. He shrugged off his jacket.

      “What can I do to help?” Lexi asked.

      Colton glanced up at sun that had already begun its descent and ran through his options. There was still a strong chance that his team would be able to find them via the plane’s GPS tracker. But for the moment they were on their own. And from his military experience, he knew firsthand how quickly a situation like this could spiral out of control. If they were going to survive, it was going to take them working together and not panicking.

      “It’s going to be dark before long,” he said, quickly taking charge, “which means we need to be prepared to stay here tonight.”

      “What about going for help?” Bret asked. “There’s got to be a village nearby. Because if whoever shot us down finds us...”

      “That’s an option, but we have no idea how far the nearest village is, and with the sun setting, we don’t have time to find it. At least here with the plane’s emergency rations, we’ve got shelter, food and enough water for the time being. And it’s better than heading out unprepared and getting lost. When my team discovers we didn’t make it to Morocco, they’ll start looking for this plane. And if they can track us via the GPS—”

      “If they can track the GPS?” Lexi tugged at the bottom of her T-shirt.

      Colton shook his head. “With no way to communicate with them, I can’t be a hundred percent sure they’re getting the signal. But if they are—and I’m assuming they are—we should be in Morocco by tomorrow.”

      But if his team wasn’t able to receive the signal and track the plane, he knew that surviving the landing intact had been only one of many hurdles they were liable to face. Because statistically, the odds were against them. The average healthy person exposed fully to the sun in this environment wouldn’t last a day without water, and then there were other dangers, as well—like snakes, scorpions and dust storms that were as unpredictable as they were deadly.

      “What do you need me to do?” Bret asked. “I could take a look at the radio. It can’t be much different from one of Noah’s science projects I’ve helped him with over the years.”

      “Are you up to it?” Colton asked.

      “If it’s a way to get help, I’m up for anything.”

      “Just remember, both of you, that with the temperatures as high as they are, we need to conserve both our energy and our water, and stay out of the direct sun as much as possible. Covering your heads and the back of your necks will help, as well.”

      “What about me?” Lexi asked.

      “I’ll need help sorting through the emergency rations.”

      “Of course.”

      “But first...” He walked to the hold on the side of the plane where the emergency rations were stored, thankful nothing looked damaged, and pulled out a small suitcase from the side of the plane. “I brought a couple changes of clothes for Bret, figuring he’d probably lost some weight. And while they might not fit perfectly...”

      He handed her the chocolate-brown cargo pants and a black V-neck T-shirt.

      Lexi looked down at her own bloodstained pants. “Anything is better than what I’m wearing now. Thank you.”

      Colton nodded, then undid the top button of his shirt, while she walked around to the other side of the plane to change. But he couldn’t shake the uneasiness that had settled over him. Because he hadn’t told either of them the entire truth. Their emergency landing had taken them way off course, which meant even with his maps, finding the nearest village in this barren terrain wasn’t going to be easy. And on top of that, every hour they were stuck here was another hour for the insurgents to find them.

      * * *

      Lexi finished changing into the cargo pants Colton had just given her, pulling the drawstring as tight as she could. They were too long and even cinched tightly they were still too big, but she didn’t care. She was just glad she didn’t have to wear the bloodstained clothes any longer. And grateful to be alive—though the thought of being stranded in the middle of the Sahara terrified her almost as much as being kidnapped had.

      She shoved away thoughts of dehydration, heat stroke and scorpions as she came back around to where Colton was already working.

      “Cute outfit,” he said, looking up from the pile of supplies he’d pulled out of the plane.

      “Funny,” she said, returning his grin. “How long will these supplies last?”

      “Several days, but my mission will find us before then,” he said, grabbing the last jug of water.

      “At least you’re prepared,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

      “Our entire fleet carries survival kits appropriate to the region,” he said. “First aid, food rations, water, blankets... “

      “Sounds as if you’ve been through this before.”

      “Two tours in Afghanistan taught me a thing or two about survival.”

      “I’d like to hear some of your stories.”

      If they got out of here.

      She pushed aside the negative thought. Of course they’d СКАЧАТЬ