Coffee and Cockpits (24 page)

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I parked the jeep outside the bustling terminal. More holiday makers had arrived and it was pure chaos as people tried to arrange taxis to hotels, or find their luggage.

Dodging trolleys and dithering passengers, I escorted Nina to the hanger where the Boeing lay in pieces.

A plague of locusts had taken over the morbid science experiment. The Boeing’s undercarriage was now a skeleton. The landing gear was engaged, how it should’ve been when we came in to land, and two men, with their hands covered in grease, worked on the pistons. 

Nina sucked in a shaky breath, eyes swimming with tension. “My God, it seems even worse now.” She squeezed my hand. “We survived that, Liam. You kept it flying. I’ll never stop being in awe.”

I tugged her closer, wrapping an arm to comfort her. “We were lucky. None of the engines cut out, and the flaps didn’t fail. I can’t take credit for us landing safely.” I kissed her temple. “To be honest, it freaked me out seeing the plane in bits, but after our kamikaze spin last night, it doesn’t affect me so much anymore.”

She looked into my eyes, a smile breaking through. “It was fun, wasn’t it? Completely reckless. Probably not the best thing for that ancient plane, but it did help put my worry away.”

The night ride achieved what I’d hoped. It allowed us to spend time together doing something we loved and gave us a new memory of flying. Replacing the crash with stardust and fun.

I kissed her. “Do you think you can fend for yourself for an hour? I have to speak to the CAA. Find out where we stand.” I also owed Mack a huge thank you for allowing us to take the crop-duster last night. 

She nodded and pressed her lips again my cheek. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Go do your captainly duties.”

The thought of leaving her crippled me. I titled her chin up with my finger and brushed her lips with mine. “I’ll come find you.”

She murmured, “Try not to be too long.”

Giving her a soft smile, I scanned the hanger for the one person I hoped she wouldn’t see. I hadn’t thought of Nikolai being here when I impulsively decided to bring her with me. Stupid.

I couldn’t see him, didn’t mean he wasn’t skulking somewhere.

There was nothing I could do about it either. Gritting my teeth, I disappeared into the office.

T
he moment Liam left my side, I was consumed by the broken machine in front of me. Its wings were strapped to large pulleys suspended from the ceiling. Scaffolding encircled the undercarriage as well as a platform at the rear of the plane where so much damage occurred.

My feet moved on their own accord, propelling me toward the wreck as if I were a shard of metal and it was a magnet. I gaped wider with every step.

Pistons, hydraulics, and inner aircraft workings were on display, and I weirdly thought to avert my eyes. As if I looked up the skirt of a beast and saw things not proper for public viewing. 

I weaved around engineers, all assessing different items of wreckage. The entire process was more streamline and efficient than I thought it would be. I envisioned slow going and no urgency. After all, Samoa was a small island where barely a ripple of stress lived. Timelines and deadlines didn’t seem to exist here.

I froze.

Nikolai worked on top of the high-rise scaffolding at the back of the plane. A bundle of wires pooled at his feet while a large tool bag was slung over the railing. A screw driver was wedged between his teeth, his light blue overalls covered in smudges and dirt.

He stared at the open tail of the plane with a gaze both direct and genius-smart—almost as if he could fix the plane by eye power alone.

One minute he was studying the mess, his face contorted into a thinking pose, the next his eyes zeroed in on mine. He spat the screwdriver into his hands. “Nina! I didn’t expect to see you here!”

I didn’t know what to say as he scaled the scaffolding like a flipping monkey and landed beside me. His arms came around me, squeezing me tight. “I came to check on you last night, but you weren’t there.”

I inhaled, which was a big mistake, and got a whiff of male, grease, and hard work. Mixed in with metal and airplane fuel, it was an intoxicating cocktail.

My cheeks blazed. Good thing he hadn’t walked in to see Liam on his knees and me spread-eagled on the bed. “Yes, I went out. Sorry.” I didn’t elaborate on what we’d done. That was personal. Private.

“Are you feeling better today?” His eyes probed into mine.

“Yes, much better. Thank you.”

“Great. So I’ll expect you on the dance floor the minute the sun disappears then.” He smiled. It was such an open and beguiling smile, I returned it.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Perhaps Liam would want to dance, too. Or would that just be weird? Yep, too weird.

“If you spent last evening with Liam, it’s only fair if you spend this evening with me.” He leaned in, his messy brown hair kissing his forehead.

My heart stuttered warningly in my chest. I stepped back, brushing my sun-frazzled hair from my face. Thank God Liam wasn’t around to hear that. I didn’t want to layer onto his insecurities where Nikolai was concerned. Changing the subject, I asked, “How’s the investigation going?”

He grinned, completely in his element, staring up at the hulking plane. “We had a bit of a breakthrough this morning, actually. Come with me. I’ll show you.” He stole my hand, dragging me toward a temporary set of steps positioned by the door.

The emergency slide we activated had been removed. It lay sad and lifeless in the corner of the hanger. I untangled my fingers from his before he darted up the steps two at a time. I looked around, trying to see Liam. Wherever he’d gone, I couldn’t find him.

Not knowing if it was a good idea or not, I took my time climbing the stairs. Crossing into the cabin filled me with conflicting emotions: one, a moment of relief that I was brave enough, and two, a horrid feeling that it wasn’t over. That any moment the plane would drop from its pulleys, crash against the ground, and this time, I wouldn’t survive it.

Nikolai gave me an understanding smile, his hands rested on the seats in the centre of the aisle. “You okay? You’ve gone pale.” He retraced his steps toward me.

I fought the urge to run and find Liam. My neck twinged, sending a fiery burn down my spine. Stupid whiplash still hadn’t healed.

Shoving emotion aside, hoping my face was serene, I said, “No, I’m fine. What were you going to show me?”

He tilted his head. “I know this will be hard for you, but it might help you heal knowing what happened.” His tone was sweet and encouraging.

The small perks of interest from Sydney nudged me.
You do like him. What’s not to like. Yes, but he’s not Liam.

Nikolai motioned down the aisle, walking a little before waiting for me to catch up. “I’ll make sure to tell you in the nicest possible way. No scary stuff. I promise.”

I smiled for his benefit, suffering guilt in silence. Every step I took to the rear galley layered more wrongness on me. What would Liam say if he caught me down here?

As if he’d appear from the cockpit, my head swivelled to look behind me. The door hung open, showing the drab and unused control panel—lifeless in its hanger death.

It was so strange being on the plane without Liam dressed in his dashing pilot’s uniform, and Sam and Joslyn’s bubbly personalities. It was like walking in a home of a person who died. A funeral procession down the aisle. I needed a wreath, or flowers, something to show my respects. 

“You coming, Nina?” Nikolai called.

Sucking in a deep breath, I picked up my pace. Nikolai waited for me by seat 24B. I was sure that wasn’t a coincidence.

“Remember what I told you? That you made me feel for the first time in ten years? I’ll always think of twenty-four as my lucky number. It was where my heart started beating again.”

My own heart flopped. What the hell happened to him ten years ago? Was it related to what happened to Liam? How did they know each other? Knowing I needed to put an end to his outspoken declarations, I opened my mouth to say… something, anything. I didn’t know.

He must’ve sensed my reluctance, as he said, “Come on. We’ve removed the panels at the back so you can see what happened.”

The sudden urge to understand why we crashed was the only thing moving my feet. The moment I knew, I’d leave. I needed to track down Liam. I needed to dispel this shaky confusion rioting inside.

I gasped. Nikolai wasn’t kidding when he said they’d opened the plane. A few rows of seats were torn out and overhead lockers removed. The chunk left behind was open, showing coils of wires and a terrifying black sooty shadow. 

“If we were on fire, how did we not smell smoke?” My voice trembled. Memories of the training drill, the acrid smoke swamping me, clutched my throat. If the cabin had filled with flames, it wouldn’t have mattered if we landed safely. We would’ve been a barbeque takeaway by the time we arrived.

 “I listened to the black box recording. There was a muffled bang and Captain Anderson discussed it with you. Do you remember how loud it was?” Nikolai slipped into detective mode. Capable. Intelligent.

I responded like a victim—fumbling through that brief memory before we hurtled toward earth. “Yes. It was loud. Ear-shattering loud.”

Nikolai pointed at a small conjunction box where a bunch of wires snaked into. It was partially melted. Fire turned them to wax, before hardening into ghoulish pattern. “This is what you heard.”

“Is that connected to the autopilot?” My eyes tried to follow the spaghetti of wires, but quickly gave up.

“No, but this one is.” He pointed to a thick cord of plaited cables disappearing toward the cockpit. “The conjunction box should’ve stopped the surge from traveling to the other electronics. It didn’t.” Trailing his fingertip along the cables, he added, “Because it failed, the next thing to go was the landing gear. Then the autopilot. It all happened in such quick succession, there was nothing anyone could’ve done.”

Some of the wires were melted in a puddle of black, reds, and yellows. “Did the fire put itself out?”

Nikolai gave me a crooked smile. “Luckily, the explosion tore a hole in the outer shell. The wind extinguished the fire before it could spread.”

I stepped closer, reaching out to touch the cause of our crash. “Was anyone at fault?”

His eyes dropped to my lips. “No. No one’s to blame. Just bad luck.” He leaned forward, breathing harsher. “It could’ve been a lot worse. I’m so thankful you landed safely.”

If he was so thankful, he should thank Liam and Anderson. They were the heroes in this mess. Nikolai should also honour that by keeping his distance. He knew Liam and I liked each other; he shouldn’t crowd me like he was.

“The moment I got the call about the downed Kiwi Air, I couldn’t get on the charter flight fast enough. Even though I barely know you, just the thought you were hurt rammed a pole through my chest.” He grabbed my hand putting it right over his heart. “It hurt right here.” His lips parted, hazel eyes smouldering.

My lungs wheezed. Holy fire. We were all alone in an airplane, and the air had become thick as glue. I didn’t want him this close, but at the same time, I had trouble remembering exactly why.

He leaned in.

I froze.

I couldn’t move as his mouth grazed against mine. His fingers clenched, lacing with my digits still on his chest. The zipper of his overalls scraped my palm.

The friction sent a flare of panic. This wasn’t right. I couldn’t do this. Liam. He didn’t deserve this.

I wriggled, wrenching my hand back. This wasn’t me. I didn’t let one man bulldoze my world, allow him to turn me inside out, then run to another. And I certainly didn’t want to be a slut by leading them both on. Not to mention the hurt I’d cause Liam. Pain weighted me at the sheer thought of him hating me; cursing me for kissing Nikolai. My God, what had I done?

“Don’t kiss me.” I pushed him.

He blinked at my tone. “I only wanted to show you how much I like you. How much I care already. Don’t shut me out just because you’ve spent a few days in Liam’s company.” His face flickered with past memories, hurt, anguish. “I don’t want you to think I hate Liam. It’s quite the opposite. He’s a fantastic guy, and he deserves you, but I deserve you too. We’re the same, you and I.”

My brain misfired. I shook my head. “We aren’t the same. We dance well together, that’s all. I’m truly sorry, Nikolai, but my feelings for Liam overshadow what I felt for you.” I was a bitch admitting it, but he had to know the truth.

A flash of anger pulsed across his face. He leaned forward, trapping me against the cylindrical wall of the plane. Hands splayed on either side of me, trapping me. “I respect that. Truly I do, and I won’t be a sore loser, but I need to ask one last time. Was there something between us in Sydney?”

Tension knotted my shoulders. I hated being so close to him. It conjured residual feelings from dancing. Hot, sensual feelings that had no place in this conversation. “Yes. There was something.” Before the crash. Before Liam. Before my life turned topsy-turvy and I let my heart free.