Ramsey's Gold (Drake Ramsey Book 1) (45 page)
Read Ramsey's Gold (Drake Ramsey Book 1) Online
Authors: Russell Blake
“Sounds like you know what you’re doing,” Liu said.
“As much as anyone. What we’ll do is drop to no more than a thousand feet off the canopy as we near the border. Safest bet if you don’t want to announce your arrival. Laos is largely unpatrolled, but occasionally Myanmar will have choppers around. Although I’ve heard lately that they’re so broke they can’t get parts, so who knows?”
“What about Thailand?”
“Oh, they’ll have us on radar, more than likely, but a few baht handed out to the right people on the ground will ensure no questions are asked. Thailand is sort of a live-and-let-live place. I filed a flight plan for Pa Sak, but will claim that I had engine issues so had to land in Chiang Mai. Nobody will care as long as palms are greased.”
“And customs?”
“That can also be a matter of money. Depends on how badly you want to stay out of the system.”
“Perhaps it would be best if we did.”
“Then get your wallet out. Anything’s possible, but nothing’s free.” The pilot paused. “We’re just crossing the mountain range that runs along the border. We’ll be out of Chinese airspace in a few more minutes, and then we’ll begin tapering off our altitude. Highest point along this course is six thousand feet, so we’re actually still pretty close even at this height.”
The plane bucked when it hit some rough air, and the pilot peered through the windshield at a line of thunderheads ahead, their outlines stretching high into the heavens, blocking the stars from view. He eyed his compass and banked to the right while dropping. Flashes of lightning pulsed in the clouds, and he stabbed a finger in their direction.
“We’re better off giving those a wide berth. It can get ugly quickly.”
“There’s no problem going off course?” Liu asked.
“Adds a little time, but are you in a particular hurry?”
“Better safe than sorry, right?”
They watched as the pilot took them down before settling at a thousand feet above the mountainous terrain below. From that distance they could make out the tops of the trees in the faint moonlight, punctuated by barren patches and the occasional peak of a rocky outcropping.
The pilot was adjusting a knob when a loud explosion shook the plane. The windshield cracked from metal shards and the engine alarm sounded as the prop pinwheeled away into the night. The pilot’s eyes widened in shock and he battled with the flaps as the plane pitched downward.
Liu’s hand flew to his face, where blood seeped from a laceration in his forehead. His voice was a strangled cry when he managed words, “Oh, my God! What happened?”
The pilot gritted his teeth and yelled, “Something on the engine blew. We’re going down.”
“No…,” Liu said as flames licked from the engine compartment and smoke poured from the ruined fuselage.
“We can glide, but it’s going to be a hard landing,” the pilot warned, eyeing the altimeter, which was unwinding as the plane dropped toward the earth. Christine gripped the seat, her face frozen in speechless fear.
“Do you see anyplace we can set down safely?” Liu asked, and then a second explosion rocked the aircraft, and it pitched toward the rapidly rising landscape.
“Hang on,” the pilot screamed, and twisted the yolk at the last minute when he spotted a stream below.
The last thing Christine heard was Liu’s alarmed yell as they crashed into the rocky river bed, instantly destroying most of the cockpit while water flooded the cabin.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
