Turbulent Intentions (19 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Cooper and Nick moved in sync around the hangar where they were working on the P-51 D plane they’d been ecstatic to get their hands on. It was going to take them months, if not over a year, to complete the project, but when she was restored to her former glory, they’d be fighting over who got to fly her the most.

Turning too fast, Cooper knocked over a bottle of oil, the slimy black liquid running through his fingers. He quickly cleaned it up, then got back to his brother who was beneath the plane hard at work.

“Are you going to take all night?” Nick hollered.

“I’m coming,” Cooper yelled back with a roll of the eyes.

“Cooper Armstrong! Is that really you?”

Cooper turned around and found Keri Jensen running up to him from across the hangar bay.

“Hi, Keri. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here with my brother. He’s taking me up in a few minutes.”

“Well, I don’t want to keep you,” he said.

“I’ve missed you,” she cried.

Keri had been one of his favorite flight attendants to flirt with back in the day, a tall blonde with all the right curves in exactly the right places. Plus, she was perky, fun, and always out for a good time. He’d decided after one night of hanging out with her that he thanked God she was one of the few women he hadn’t slept with. They were much better off as friends.

Before he even finished his thoughts, she was launching herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him with a loud smacking noise.

“Keri, I’m in a relationship. I can’t have you crawling on me anymore,” he said with a laugh as he tried to untangle her.

“Oh, heck, if you’re in a relationship, she’ll be the type of girl who will appreciate me,” she told him, not moving.

“She’s great, but I don’t think any girl likes to see her man wrapped around a pretty blonde,” he said with a laugh.

“But I’ve missed you so much,” she said with a pout.

“I’ve missed you, too.” And Cooper did love his friends.

“Work has called,” he told her with another laugh.

“It’s not always about being a mile high in the sky, love. Friends are important, too,” she reminded him.

“Yes, I tend to forget that at times,” he admitted.

“Okay, my brother is gonna kill me. Love you, darling.” She leaned in, gave him another smacking kiss, then jumped down.

“Just think, you actually thought about marrying that girl so you could get your inheritance,” Nick said with a laugh.

“For all of two seconds. Then I realized the money just wasn’t worth it,” Cooper replied with a laugh. “I adore her, but she’s just too high maintenance. It took me seconds to decide friendship was the only thing we could sustain.”

“Well, looks like you might be getting that money after all,” Nick added with a wink.

“Yeah,” Cooper said. Though he didn’t give a damn about the rest of his inheritance. He had more than enough money of his own. He didn’t need any more. But he did want to marry Stormy. It was a wonder to him. “I am going to ask her to marry me,” he finished.

“Not bad. A hot wife, more cash in your bottomless pockets, and all the sex you can ask for.”

“You’re such an ass, Nick,” Cooper replied with another laugh. “But yes, married life doesn’t seem so bad anymore.”

“Are you kidding me?” Stormy was standing in the doorway, her face washed of color.

“Stormy,” Cooper called, a smile lifting his lips until he saw her face. Crap! How much of that conversation had she heard? He played it back in his mind. It couldn’t have sounded right.

“I thought . . . I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said, her eyes filling.

“Let’s talk. It’s not what you think,” he said as he held a hand out to her like she was a frightened puppy.

“It sounds like you need to find a wife to get a bunch of money,” she said.

Tightness constricted his chest. He’d been so worried about not allowing a woman to use him for his money and here she was infuriated that he’d kept the inheritance a secret from her. How wrong could he have been? Apparently, he was a fool.

But there was a light inside him in the midst of all of this because she was unlike any woman he’d ever been around. She was fresh and pure, and there was nothing even remotely conniving or greedy about her.

“Well, yes and no. I get my inheritance if I marry, but that’s not why I was thinking of proposing,” he told her. He was fumbling this badly. He wasn’t doing well being put on the spot.

“You aren’t who I thought you were, Cooper,” she said, her tears drying as she glared at him.

“I’ve never pretended to be anyone other than who I am with you, Stormy,” he told her. It was so true.

“Find another bride to get your inheritance.”

She turned and ran from the hangar.

“Ouch. You screwed that one up,” Nick said.

“You screwed it up. Hell!” Cooper thundered. “I’ll go talk to her.”

He took a step forward to catch her and fell flat on his face.

“What the hell?” Sharp pain shot through his ankle as he looked down to the jack he’d tripped over.

“Ouch,” Nick said with another laugh.

“Dammit, Nick. I don’t have time for this. I really must go talk to her,” Cooper said as he slowly stood and tried to put weight on the ankle. Pain clouded his vision.

“Ha. I don’t think you’re going anywhere but the doctor to get that foot looked at,” Nick told him.

“When in the hell are you going to learn to put your things away,” Cooper growled, knowing his brother was right.

“Hey, don’t try to change me, man,” Nick said. “Let’s get out of here. You can grovel with your woman later.”

Cooper reluctantly agreed as he limped behind his brother toward his old, filthy truck. “Why in the world are you still driving this piece of shit?” Cooper grumbled.

“Because I love old Bitsy. She’s been good to me,” Nick said before his grin widened. “Besides, when the big EMP strike hits, your and Mav’s fancy electronic cars won’t be nothing but pretty lawn ornaments, while this beast will be hauling your asses around.”

“It’s okay. If it hits, I’ll most likely be up in the air, falling to the ground.”

“Well, that’s a positive way to look at things,” Nick said with a roll of his eyes.

The truck roared to life, and they headed from the parking lot in the direction of the urgent care center, where the staff knew the Armstrong brothers by name. Injuries tended to happen when you were adrenaline junkies.

When his brother stopped talking, Cooper reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box he’d been holding on to for three days.

Unexpectedly, he had fallen in love with Stormy. And though she was upset with him right now, when she was calm and the two of them were talking in a reasonable manner, they could get on with their lives.

That improved his mood. Why wouldn’t it work out?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

What was she going to do? Stormy was so flustered she couldn’t even think. Instead of even trying, she hurried back to the house and called a cab. She had a few items to grab; the rest she didn’t care about. She needed time to come to terms with the situation and she needed to do it away from Cooper.

They were going to talk again, but she couldn’t even imagine looking at his face right now. Had this all been his way of getting money? Didn’t he have enough? How much did one person need?

She walked into the house, then rushed to her room and packed what she would need for the next couple weeks. She’d send a friend for the rest later.

Stepping into the kitchen, she pulled out a pen and paper and jotted down a quick note. She then took the picture of the ultrasound out of her purse. He had a right to know, even if she didn’t want to share this joy with him.

Just as she stood up, she heard the front door slam, and her heart lodged in her throat. No! This wasn’t happening.

“Stormy!”

A sigh of relief washed through her. Though she didn’t want to face any of the Armstrong brothers right now, she’d rather deal with Nick than Cooper.

She stayed quiet, hoping he wouldn’t think she was there. When she thought she heard him go up the stairs, she left the note and picture and then rushed to the front door.

“Stormy? What’s up with the bag?” Nick asked, blocking her escape.

“Hey, Nick. I . . . um . . . I’ve got to go,” she said, trying to decide if she could rush him to get past.

“Go where?” He wasn’t budging.

“I just have to go,” she told him.

“Stormy . . .” He seemed at a loss for words.

“Please . . .” Her voice choked. “No!” She pushed past him, and in his surprise he let her go.

She rushed out to the waiting cab, nearly weeping again, she was so grateful it was there. Getting into the backseat, she told the driver to just go. He was confused a moment, but then he pulled out onto the street, not asking any questions.

She told him the address of where they were going after he was a couple blocks away from the house. She leaned back, grateful to have gotten away in one piece.

“What the hell?” The cab driver suddenly swerved, making Stormy’s stomach heave. “I’m sorry ma’am. There’s a problem.”

She looked out the window and was horrified to see Nick’s truck blocking them. Had he chased the cab down?

“Stormy, come with me!”

He’d thrown open her door and was standing there looking fierce.

“Nick, what in the world are you doing?”

“I’m keeping you from making one hell of a mistake,” he said, reaching in and taking her arm.

“Ma’am, do I need to call the police?” the cabbie asked, only looking half interested in what was going on.

“No, you don’t need to call the flipping police,” Nick snapped. “Do I look like a maniac?”

The cab driver’s brows rose up as if telling Nick that yes, indeed he did.

“No. You don’t need to call the police,” Stormy said before things got too out of control.

Nick tossed some money at the cabbie, then grabbed her bag and her arm and led her from the cab and to his truck. She reluctantly allowed him to drag her behind him.

She climbed into his dirty truck. “Are you kidnapping me?” she asked, getting some of her bite back.

“Yes,” he said, not worried about her temper.

“Well, since you got rid of my ride, then you can take me where I’m going,” she told him. Even though she wasn’t sure she wanted any of the Armstrong men to know where she was going, she wasn’t left with much choice now. She could go to the train station. Then he wouldn’t have a clue.

“Take me downtown to the train station,” she finally said. She would accept his ride, but not listen to him.

“Cooper’s at the doctor’s office,” he said, his voice sounding solemn.

She didn’t want to bite, but she couldn’t help it. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s bad . . .” he began.

“Nick, what happened?” she demanded.

“Okay, it’s not too bad, but he sent me in case you were doing exactly what you’re doing, and trying to run away.”

“Ugh!” She threw her head back and sighed in disgust.

“Why are you running, Stormy?”

She was silent for a while, but he just waited, glancing at her now and then with an anxious expression. She knew she wasn’t getting out of this.

“Look, I thought we had something together, your brother and I. Now, I see he’s just greedy, that I could have been any woman. I just so happened to be the one around when he got the urge to add to his bank account.”

“You do have something,” Nick insisted. “What you heard . . .” he began when she stopped him.

“I heard you loud and clear, Nick. Does he or does he not get a large sum of money if he marries?” she demanded.

Nick squirmed in the seat next to her and she had her answer, though she wasn’t getting out of the truck until he said it out loud. She needed this. She needed to let go. She gave him a hard look until his shoulders sagged and he let out a sigh.

“Yes. We all get the second part of our inheritance when we marry. But, I guarantee you that Cooper cares about you. Him dating you has nothing to do with that stupid clause in the will.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said with a sigh. Her anger was draining, and she just felt empty inside. Her fingers gently skittered across her flat stomach. What was she going to do now?

“He loves you, Stormy. I know my brother and I know how he feels,” Nick insisted.

This was why she hadn’t wanted to wait around. She’d known that glimmer of hope would be sitting in her heart at the first explanation that was given to her. Because she wanted it to be real between her and Cooper.

“I need time, Nick. I can’t think right now. I just need time, please,” she said, her eyes burning, her muscles trembling.

He gave her a look that said he wanted to argue more, but then he hung his head.

“My brother is going to kill me,” he mumbled. “But if time is what you need, then I will give that to you. But I refuse to drop you at a train station.” His words were firm.

“Okay, you can take me to my friend’s house, but you have to promise not to tell Cooper. I want time alone to figure out how I feel without mixed emotions being involved.”

“I’ll keep your secret.”

They rode silently to Bellingham and Nick gave her a hug before leaving her behind. Stormy would get it all figured out, she promised herself. Her fingers rubbing over her belly, she knew she had no other choice other than to figure it out.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The setting sun lay peacefully below the horizon as the vast sea of stars filled the purple sky, mirroring the ocean’s surface as if the two were one. The Trans Pacific airliner climbed through the smooth air feeling motionless, uninterrupted except by occasional white puffs of clouds. The interior of the cabin was mostly dark, with only a few reading lights illuminating the beige-colored walls and blue cloth seats.

It would be a long flight and most of the passengers were getting comfortable, preparing to sleep. The flight attendants were occupied in the front galley, chatting about the current company gossip and the newest romance novels by Ruth Cardello, J. S. Scott, and Sandra Marton.

One of the reading lights was softly illuminating a children’s book as a mother quietly read to her toddler, who was holding a teddy bear.

An elderly couple seated a few rows back, not able to sleep, continued with their nightly routine. The gentleman sat with reading glasses on his nose, trying to answer the next crossword question. His wife sat in silence, her eyes fixed on her favorite Nora Roberts story. A pair of newlyweds was getting comfortable not far behind them, just having begun their journey on a two-week-long honeymoon.

Cooper and Wolf were busy making radio calls and setting their instruments for the continuation of the flight.

As both captain and first officer settled into their seats, having completed all checklists and entries into the flight computer, the aircraft cruised on autopilot. Cooper agreed to take the first watch, as Wolf began to play a movie on his iPad.

Periodically glancing at the flight instruments, Cooper mostly gazed out the window at the stars above and the purple sunset below. His thoughts, as always, were on Stormy. It had been two days since they’d spoken. Two days since he’d learned he was going to be a father.

Nick had assured him that Stormy only needed a couple days of peace, and then she would listen to him. Well, a couple of days were up and she wasn’t answering her phone.

What he needed to do was get this damn plane to Hawaii so he could get turned around and back to the woman who would become his wife—if he could convince her of it. He was a sucker for even taking the flight. One of his guys had a kid in the hospital getting her tonsils removed so here Cooper was.

Filled with impatience, he looked down at his watch, knowing there were still at least ten hours of flying to get there and back again.

About an hour into the flight, the sunset seemed to have progressed little as the aircraft flew westbound for Hawaii, the light of day still present in brilliant purples, shades of peach and pink.

Cooper continued to ponder Stormy, still impatiently stressing about the amount of time it would take before he could speak with her. Soon. He’d waited two days, so a few more hours weren’t going to kill him.

With his mind frazzled, he was quickly pulled from his thoughts when the plane shuddered. Good. He’d rather have to pay attention to flying than think about things he could do nothing about at the moment.

“Must be some rough skies,” Cooper told Wolf, who immediately put away his iPad. Reaching up, Cooper turned on the fasten seat belt sign as a precaution for those in back.

Seconds later, the instrument panel lit up with yellow caution lights. As the flight deck panels began to blink, an audible
bing
sounded a warning. The two seasoned pilots examined the instrument cluster for the source of the anomalous caution light.

“Looks like low hydraulic pressure, left side,” Cooper said. “Wolf, check your circuit breakers to see if that doesn’t solve—”

Before Cooper could finish his sentence, a violent explosion rocked the aircraft. The controls now flashed with red and yellow warning lights, the audible warnings from the computer urgent:
bing-bing-bing.

“What the hell?” Wolf shouted as the master warning on the panel chimed wildly.

“It must’ve been an internal failure,” Cooper yelled. “Begin the restart procedure.”

As Cooper reached for the restart checklist, the flight computer and instrument panel again wildly warned of danger:
bing-bing-bing
. “Engine fire—One! Engine fire—One!” The audible male voice of the computer barked at the pilots, warning them of fire in the engines.

“Engine fire! Shut her down and discharge the extinguisher!” Cooper forcefully commanded as the noise of the audible warnings now chimed without end.

The passengers, many shaken from sleep, were startled and now fully awake at the sound of shattering metal and extreme vibrations. A soft orange glow began illuminating the dark cabin through the windows.

As the passengers peered out, they could see that the left-hand engine was mangled and glowing orange with fire, the wing around it torn to shreds. The sound of the remaining good engine spooled up to a high-pitched whine as the plane pitched violently downward, then left as it began to roll into a spiral.

“Everyone, stay calm,” the lead flight attendant tried to reassure and calm the anxious passengers, only to be interrupted by the emergency oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling.

The scene quickly became more desperate as fear overcame both crew and passengers alike. Men and women were shakily grabbing for the flimsy orange masks that would provide them with emergency oxygen.

On the flight deck, the captain and first officer struggled to control the passenger jet with its two hundred plus souls on board. The computer continued to bark at the two men: “Bank angle! Bank angle!
Whoop, whoop
. Pull up!
Whoop, whoop
. Pull up!”

“We’re losing altitude fast, Coop,” Wolf shouted as the gauges spiraled down, like a stopwatch ticking to its inevitable end. The plane was still locked in a spiraling dive.

“I know, I know,” Cooper responded with slight terror in his voice as he gripped the shaking yoke, trying to turn the plane back toward the airport.

“Seattle Center, this is Trans Pacific 422, declaring an emergency,” Cooper announced. The radio only responded with feedback. “Seattle Center, Seattle, Trans Pacific 422, we’re burning up, we’re not going to make it . . .” he said, now with an eerie calm in his voice.

Wolf, seeing there was no response from air traffic control, attempted the call with his radio. “Mayday, mayday, Seattle Center. Trans Pacific 422. Emergency, we are going down! Do you copy?”

“Trans Pacific 422, acknowledged. We have all runways open for you, fire crash rescue is standing by.”

“No. We’re not going to make it. We’re going down now!”

The cabin tumbled like a washing machine; luggage and other personal effects were thrashing about as the plane rotated out of control. The flight attendants were strapped into their seats, one holding the seat belt across her chest, sobbing with fear.

The reading mother now held her child tightly as the child’s once captive teddy bear floated weightlessly up and down as the aircraft rolled wing over wing, spiraling downward into the deep blue abyss.

The old couple a few rows back gently gripped each other’s hands and looked into one another’s eyes, figuring it was their last moment together and wanting to remember their years of happiness. The newlyweds sat in a tight embrace, bitter about the life they’d never get to experience.

“Wolf, let’s put her in the Pacific,” Cooper exclaimed as he muscled the yoke to pitch the plane’s nose up.

“I don’t think she’s giving us much of a choice!”

For Cooper the world went silent, as if time were standing still. He was responsible for so many lives that were about to end, and though he was doing everything he could to prevent that, a picture of Stormy flashed through his mind. He should have told her he loved her, should have fought to see her.

“I’ve still got things to say to people,” Cooper told Wolf. “We have to stop the aircraft from rolling over on itself if we’re to have any chance of making it out of this alive.”

The two pilots moved the control yoke with great effort to the right in an attempt to counteract the aircraft from spiraling upside down.

“Wolf, when I tell you to, I need you to add full flaps to try and stabilize and counter the roll,” Cooper shouted as he placed his hands on the throttles.

Wolf looked over at Cooper with a nod of his head, approving the plan. He placed his steady fingers on the flap lever.

“Now!”

As the flaps began to cycle down, a shudder could be felt throughout the spinning aircraft. Cooper advanced the throttles, straining every ounce of power from one remaining engine, as the flight computer continued to alarm: “
Whoop, whoop
. Pull up! Altitude! Too low!
Whoop, whoop.
Pull up!”

The two pilots continued battling the dying aircraft, their muscles pushed to the limit, groaning under the pressure of the g-force and strain of the controls. Their view quickly became dominated by the ocean waiting below.

“Come on, baby . . . come on,” Cooper pleaded with the plane.

“We’ve lost number two!” Wolf called out, as the gauges indicated that the one remaining engine had begun to spool down—the red lights and caution alarms confirmed its untimely death.

Meanwhile, Cooper gave no further heed to the alarms, his aim only to level the aircraft in time to guide it into the water as gently as possible.

The flight computer cried out their altitude, pleading desperately with the pilots to save the plummeting plane: “Five hundred! Pull up!”

The jet continued to spiral, falling below five hundred feet. “
Whoop, whoop
. Pull up! Too low! Terrain! Pull up!”

In an instant, all people on board Trans Pacific 422 experienced the same jarring flash of brilliant light and deafening noise as the commercial flight disappeared off the air traffic control’s radar and into the sea.