Unfinished Business (26 page)

“Christy! Behind you! Look out!”

The split second that Alex’s attention was diverted had been enough for the man with the knife to gain an advantage. It took Alex only a minute to feel the burning pain in his leg where the man’s blade had sliced.

Alex knew he had to ignore the pain. Christy was in trouble. With the roar of a fierce lion intent on protecting his mate, he gave the man a hard kick to his midsection, sending him sprawling backward as the knife flew out of his hand.

Alex’s head snapped around with the deafening sound of a shot being fired. Christy, her blouse ripped, was holding a smoking revolver in her hand and standing over the body of the man who’d come back on deck.

Alex was about to go to her when he heard Christy’s frantic warning and turned in time to see that the man he had knocked down earlier had regained his balance and was wielding his knife again. The man’s blade moved in Alex’s direction, aiming straight for his heart. Alex ducked and pulled out a gun that was tucked in the waist of his pants and with the anger of a man who had reached his limit, pulled the trigger. The shot sent the man down, and his blade went with him.

Breathing deep, Alex turned and quickly crossed the deck to Christy. Taking off his jacket, he placed it around her as he pulled her into his arms. When he felt her trembling, he pulled her closer. “It’s OK, baby. It’s over.”

He tried not to think of how the man had tried attacking Christy. But in the end she had given him his due. It appeared that both men were dead because of their lust. Alex closed his eyes, not wanting to think what would have been Christy’s fate if the men had succeeded in their plans.

He chuckled and when she pulled back and met his gaze questioningly, he reached out and lovingly caressed her cheek with the tip of his finger. “That will teach anyone to mess with the Maxwells.”

 
“Alex, are you sure you’re all right?” Christy asked with deep concern in her voice. They had made it to the Kiribati island and were about to get airborne for Honolulu.

She hadn’t realized that Alex had gotten injured until they reached the airfield and she noticed the blood that had soaked through his jeans. It had taken a lot to convince him to stand still long enough for her to rip the sleeve off her blouse and use it as a bandage to try to stop the bleeding.

Alex squeezed her hand reassuringly as he strapped himself into the seat. No, he wasn’t all right, but he wouldn’t tell her that. Right now the pain in his leg was killing him, but he would try to ignore it and get them out of there. He was more than anxious to get back on U.S. soil. Only then would he seek medical attention.

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” he lied, and forced a smile over to her. “Once you’re all settled, then I’ll fly this thing out of here,” he said, cranking up the engine.

She smiled over at him as she strapped up. “I’m ready.”

For some reason Christy couldn’t dismiss the concern she felt as she watched Alex put on a pair of headphones and shift the gears that started the plane moving down the runway. She had tried convincing him to get medical help for his leg before they flew out but he had staunchly refused. As the plane began gathering speed she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She had left the States nearly three days ago very much a single woman but was returning a happily married one.

“I can’t believe they left us behind,” Syneda Madaris said angrily as she paced the room.

“Yes, the nerve of them,” Lorren piped in.

“Too bad none of us can fly their plane,” Caitlin added.

“Yeah,” Felicia and Corinthians chimed in simultaneously.

A few seconds later all five women turned and gave Tori Warren, wife of Sir Drake and a former CIA agent, a curious stare. Tori was sitting at the table next to Nettie, Ashton’s wife, giving her full attention to the little boy she held in her arms. Fifteen-month-old Deke Warren looked so much like his father it was ridiculous.

Tori glanced up when she felt all eyes on her. She raised a curious brow. “What?”

“Can you fly a plane?” Syneda asked. Since getting to know Tori they had discovered the woman could do just about anything.

Tori shrugged. “Sure. Why do you ask?”

Syneda raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Tori, haven’t you been listening? Our husbands have deserted us and didn’t invite us to go along.”

Tori raised a curious brow. “Yes, but aren’t they on their way to Honolulu to pick up Christy?”

“Yes,” Lorren said, “but trust me there’s a lot going on with Christy and when they find out, all hell is going to break loose.”

“And we need to be there when it happens,” Caitlin added.

Tori nodded. “OK,” she said slowly. The former CIA agent in her couldn’t help wondering what was going on with Christy that would get her brothers so upset. “And I guess one of you has a plane stashed somewhere that we can use?” she asked jokingly.

Lorren nodded. “Yes, we have a plane. Dex, Clayton, and Justin own one together. We used it to fly here from Ennis and I see no reason why we can’t borrow it.”

Tori blinked. She hadn’t actually expected them to pop up with a plane and couldn’t help but chuckle when she glanced over at Nettie. “So do you think we should fly to Hawaii and keep our men out of trouble?”

Nettie smiled. Like everyone else, she knew how things could get if Ashton, Trev, and Sir Drake got together. Add the Madaris brothers and Trask to that mix and there was no telling what might happen. “Yes, I think that we should.”

Tori then glanced around at the group. “OK, as soon as we find babysitters, then we can hit the friendly skies.”

“Finding babysitters won’t be a problem,” Caitlin said. “My girlfriend Beverly won’t mind, and then there’s Kattie and Traci, who hate flying. I bet they’d love to watch the kids for us.”

Syneda nodded in agreement. There was never a problem getting a babysitter in the Madaris family. “And I strongly suggest that we invite Jonathan and Marilyn along. This might be one of those times when they’ll need to intervene on Christy’s behalf if things get overheated.”

Tori raised a curious brow. “What in the world is going on with Christy?”

Syneda chuckled. “We’ll give you the scoop on the plane.”

They had been in the air for two hours already, and Christy’s concern for Alex’s injury was increasing every moment. Unease rippled through her as she glanced down at his leg. It had started bleeding again.

She reached out and touched his forehead and found it hot and knew that he had a fever. And the eyes that glanced over at her were glazed. She tried to contain the panic she felt when she said, “You have a fever, Alex.”

From the way he was looking at her she knew he was fighting whatever pain he was in. The cut of that knife must have gone deeper than either of them had thought. She quickly glanced out the plane window. They were miles and miles from land, and below all she could was the ocean.

“Can’t be sick,” Alex mumbled. “I have to get you to safety.”

She fought back the tears that misted her eyes. Even now his concern was mainly for her. She wondered how much longer it would be before they could land. Thanks to her uncle Jake and the flying lessons he had given her, she knew a little about flying, but . . .

Driven by concern and fear, she said, “Alex, you’re ill, sweetheart. I need to get in touch with the airport to make sure someone will be there to look at you as soon as we land.”

She saw that it took a whole lot of effort on his part to nod. “I got to make sure you’re safe,” he repeated.

Again Christy fought back tears as her fear and concern for him increased. She glanced back down at his leg and noticed blood was soaking through the bandage she had made. She inhaled deeply. Alex didn’t need her tears; he needed her to be strong and do whatever had to be done.

Reaching out for the controls, she radioed the air tower: “May Day. May Day. This is
The Golden Seas
. The pilot is hurt and will need medical attention as soon as we land.”

It seemed everyone in the tower went silent. Then a deep male voice asked, “What happened to the pilot?”

She sighed deeply. “He’s been injured.”

“How many of you are onboard?”

“Two.”

“And do you have any flying experience?”

Christy sighed again. “A little.”

“Do you think the pilot will be able to bring the plane in?”

Christy glanced over at Alex. His efforts were still focused on flying the plane, but she could feel the wing of the plane wavering somewhat. He was fighting to remain lucid. “I’m not sure.”

“Then you may have to be his co-pilot.” After a few moments the man said, “It doesn’t seem that a flight plan was filed. Do you happen to know what model of plane you have?”

Christy gave him the model number located above the console. “OK,” the air-traffic controller said. “We’re alerting the medical authorities. They will be here when you land. Now I need for you to grab that extra set of headphones and listen up.”

Christy prayed that she wasn’t putting her and Alex in even more danger, but if she didn’t do something there would be the risk of the plane crashing. Already she could feel them losing altitude. She glanced over at Alex and smiled. “We’re a team, Maxwell. I’m taking over.”

Glazed eyes looked over at her. “You can’t fly. I have to keep you safe,” he said, studying her with his head cocked to the side, his face completely covered in sweat.

She smiled over at him and didn’t think she could love him more than she did at that moment. Taking a deep breath, she said, “And you
have
kept me safe, sweetheart. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me. Now please let me handle things. And I
can
fly . . . with some guidance. The air-traffic controller will help me.”

“I have to keep you safe,” Alex persisted, losing coherency. Then he closed his eyes and she felt the plane take a huge dive. It went plunging downward, seemingly headed straight for the ocean below. Alex was out, probably from the loss of so much blood.

It was there in the back of her throat to scream, but she swallowed it back and forced herself to hold her panic at bay. She went to the panel and pushed a button, prayed for just a little of the control Alex always had, and said, “OK, Mr. Air-Traffic Controller, I need help fast. Pilot is unconscious and plane is going down. I need you to tell me what to do to bring this baby in.”

“Are you Jake Madaris?”

Jake, who had just walked into Honolulu’s airport terminal after landing, slipped off a pair of sunglasses and glanced at the man wearing an airport security uniform. One dark eyebrow went up. “Yes, I’m Jake Madaris.”

“I need you to come with me.”

Jake turned and glanced at the seven men who had accompanied him on the flight, saw their suspicious gazes, then turned back to the airport security person and asked, “Why?”

“Not sure, sir,” the man said easily. “I received orders from the tower to bring you to them as soon as you landed. It has something to do with a private plane that’s on its way here from somewhere in the South Pacific being in distress.”

“Alex and Christy!” Jake heard Clayton say behind him.

Jake sighed deeply. “Lead the way,” he told the man.

When eight men began walking, the security officer said, “I was only told to bring you, Mr. Madaris.”

Jake smiled faintly as he kept walking. “Sorry, but we come as a package deal. Let’s go; we can’t waste time.”

“And there you have it, Mr. Madaris. It appears the pilot is unconscious and your niece is the one who is now piloting the plane. She mentioned she had some flying training from you, and so far she’s doing OK with keeping the plane level by following our instructions. The tough part, however, will be in the landing. She mentioned she’s never landed a plane before.”

Jake rubbed a hand down his face. “She hasn’t. I’ve always taken over before she got to that part.” He glanced back over his shoulder at Justin’s, Dex’s, and Clayton’s ashen expressions. They weren’t saying anything. He knew their minds were filled with thoughts of Christy piloting a plane with very little experience. The thought of that was enough to make anyone go silent.

“What happened to Alex . . . the pilot?” a very concerned Trask Maxwell asked the man who had identified himself earlier as a senior air-traffic controller.

“I’m not sure. All she would say is that he was badly injured and needed medical assistance as soon as they landed. I have paramedics standing by.”

Jake nodded. “What can I do?”

The man sighed deeply, appreciating Jake’s calmness in such a serious situation. “I have a layout of the controls of the plane. It’s a Cessna Skylane, single-engine, and relatively easy to handle. The air-traffic controller who is walking your niece through everything is doing a pretty good job, but I think when it comes to the landing part, a familiar voice will help under the circumstances. She happened to mention that you were on your way here.”

The man took a deep breath and then continued talking. “I can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s getting tired, but I have to hand it to her, she’s a real trouper and is determined to land that plane. We’ve taken every precaution and have cleared the runway.”

Jake nodded, thinking about the niece who held a special place in his heart, as well as Alex, whom he considered a special friend. “OK, I’m ready to do whatever you need me to do.”

“Christy?”

Christy exhaled a relieved breath upon hearing the familiar voice. “Uncle Jake?”

“Yes, Red, it’s me,” he said, calling her by the special nickname he had given her as a child because of her hair coloring. “How’s Alex?”

She glanced over at Alex. His face was drenched in sweat, and as she glanced down at his leg she saw the bleeding had gotten worse. “He’s passed out and is in bad shape. It’s my fault that he’s injured and—”

“We’ll discuss that later, sweetheart. The main thing we need to do is help you get that plane down so we can get him medical treatment. Now listen up and follow my instructions, all right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jake smiled. He couldn’t help but recall the times when he had given her flying lessons when her brothers had staunchly refused to do so. She had been an eager student and had done pretty well handling his plane, which was a lot larger than the one she was operating now.

He sighed deeply. He would help his niece land that plane or die trying.