Chapter 56
Crash and Consequences
The plane plummeted toward the earth, the cabin shaking violently as alarms wailed. Elena’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the armrest, bracing for impact.
“Hold on!” Amira shouted over the chaos, her hands moving frantically across the controls.
Richard’s breathing was shallow. “This isn’t happening.”
Naomi, her face set in grim determination, grabbed the harness above her seat and pulled it tight. “Amira, do something!”
Amira growled, wrestling the controls. “I am doing something! Trying to make sure we don’t explode on impact!”
The ground rushed toward them at terrifying speed. Elena’s heart pounded. They needed a miracle.
Then, at the last possible second, Amira yanked a lever with both hands. The plane tilted violently, shifting from a deadly nosedive to a near-horizontal glide. The screech of metal filled the air as the landing gear barely deployed before the belly of the aircraft slammed onto the ground.
BOOM.
The impact threw them forward. Naomi grunted in pain as her harness bit into her shoulders. Richard let out a sharp cry as he was flung sideways, hitting the cabin wall hard.
Sparks erupted outside the windows as the plane skidded across the rough terrain, tearing through dirt and debris. Smoke billowed from the engines.
Elena squeezed her eyes shut, praying they didn’t flip.
Finally—after what felt like an eternity—the plane slowed, grinding to a halt in a cloud of dust and fire.
Silence.
For a long, terrifying moment, nobody moved.
Then Amira coughed. “Okay. We’re not dead.”
Naomi groaned, fumbling with her harness. “Speak for yourself.”
Richard let out a weak laugh. “That was… intense.”
Elena forced herself to take a breath. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
Amira unbuckled and staggered toward the cockpit door, pressing her hand against the side of her head where blood trickled from a small cut. “Yeah, well, the good news is we landed. The bad news? They’ll know exactly where we are.”
Jordan’s voice crackled in Elena’s earpiece. “Elena? Are you alive?”
She tapped the earpiece. “We’re here. Barely.”
Jordan exhaled sharply. “Get out of there. Vincent’s people are inbound. You have maybe ten minutes before they swarm the site.”
Elena turned to the others. “We’re out of time.”
Naomi nodded, already reaching for a duffel bag beneath her seat. “Weapons?”
Amira smirked. “Thought you’d never ask.” She kicked open a compartment beneath the cockpit, revealing a stash of firearms and tactical gear.
Richard blinked. “You fly around with this stuff?”
Amira grabbed a pistol and slotted it into her holster. “You don’t?”
Elena didn’t waste time. She strapped a small knife to her thigh and grabbed a compact rifle. “We move fast and keep low.”
Naomi checked the ammo in her handgun. “Where’s our extraction point?”
Jordan’s voice returned, urgent. “Mateo is en route to the old service road, about a mile east. Get there before Vincent’s men do.”
Elena gestured toward the emergency exit. “Then let’s go.”
Amira pulled the lever, and the door burst open, letting in the cold night air. Smoke and fire still crackled around the wreckage. The scent of burning fuel filled Elena’s nose.
Naomi jumped out first, landing in a crouch. Richard followed, wincing as he stumbled. Elena scanned the horizon—Madrid’s city lights glowed in the distance, but they were too far to blend into the crowd.
They had to run.
“Move,” Elena ordered, leading the way toward the tree line. Their boots crunched against the dry earth, hearts pounding as they sprinted into the shadows.
Behind them, the plane continued to burn. The wreckage was a beacon—Vincent’s people wouldn’t need long to find them.
Naomi glanced back. “How much time do we have?”
Jordan’s response was ice-cold. “Five minutes. Maybe less.”
Elena pushed forward. They had to reach Mateo before the enemy reached them.
And if they didn’t—
They wouldn’t live to see another sunrise.
