Ellen heard Nick getting clearance for the first landing, then felt a bump as the plane touched down.
Smooth! Nice job, Nick. She stifled a yawn. Don’t fall asleep! No sleep last night, watching and waiting for that alarm to go off.
Soon, Ellen felt the plane take off again. Her stomach lurched. I’m going to kill you Mitchell Parker for assigning me this gig! You know I hate flying and here I am doing more landings and takeoffs than a flight attendant.
She heard Nick getting clearance for his next landing. She retrieved her phone from her pocket and, in the light of the phone’s green glow, started to send Mitch a text message:
“Just in case you’re worried, Mitch, so far so good …”
Mitch sat and fidgeted.
Should be on their third trip by now.
He looked around. No sign of Johan and Maria – guess they won’t enter the hangar until the plane returns, supposedly captained by Nick.
He felt his phone vibrate and grabbed it.
Ellie. He read it and smiled. “So far, so good – two to go. Going to get you back for this gig.” He sent a text back: “Good work, Ellie. Look forward to being got.”
Mitch sighed. I know you hate flying Ellie, he thought. But I’m gambling that if Nick betrays us, he won’t hurt you; he would never do that. But he might react differently if partnered with J.J. or Sam, who are more aggressive.
Ellen counted the landings and calculated they were on their last delivery. She could hear Nick talking with the two security guards—George and one other—like nothing was happening. She waited.
I hope you do the right thing, Nick. I guess the moment of truth has arrived.
She heard the last run finishing; the sounds of Nick pulling up the stairs and sealing the plane door. She shivered. Great. Alone with three men and no one around to help if they turn against me, she thought. Three men … airborne. No, focus on the positive – Nick’s going to be on my side. He’s Mitch’s friend, and if Mitch trusts him, so do I.
She felt the plane begin its final take-off.
The sounds of the security guards celebrating reached her. Nick was telling them to keep it down.
“Not until we’re in the air,” she heard him say as the plane rose.
OK, here we go, she thought. Nick is now supposed to head back to Broad Arrow instead of Vegas, where the security men will be paid and he’ll depart with Johan, Maria, a load of gold and the promise of a new start. What are you going to do, Nick?
Ellen heard him on the radio to Luis Gamboa on site at Broad Arrow.
“All clear, send him up,” he said. She felt the plane turn around as planned to give the impression they were heading to Broad Arrow.
Mitch spotted Luis Gamboa walking towards the door of the plane. He pocketed his phone.
“The signal’s come through. I’ll open the door, the hydraulics will lift you to ground level and take off when you’re ready,” Gamboa said.
“Right,” Mitch watched him walk away.
“Geez, let’s avoid taking him on,” J.J. whispered behind him.
“He’s a mountain,” Mitch agreed.
He glanced towards where Samantha was hiding, closed the plane door and waited for the lift to raise the plane. He watched as the roof rolled back above him, light poured in and the lift kicked into gear taking the plane up towards ground level, towards the runway. Mitch began his instrument checks.
Once in the air, Mitch called J.J. out of hiding to join him up front. He flipped the dial to the radio frequency supplied by Nick. Minutes later he heard Nick’s voice coming through crystal clear.
“Major, are you there?” Nick asked.
“Captain,” Mitch smiled, “present and circling”.
“OK,” Nick continued, “I’m turning now, anticipated landing fifteen minutes.”
“Copy. Good luck.”
“And you.”
Nick glanced behind him.
“Hey, George, Eddie,” he called from the cockpit to the two security officers, “where’s my champagne?” He pushed the captain’s hat off and ran a hand through his blonde hair. George and fellow security officer, Eddie Ang, came into the cockpit.
Nick saw Ellen push up the lid of the box and he nodded at her.
“Friggin’ too easy,” George patted Nick and Eddie on the back.
“We’ve still got to land this thing and get the gold out of the country. Don’t count your gold bars before they land!” Nick warned him.
“How long?” Eddie asked.
“Landing in ten minutes.” Nick saw Ellen coming up behind.
“Well done guys,” he extended an arm to George to shake his hand. As George took his hand in his grip, he pulled George’s arm behind his back and pushed him against the wall. He saw
Ellen raise her gun muzzle to Eddie’s neck.
“What the hell …” Eddie sneered.
“Nick, you double-crossing asshole! What …” George struggled as Nick secured him with plasticuffs.
Ellen pulled Eddie’s arms back behind his back and pulling plasticuffs from her jacket, secured him.
“It wouldn’t be a great idea to shoot that in here now would it?” Eddie sneered. “Ever heard of cabin pressure?”
“Yeah, I have,” she yanked him around to face her, “but a clean gunshot hole through the plane will let air escape out of the hole. The outflow valves will close a little to compensate for the air leak.”
Eddie looked at her.
“Then,” she continued, “you can make an emergency landing in about five minutes, even going from about thirty thousand feet to under ten thousand. So, if I shoot you and the bullet passes straight through you and the wall, it won’t affect anything unless I hit a cable – but there is probably a backup system.”
Nick grinned at her.
“Did you get all that boys? There is an exam afterwards,” he finished securing George.
“Anyway,” Nick continued, “just so you don’t get any ideas, we’re using frangible bullets.”
“Are we?” Ellen asked.
“We sure are,” he turned to George and Eddie. “You know what that means lads? Thanks to the events of September 11, the bullets we’re using are made of bits of metal or plastic, so that if one should hit you or the plane, they break up into small pieces. So, you can imagine it’s going to hurt a lot more if one hits you because it’ll break up and stay inside you – but if it hits the wall, it breaks up and won’t penetrate. Good to know isn’t it?”
“I can’t believe you would double-cross us. Your girlfriend, huh? How much do you want?” George spat at him.
Nick wiped his face.
“He doesn’t want the gold,” Ellen said. “We’re turning you in”.
“That’s right,” Nick agreed, “I’ll leave the gold and take the girl.”
Ellen flashed him a smile. “Is anyone flying this plane?”
“Shit,” he said turning back to the controls.
Mitch continued on the coordinates towards Vegas.
“Just waiting for a signal from Nick before we return to the Broad Arrow hangar,” he told J.J. He heard Nick’s voice break over the radio.
“Done and clear here. Perps apprehended and detained.”
“Good on you, Captain,” Mitch exclaimed. “Where’s Ellie?”
“She’s safe,” Nick said. Mitch heard Nick pause. “You want to hear her voice don’t you? You’re still not a hundred per cent sure I’m to be trusted.”
There was a silence as Mitch debated what to say.
“Nick, I trust you one hundred per cent. Great job. OK, wish me luck, I’m landing now.”
“Oh, OK. Good luck.” He heard the surprise in Nick’s voice.
Mitch felt a sharp sting and a trickle of blood run down the back of his neck.
He turned – knowing the only person with him was J.J.