Chapter 6

 

The parachute cut out much of their speed but they still hit the ground hard. They stumbled, Kate cutting the parachute loose. Momentum kept them moving, dropping them rolling into the grass.

They were in the middle of an empty field.

They lay there for a second. Kate rolled over stared up at the sky. It didn’t register. She was buzzing. Every muscle felt tense and wired. She felt as though she had been shot full of adrenaline. Kate propped herself up and turned to Archer.

He was laying next to her. He looked as flushed as she felt. They locked eyes and she felt herself pulled into those deep pools of calming green.

Then Archer grabbed her, cupping her face with his cuffed hands and pulled her on top of him. She didn’t resist. It happened too quickly. And there was a part of her that didn’t want to resist.

He kissed her. Their tongues swirled together in a release of unbridled passion. Kate moaned, feeling her body uncoil against him and melt into his embrace.

She pulled away abruptly.

They said nothing, just stared at each other. Both of them breathing heavily as they fought for control of their bodies. It was a battle that Kate feared she was going to lose.

She felt him stiffen beneath her.

She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up, kissing him even harder. Their mouths engaged in a duel of heated passion. He struggled against her, wanting to embrace her, but unable because of the cuffs. Instead his bound hands slipped beneath her T-shirt, desperate to touch to her.

Kate inhaled sharply at the cold metal touching her abdomen. It snapped her back to reality. She violently pushed him back to the ground. Then slapped him across the face for good measure.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she said and got to her feet, straightening her shirt and hair.

Archer held a hand to his stinging check. “You kissed me back.”

“That was mistake,” Kate said. “We’d just jumped out of an airplane. I wasn’t thinking clearly.

“And now you are, ten seconds later?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Her cheeks were still flushed red. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Kate turned her back to him, trying to catch her breath. She had too many feelings, too many desires, battling for control of her body and close to winning that battle was the urge to turn around and tear the clothes from Archer’s body. She looked to the sky again.

“Have you ever skydived before?”

“A couple of times,” she replied. “I haven’t done any solo dives yet.”

“I’m thinking you can probably get signed off on that now,” Archer said. His tone had a dry humor to it. Kate smiled. “Did Stevens make it?”

“Not unless he learned to fly,” she replied. Kate was starting to feel in control of her body again.

Archer looked to the sky. “Good. I won’t be shedding any tears. He’s had it in for me for a while now. I think it’s because he felt threatened by my good looks.”

Kate looked at him. She agreed. He was good looking. No, she couldn’t go back down that path again. Not now. She needed to stay focused. Other women, her mother specifically, might disagree, but a man would only distract Kate. Especially this one.

Kate took another deep breath. “Are they going to do anything to the passengers now that you’re gone?”

“Shouldn’t you have asked that before we jumped out of the plane?” Kate glared at him. “No, to answer your question. A dead body or two is acceptable, they’re not going to want the heat that comes with killing a plane full of passengers.”

“Good,” she picked a direction and started walking towards the nearest treeline.

“Where are you going?” Archer asked, not moving.

“We are going to Miami,” she said.

“Well, you don’t have your sidearm anymore,” said Archer. “And I did nearly get killed on your watch. Why should I go with you?”

Kate stopped and turned around. She pulled the handcuff key from her pocket. “Because I have this and because you didn’t die up there.”

“There are other ways to get out of handcuffs.”

“Any of them less conspicuous than using a key?”

Archer watched the dangling key for a second. “No.”

“Then I guess you are coming with me,” she turned and started walking again.

A moment later Archer followed.

“Where do you think we are?” he asked after several minutes of walking in silence

“Last time I spoke to the pilots we were flying over Tallahassee,” she said. “I figure we’re in the Orlando area.”

Archer checked the tree line. “I don’t see any mouse ears. Do you think we could stop at Disney? I don’t think they let the prisoners out on field trips in minimum security.”

“What a coincidence,” Kate said. “I don’t conduct field trips.”

“So are you going to take these off?” Archer asked her, shaking his handcuffs.

“Sure,” she said. “When we get to Miami.”

“Don’t you think these are special circumstances?”

“No.”

Archer sighed. “Don’t you think you’re being just a little hard on me?”

“No.”

“I did save your life back up there.”

“And I saved yours. So we’re even.”

He grabbed her arm. “Will you stop for a second?”

She looked at his hands on her arm. It felt good. She wondered what it would feel like to have his hands all over her body. “That’s battery on a law enforcement officer right there.”

He let go, but his hands lingered above her arm. “Well, we wouldn’t want to add to my sentence now, would we.”

She continued walking.

“I’m sorry about your partner,” Archer said after a moment. “He seemed like a nice guy,” then he added, after a moment’s thought, “For a cop.”

“He was. Let’s not talk about it.”

“It’s understandable if you’re upset,” Archer said. “He was your partner. Obviously you were close.”

“What part of ‘Let’s not talk about it’ did you not understand?”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“Well, stop.”

“Fair enough,” he looked around at the trees. “Why are we walking?”

“Because we can’t fly.”

“No, I mean, don’t you have a radio or something?”

“I have a cellphone that’s up on the airplane because I didn’t think to grab my purse before we jumped to get away from the killer with the machine gun.”

“Ah,” was all Archer said. He ducked to avoid a low hanging branch. “Have you given any thought as to how they found me?”

“Yes I have,” she answered. They could make out the sounds of the highway as they drew closer.

“Have you come up with any answers?”

“Only bad ones.”