Page 25 of Extracted

Eli cursed. Gemma shoved her way forward and mashed her body to the front of Dallas’s so she could see into the cockpit. The needles on the dials spun, lights flashed, and warning bells screeched.

Her pulse kicked into high gear. The plane wobbled.

Dallas moved past her and fit his parachute on.

“We’re going down!” Eli called. He put out a Mayday call, yelling in Spanish, his words frantic.

Gemma’s breath huffed in and out of her lungs in a frenzy.

Oh, god. We’re going to die.

The plane tipped forward, and she careened toward the cockpit. A rough hand grabbed her waist, holding her in place. Dallas’s solid body connected with hers and his hand moved to her stomach, gluing her back to his belly. “C’mon.” He towed her away.

Eli’s body slammed into the controls as Dallas pulled her to the exterior door of the plane. The sky fell at a rapid pace outside the windows.

“Get the door!” Eli yelled, scampering from the cockpit as he pulled on his parachute.

Dallas fisted his hand in the strap below her breast, his face close to hers. “Listen to me, okay?” he shouted. His eyes were large hazel orbs and his face sweaty. His grip unrelenting. “When I open the door, jump. Wait ten seconds and pull your cord.” He lifted the white plastic thing dangling at her shoulder.

Her chest tightened and tears rushed to her lids, but she didn’t expel them. “I’ll never find you. What if we—”

“I’m right behind you. We’re going to get separated when we land, but I’ll find you. Got it? Just stay put and I’ll—”

The door flung open. Eli stood in the corridor of metal separating them from vast, endless sky. “Hurry!” He jumped from the plane.

Gemma gasped, grabbing at the base of her throat. The rational part of her brain screamed that this was insane. She couldn’t possibly jump from an airplane. Did the parachute even work? Had it been tested? But if she didn’t, she had no chance of survival.

Dallas jerked her toward the opening. “We’ll jump together.”

She gripped his hand, nodding. “Okay.” Tears stung her eyes. She didn’t want to die. Not like this. Her heart beat so rapidly that her brain flickered with every pump. The plane pitched sharply, taking a nosedive.

“Now!” Dallas’s rough grip on her hand wrenched her out the opening. Cold air struck her skin, sending her into shock. Her body spiraled in the limitless openness and slammed against Dallas’s. His gaze met hers. “Ten seconds and pull!” he screamed. He shoved her away from him.

“No!” she clawed after him, but he fell fast toward the ground. The wind took her, whipping her in a wild dance. The sky stretched over her head, blue and white. Below was dense green jungle. The wind whipped ferociously at her ear drums.

The trees rushed toward her. She reached for the cord.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight . . .

Hysteria hammered against her skull.

She ripped on the plastic piece. There was a rustling from her backpack and a second later, her shoulders jerked back. She looked up as the large white blanket expanded in the air, carrying her over the breeze.

The straps pulled on her chest. She crossed her arms in front of her, holding on to the backpack. Scanning the landscape, she caught sight of the plane and watched as it crashed into the wall of trees. A puff of smoke rose up.

She spun her gaze around her.

Dallas was nowhere in sight. She floated through the air, the wind whacking against her eardrums as she descended, lower and lower.

Adrenaline raced through her veins, the high so strong it prevented fear from sucking her into unconsciousness. Her speed picked up as the parachute lost some wind.

She sent a prayer skyward as she pulled her knees into her abdomen and tucked her arms around her head. Leaves and small branches hit her first, slapping at her skin and tearing at her hair. She screamed as she waited for impact.

Wham!

A sharp jolt hoisted her shoulders, yanking them up. The buckle dug into her chest and armpits as she swung through the air like the rubber net of a slingshot. She lifted her chin and tilted her head back. Her parachute was tangled in the high treetops, which now dangled her from their arms.

A glance down showed she was a good five feet from the ground. But the drop wasn’t life-threatening. She let out a hoot of relief. She’d jumped from a freaking plane and lived!

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