Page 63 of Colton's Second Chance
Eli bounced his heel restlessly and nodded. “Okay.”
As they traveled north, Hetty kept him updated on her reading of the conditions below. “So far so good. There is some ice at the edge of the lakes, but the sun is catching ripples, indicating movement on the water.” She turned to look at him. “But also surface wind.”
“Can we land?” he asked, cutting to the chase.
She hesitated but finally nodded. “I’ll do my best. Grossford Lake is just up there.” Hetty pointed out an area just to their left, beyond a low mountain.
As the blue-gray waters of the small lake came into view, Eli reached a hand behind him, casting Noelle a satisfied glance. “I see a floatplane tied up at a dock on the east shore. I think we’ve found him.”
Chapter 22
Noelle took Eli’s hand and squeezed it, knowing that finding Scott was only the beginning. They had to bring him in…and pray he hadn’t already murdered Grace Galloway.
“Hang on,” Hetty said through the headset. “The winds are tricky. I’ll do my best to set us down gently, but be ready for bumps and swoops.”
Noelle swallowed hard and clutched Eli’s fingers with one hand while her other grabbed the edge of the seat. She kept her gaze on the small dock until a cabin came into view, nestled in a copse of winter-bare trees and lodgepole pines. A thin line of smoke rose from the stone chimney, testifying to an inhabitant. When she pointed out this detail to Eli, he nodded, his mouth in a grim line.
“Remember, I want you to stay in the plane with Hetty. I don’t want you anywhere near Montgomery.”
Noelle lifted her chin. “Well, I don’t wantyouanywhere near him, either, but here we are. I won’t take unnecessary risks, but neither will I sit on my hands if a situation arises where you need help.”
Eli frowned. “Our deal was you stay with the plane. Period.”
“I agreed to no heroics, not staying on the plane.”
Eli opened his mouth to argue, just as the plane dipped and lurched to the right. He braced a hand against the side door and cast a glance out the windshield, as did Noelle. They were hovering above the water, and Hetty was working hard to level the wings as they touched down on the glassy lake.
Once they were on the water, Hetty made a careful turn and pulled up to the dock opposite the floatplane that was already tied up.
Noelle ducked her head to better view the cabin, watching for further signs of life.
In the confines of the copilot’s seat, Eli withdrew his sidearm and readied it. When he lifted his eyes to Noelle again, his gaze was hard and unrelenting. “Stay. Here.” Turning to Hetty, he said, “Can you keep the engine on, ready to take off again quickly?”
She checked her fuel gauge. “I think so.”
“And radio back to base for support. I needarmedbackup—” he gave Noelle a pointed look “—from whatever law enforcement agency can get here fastest.”
Hetty nodded and put a hand on his arm. “Be careful. Your family will never forgive me for bringing you here if you get hurt.”
Eli flashed a lopsided but clearly uneasy grin. “Careful is always the plan.”
Noelle gritted her back teeth, choking back tears of fear and frustration. She did not like being told what to do, even if she knew why Eli had ordered her to stay with Hetty and the plane. But the directive chafed. She wanted to be useful, wanted to play a more active role in having Eli’s back and wanted to decide for herself what level of risk she took to help bring Scott in.
“Eli!” she called, whipping off her headset as he climbed out of the plane and made the leap to the dock.
He turned back, pressing a finger to his mouth to signal for quiet.
Hetty chuckled as she opened her door, saying softly, “As if he didn’t already hear us fly in and pull up here.”
Noelle had been thinking the same thing, that Scott had to have been alerted and was now watching Eli from the cabin, but she said nothing. Eli had to be aware of as much himself.
Hetty climbed out, staying low as she looped ropes and straps to the dock that would keep the plane from drifting.
Noelle divided her attention, half of the time scanning the cabin for movement and the rest following Eli’s progress. He moved quickly, his weapon raised as he hustled down the dock and onto shore. Shoulders hunched, he darted to the nearest tree—and barely reached the hardwood’s cover before the first shot blasted from the cabin.
Noelle clamped a hand to her mouth to silence her scream.
Hetty scrambled back inside the plane, hissing, “Get down!”
