Page 4 of The Daredevil

ROYCE

In my skydiving jumpsuit,I inhaled a deep breath as the wind slapped against my face. Fear of heights had been a weakness I’d overcome years ago by daring myself to jump out of a plane. I almost shit my pants that day when I was eighteen and jumped with a college friend. After that first second of free-falling, the fear disappeared, replaced by an addictive thrill I craved.

Now skydiving was a regular pastime whenever I returned to Iceland.

Skydiving was one of the many adventures offered at Excursions for You. As the owner, I always experienced the adventure firsthand before adding it to the official repertoire. There was no better way to describe that experience to a customer than to have lived it.

Nerves jittered in my stomach, even though I’d done this many times. Looking out of the plane with the door open and the wind snapping did something to my body. Tingles rushed up and down my spine as anticipation churned in my gut.

I looked at the beautiful Icelandic landscape—even on this gloomy day with dark clouds in the distance—with its characteristic green moss covering lava rocks and the unique mountain formations. The view took my breath away as I saluted the majestic volcano in the distance, where it sat like a watchful God.

I turned to Steven, the pilot, and gave him a thumbs up, signaling that I was ready for the jump from 14,000 feet in the sky. I’d be free-falling at 120 mph. Steven—who also enjoyed skydiving—had been my trusted pilot for many years. I’d hired the best men to work for me. Without them, Paradigm Excursions Group—an umbrella for all the excursions around the globe—wouldn’t have grown as fast as it did. Excursions for You had been voted one of the top five excursion companies in Iceland for the past seven years.

Adjusting my helmet and goggles, I gripped my harness, inhaled a deep breath, jumped, and dove head down. The wind slapped my face and body, and a thrill enveloped me, giving me this indescribable liberation. My stomach flipped with excitement as I appreciated the atmosphere. I was fully present, feeling all the goosebumps and chills while the wind rushed past me.

On the other side of fear, life offered this blissful freedom—salvation—that could only be grasped when experiencing something exhilarating. It was only up here and during this quiet five-minute moment when I felt alive. Even during the fifty-second freefall, my head was clear of everything except the presence of my body and soul in the sky.

After deploying my parachute and landing on my feet in the drop zone, I noticed the dark clouds creeping closer. I knew there was a chance of a rainstorm, but the ominous clouds signified something worse. It had been a risk to go skydiving today. Usually, when there was potential rain, the company wouldn’t recommend skydiving.

But I’d taken the day off from work after the horrendous week I’d just had and couldn’t dismiss the opportunity. It was a risk, but I was a man accustomed to risks. Risks had made me a billionaire.

I preferred calculated risks where I looked at the facts and weighed them against liability. Over the years, I’d learned to be more careful with business risks and left the personal thrills aside for when I had time like today.

Out of habit, I fished my phone out of my interior jacket pocket. Oskar, one of my long-time employees, had sent a text about the breakdown of one of my newly purchased SUVs.

“What the fuck?”

I listened to Oskar’s voicemail and made my way to his location since I was closer than the emergency crew. Lightning flashed in the distance, and a fat raindrop splattered onto my face.

Cursing, I ran to my white Land Rover, parked along the drop zone. As I shoved my parachute and harness into the trunk, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a boom of thunder that shook the ground. I hadn’t expected this crazy weather today and was grateful I landed when I did.

I had planned to visit the waterfall near my excursion site, but that would have to wait for another day. I had business to take care of now and sent Oskar a text message.

Be there soon.

CHAPTERTHREE

MICHELLE

“Are you all right?”I helped Oskar into the driver’s seat, settled him in, and rounded the hood to the passenger side.

“Fucking shit! It hurts!” Oskar winced and realized he had company. “Sorry, Ms. Yates. The day isn’t going as planned. Probably sprained my ankle.”

“Michelle is fine. Is there an emergency number we can call?”

He nodded. “I called my boss. He’ll send someone soon. The emergency crew will take a little longer to arrive because we’re far from the city. I’m sorry about this.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault the car broke down and the storm wanted to make its presence known. Hey, I came here for an adventure, and I’m getting one.”

He laughed, pulled out a roll of paper towels from the glove compartment, tore off a few sheets for himself, and offered me the roll.

The wind howled, and rain smacked the side of the car. My stomach growled, but the thunder drowned out the sound. Frustration clawed at me, and I placed a hand on my tummy, rubbing it.

I’m not hungry, so stop growling.

The muscles on my stomach twisted, disobeying my order as though the monster from within was testing my patience. I sucked in my gut and showed that I had control over when I should eat.

As I wiped my face with a paper towel, a set of headlights flashed in front of us.

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