The crazed man who had been sitting in the front got out of his seat and grabbed the latch.
Holy shit. He was going to open the door. If any of them had the slimmest chance of survival, he was doing his damnedest to eliminate that as well.
“No!” she cried out. India couldn’t sit there passively and watch this lunatic kill them any faster. She had to do something. With her free hand she unclipped her seatbelt.
Grant squeezed her hand. “What the hell are you doing? Put that back on.”
“Look at him! He’s going to get us all killed.” She tried to tug her hand out of their collective grips.
Rafe looked as if he would add his two cents, but the words never came, because the door flew open, creating a vacuum within the cabin. The man who opened the door was instantly pulled out of the plane. India was sucked forward, causing her to slam into the seat in front of her. Hard.
She tried to put her belt back on, but it was too late. The pressure in the cabin was too great to move, and her world started to spin from lack of oxygen and the hit to her head. It was a nightmare come true.
The sound of splintering metal made a sickening crunch. The plane was ripping apart, but by now India had grown too woozy to care. Her eyelids were heavy and she couldn’t keep them open.
Panic ensued all around her and someone was holding on to her arm, while she experienced the feeling of being sucked out of her seat. Her last conscious thought before passing out was, at least she’d go out with a bang.
* * *
“I think she’s still breathing.” The relief in Rafe’s voice mirrored Grant’s feelings. Just before the crash, he’d gripped her so tight she couldn’t go anywhere. She had passed out, but Grant held on.
He wished all the passengers and crew had made it, but not all had been so fortunate. The flight attendant was among the casualties from what Grant had determined. The plane hit the turbulent ocean, but as luck would have it, the pilot maneuvered the vehicle low enough to the water’s surface so the impact wasn’t fatal.
The next major hurdle they’d faced was getting out of the place without drowning because once the plane was fully submerged, there would be no escaping. Ironically, it was the open hatch that saved them. The brave pilot had taken charge, enlisting Grant and Rafe’s assistance because there was no other crew to help him through this horrific dilemma.
They helped dismantle the seats and hustle everyone out. Then Grant grabbed the unconscious India with Rafe’s aide, and jumped into the water, not knowing what would happen next. It had been an effort staying afloat with the angry waves crashing into his body while he held on to India. The next hurdle they all had to overcome was figuring out how the hell they’d get out of the middle of the ocean.
In his attempt to save one of the passengers, the pilot was taken under with the flailing woman. Every time he’d come up, she’d pull him back under. Rafe tried to help, but he too became caught in the melee and went under as well.
“No!” Grant had screamed, torn between holding on to India and going to Rafe. Luckily he didn’t have to make that decision because Rafe resurfaced. The pilot and the woman, however, did not.
There were only five of them left and hope was fading fast. The water was cold and the rain beat against them. Grant knew he wouldn’t be able to hold on to India and stay above surface indefinitely. Their only hope was to find land.
The hand of fate appeared when hope was quickly dwindling. The rain stopped and the clouds opened up to reveal the sun. At first Grant thought he’d imagined it, but off in the distance he saw a sliver of land.
Hope.
Once he pointed to what he’d seen, Grant somehow found the strength to propel himself and India toward the tiny island, but by the time they made it to land, they’d lost another passenger. Only four were left and from the looks of the prone man lying a few feet away, Grant didn’t know if that number would remain.
“India, can you hear me?” Grant shook her shoulders in an attempt to rouse her. Was it wrong for him to notice how beautiful she was even in this state? Her hair was plastered to her forehead and cheeks, all makeup had been washed away from her face, and she was soaked. Still, he couldn’t remember seeing anyone lovelier. He wondered how she’d react if he bent over and pressed his lips against hers. What the hell was wrong with him? This wasn’t an appropriate line of thinking. He immediately pushed those thoughts away.
She groaned, her head moving from side to side.
“Yes. Thank goodness, she’s alive.”
He felt her body for any broken bones. There was a golf-ball-size lump on her forehead, but other than that he saw no visible signs of damage.