Page 76 of Deserving Lara
But he couldn’t leave the island. He’d decided he was still too recognizable, even with the small changes to his appearance. He was probably the most wanted man in the country right now, and with his goal so close, he needed to lie low. Carter didn’t like relying on someone else to carry out the plans he’d so painstakingly crafted, but he had to hope the money he was paying his accomplice was enough to make sure he didn’t deviate from his instructions in any way.
“Soon,” Carter murmured as he looked over the room where his Lara would be living. It was perfect. The chains on the bed, the lingerie picked out, and the door she wouldn’t have a hope in hell of getting through. This time, there wasn’t anyone else in the house he had to hide her presence from. She’d be completely isolated and at his mercy. No matter how loud she screamed, no one would hear.
He just had to make it through two more days. Then his property would be returned. Anticipation made Carter almost giddy. He didn’t feel the throbbing of his missing eye. Didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what he was about to do. The two assholes with her deserved to die for keeping his property away from him. And Lara?
She’d get what she deserved. And he couldn’t wait.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Lara gripped the edge of the seat, both in trepidation and excitement. The time was finally here. After meeting with the seller, Ricky Norman, at the regional airport that morning they’d all been escorted to the waiting chopper. Owl and Stone had gone over every last inch of the Bell 505 helicopter sitting on the tarmac. But throughout their examination, Owl had kept his eye on her. She was standing in the morning sun, watching.
Instead of feeling nervous about being out in the open, Lara was calm. No one could sneak up on them, not as exposed as they were out on the tarmac, and long before anyone could get to her, Owl would be there.
The evening before had been full of anticipation. Owl and Stone were like two little kids the night before their birthday. They’d all slept like rocks—thankfully, Stone hadn’t had any nightmares—and had woken up before their alarm went off, ready to get to the airport and set eyes on their potential new helicopter.
And the first sight of it hadn’t disappointed. She was sleek and shiny, and Owl and Stone practically drooled.
Stone had graciously let Owl take the controls first. Both the pilot and copilot had the ability to fly the chopper. Owl and Stone had a discussion the night before about whether they wanted to remove the controls from the copilot’s seat and decided for the moment, at least, they wanted them to stay. The two were used to flying together, and honestly, it gave Lara a sense of comfort to know if something happened to whomever was flying, the other person could take over. The guys might change their minds in the future if they had more interest in tours and needed that front seat to hold paying customers, but for now they were content to leave the chopper the way it was.
All three of them had a headset on since it was so loud in the cab, allowing them to talk to each other and to the small control tower. They were given the go-ahead to take off, and Lara held her breath as the machine slowly lifted off the ground.
This was happening, and she could feel the excitement in the air.
At first, she couldn’t take her eyes from Owl. It was obvious very quickly that he was in his element. He had a small smile on his face as he operated the controls. Lara had been in awe of him before, but seeing him flying a real chopper made her even more impressed.
The helicopter moved smoothly through the air as he used the stick to move them forward and the lever on the side of his seat to control the altitude. She knew the basics of the lever and stick, but the pedals were still difficult for her to master with the simulator. Owl didn’t have any of those issues. He and Stone kept up a constant stream of chatter about mechanics and wind speed and other technical issues she had no interest in.
Stone had his own set of controls on his side of the chopper, but he kept his hands in his lap as his friend flew them over the gorgeous towns and forests. Every now and then, he’d pass along what one of the screens in front of them was reporting.
Turning her attention to the small window next to her, Lara gazed out at the passing scenery. The Seattle area was beautiful, and they’d been blessed with a beautiful day for the test flight. The sun glinted on the water and Lara was amazed all over again at how many small islands there were off the coast.
As beautiful as this area was, Lara realized that she actually liked New Mexico better. She hadn’t seen it from above, obviously, but she loved the forest around The Refuge and was even partial to the dry air, compared to the humidity here in Washington.
“What do you think, sweetheart?”
The sound of Owl’s voice rumbling in her ears through the headset made Lara tingle. She turned to look at him. His head was turned and he was staring at her.
“Shouldn’t your attention be on the road…er…sky? Whatever?” she reprimanded.
Both Owl and Stone chuckled. The laughter sounded as if it was in stereo in her ears.
“It’s not like a car,” Stone explained. “As long as he keeps his hands steady on the controls, we’ll keep going in one direction at the same altitude forever.”
“And if he doesn’t? Keep the controls steady?” Lara asked.
Stone shrugged. “Then we’ll crash,” he said simply.
“Shut it, Stone. I’m fine. We aren’t going to crash,” Owl soothed. “What do you think?” he asked again.
“Um…it’s fine?” Lara wasn’t sure what he wanted to know.
“How’s the seat back there? Is it comfortable? Can you see out the window okay? Does the seat belt fit, does it pinch anywhere? You aren’t feeling nauseous or anything?”
“Oh, the seats are fine. I mean, it’s not like your couch or anything, but it’s not uncomfortable. And yes, the windows are amazing. The belt is fine, and you didn’t ask, but the headset is so cool! I can hear you guys as if we were standing next to each other back in the lodge. And I’m not airsick in the least. Probably because you’re such a good driver.”
“We’ll see how you feel when it’s Stone’s turn to fly,” Owl joked.
Stone punched him in the shoulder. “Whatever. We both know I can outfly you any day of the week.”
