Page 27 of Unlocking Ruin

There he is, in the flesh and unmasked—the man who’s haunted me.

Stop staring at him. Find an exit! I glance around. Why is the ceiling arched? Is that humming in my head or… wait, I’m on a plane! I try to sit up, but seatbelts trap me. “You took me on a plane? Help!” I cry. The chair behind him whirls around, revealing a Hulk-sized man—minus the green skin. He’s so massive his head nearly scrapes the ceiling as he stands.

My voice shrivels.

“I’ll give you some time,” Hulk grunts to my captor, then strolls down the aisle. I lean over to see where he’s going, squirming as far off the couch as the seatbelts allow. Hulk vanishes into the cockpit, the door clicking shut behind him.

“This is my jet,” my abductor says calmly. His eyes cling to me in a far too intimate manner.

“What do you want? A fruit basket?” I yell. “Oh, thank you, abductor, for kidnapping me—so generous of you to make it a private jet! Here, take this fancy pear and choke!”

I sink back into the couch with a heavy groan. “Am I supposed to be impressed?” I grunt. “Land this plane now!”

“No.” His lips barely move, but his satisfaction can’t be missed. “I’m just telling you so you stop screaming. Remember, Rylan, I am the hero in your story. A little applause can go a long, long way.”

“What if I prefer the villain?” I bite. The stifling tension between us feels more compressed than the air. I part my lips, dragging in a slow, deep breath as if I were about to dive into uncharted waters.

His eyes drop to my lips, and I feel a flush flood my body. “I can be that too.” His reply is made with ease.

“How disloyal of you, changing sides so easily.”

“Don’t question my loyalty to my cause.” He flashes me his pearl white teeth.

Bingo, I found the first vulnerability I can attack. Loyal to a fault.

Only held by the seatbelts, my body dips and sways as the plane moves. “Land the plane,” I hiss through clenched teeth. I’ll have no teeth left by the time this is over. My jaw is locked so tight I can hardly speak anymore.

He leans back in his plush leather seat in comfort. Legs spread wide, back relaxed as he watches me. His smile isn’t one of claiming or power, it’s the satisfaction in knowing he has me cornered.

My eyes drop to his unbuckled seatbelt. Total psycho.

“I’m not the pilot,” he replies in a playful tone that belittles my mounting panic.

“I’m asking… I’m begging,” I state. His shoulders lift, his body leans closer, liking that choice of words. “Please land this tin can while you still can.”

“Can?” He pulls back from the insult.

“I don’t fly. Get me down!” I snap, bucking in my seat. “How am I on a plane?” I exhale, senses reeling from the tremble to that god-awful hum of compressed air. “Did you drug me to get me on here?”

“Yes. Once you’re calm, I will unbuckle you and give you pain pills for your headache.”

I shake my head. “Sedate me again. Now!” I panic. Oh God, it’s collapsing! The walls just inched in. Instinctively, my hand tries to fly up to my throat, but the seatbelt holds it down. “I think I’m allergic to this air. My throat feels itchy.”

He moves, showing genuine concern now, but it’s likely too late. “We’re going to be roadkill, sky-kill? What do you call those who perish in a plane crash?”

“Sky-kill is a good one.”

“Are you making fun of me?” I squeeze my eyes shut and suck in a breath so deep it aches. “I’m on a plane. Abducted.”

“Not abducted. Saved.”

“I’ve never been on a plane!” I snap. I kick my legs, but ouch, my ankle throbs.

“You’re telling me you’re more worried about a plane than me?”

“Yes!”

“Would you like a Xanax?”