Page 4 of Jolene's Justice

He stared, slack-jawed. It was something that Angelica had constantly ridiculed him for, but Jolene was attempting to do just that with the red and a green halves. He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself, and then said, “Yeah. All the time.”

“Look. Christmas,” she said, holding up the newly formed gummy worm. Her playful smile was so infectious he couldn’t help but return it. Her eyes twinkled with amusement, and when the two halves fell apart, the sound of her laughter was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

She popped the two pieces into her mouth and chewed. “As a chef, I really shouldn’t be enjoying this snack so much.”

“A little indulgence never hurt anybody.” She sent him another smile, and the sight of it was so captivating its radiance washed over him.

“I guess,” she acknowledged. “I still enjoy gummy bears more, though.”

“But you get more gummy in a worm.”

“But you get more bears in a bag,” she countered.

“Guess it equals out then.”

Her lips curved into a half smile as she softly replied, “Guess so.”

The sharp, unexpected movement of the helicopter lurching caused her to jump in surprise and drew his attention back to his instrument panel. Beside him, Jolene drew in a sharp breath, and her hand flew to his arm. Her fingernails pressed into his skin as her grip tightened.

“It’s okay,” he calmly stated. “Just turbulence. We’re heading into a storm.”

“A storm?” she asked, her voice slightly quivering in uncertainty. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I’ve flown in much worse conditions.” The cockpit darkened as they converged on the storm. He’d checked the weather radar when they’d stopped for fuel and noticed the storm cells. He was hoping to beat them to their destination, but it appeared they’d moved faster than anticipated. Still, they didn’t have much farther to go, and he had flown in worse conditions. It was simpler to fly through a few gusts of wind and drops of rain than through an artillery barrage and bullets. War was thunderous, while the sound of wind and rain brought a feeling of serenity.

The cockpit was briefly illuminated by lightning as huge gusts of wind buffeted them. Finch expertly maneuvered them through the storm until all hell broke loose. With a sudden yaw to the right, the cockpit filled with the glow of a warning light. The aircraft shuddered as he lost tail rotor control. The control pedals were completely unresponsive.

“What’s that?” Jolene asked in a frantic, high-pitched voice.

Finch immediately put the helicopter into autorotation, cutting power to the main rotor. With a heavy sigh, he slowly decreased the airspeed to perform an engine-off landing. Through the darkness caused by the storm, the soft glow of their intended landing strip lay ahead, manned by a buddy of his.

“Make sure your seat belt is fastened,” he ordered. “I’ve lost tail rotor control.” The fear in her gasp resonated within him, but he kept his face expressionless. “We’re landing just ahead. I’ve got this, but it’s going to get a little rough.” As if to punctuate his words, another strong gust of wind rattled them.

“Are we gonna crash?”

His voice was steady and reassuring as her panic seemed to grow like a palpable presence. “No, Jolie.” He tried for a gentle tone as he used the pet name he’d once given her. “Trust me, okay? We’re gonna be fine.”

He took a moment to contact his friend, announcing his emergency just in case the landing didn’t go as he planned. He was well versed in emergency procedures, yet Jolene’s presence made it more nerve-racking. She was precious cargo.

Her hands were shaking as he glanced to at her and he wished he was able to give her some comfort, but both of his hands were needed to manage their descent.

“We’re almost there,” he said, his teeth clenched as the wind pushed back. His grip was so tight that his knuckles turned starkly pale as he clamped down on the cyclic.

As they lined up with the runway, he made the necessary adjustments with precision to land them safely. Beside him, Jolene’s body tensed, and he could hear her panicked breathing, despising the fact that he had put her in this position.

With a bone-jarring jolt, they were down. Finch spun around to Jolene, his eyes quickly sweeping over her as he searched for any injuries. “Jolie, are you okay?”

Her head moved in a slow nod, but her body stayed still and tense. He fumbled with the buckle of his seat belt before unclasping it and pushing open his door. His buddy had just reached them, but Finch paid him no mind as he rushed to Jolene’s side. The scent of rain still lingered in the air, mixed with the distant rumble of thunder as he yanked open her door.

Her hands were clamped so tightly over the edge of her seat that her knuckles had gone a stark white, and she sat there rigidly. Her grip on the leather was so tight that the crescent-shaped imprints of her nails were sure to stay. He reached across her and unlatched her belt, then cupped her face in his hands, turning her to look at him. “Jolie. You’re okay. We’re safe.” As he spoke in a gentle voice, her eyes remained unfocused.

“Jolie,” he said, his voice ragged with emotion, “please look at me.”

She blinked slowly as he watched her regain her presence of mind. “Finch? Did we make it?” The tremor in her voice just about killed him.

A small lopsided smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah. We’re good. How about we get you out of the helo?”

“Okay,” she said, far too docilely for his liking.

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