Page 66 of High Seduction
Tim shouted as well, reaching down to cover the blood welling up. “Dammit, that wasn’t—”
He slammed his mouth shut and pulled his hands back as John once again turned the deadly barrel toward him. “Keep your mouth shut, and we’ll let you live. Since she’s so keen on it.”
“Red, get our things. Tim, Erin. Lead the way. And you know better than to do anything stupid.” Ken stepped aside, allowing Erin access to the exit.
She glanced across the distance separating her and Tim and wondered how their world had turned so rapidly from the twenty-four hours before. Her gaze drifted to the body at his side, the signs of death growing as the man no longer stirred, and something went numb inside her.
Whatever she and Tim had stumbled onto, these men were willing to kill to avoid getting caught. Being kidnapped was a far better option at this point.
“We’ll go along peacefully,” Tim promised. “There’s no need to hurt anyone else. Let me see the pilot again—”
John pushed him toward the door. “He’s deadweight. Move now, or you’ll join him.”
Tim turned reluctantly, a sound of pain escaping him. But he hurried down to her and ushered her out the door. “Nothing fancy—no attempts at being a hero,” he cautioned as they hooked on their snowshoes.
“You, too.” She snuck in a quick squeeze to his arm, glancing over her shoulder as the other men crawled out of the plane, following after them too close for even quiet conversation. She had to risk one word, though. “Matt?”
“Working on it.”
The three men didn’t have much with them. Not other than their obvious desire to not be near the plane when any authorities arrived. Erin plotted ways to get a message out, but the entire time they traveled to the chopper she had one or another of the guys at her side.
She was worried sick their crash victims were going to shoot either Tim or Matt, and there seemed to be nothing she could do. Tim seemed to have gotten in some muttered conversation time with his friend, but the crisis situation only increased by the minute.
It took puzzle-solving skill to get all five of them up the short distance to the same level as the chopper, none of them wanting to be the last, not wanting Tim and Erin left alone without someone at their side to ensure good behavior.
“I need to get the chopper warmed up,” she warned. “I can’t hop in and turn it on like a car.”
“You’ll wait until I’m there to watch you,” Ken warned. “You’ll have time once we’ve got your friends in position.”
That didn’t sound good at all. Erin met Tim’s eyes again, and the bastard actually winked, probably attempting to give her what assurance he could.
Only there were no guarantees he could make right now. There was only dealing with one moment to the next. Belaying up the hill, crossing the distance to the chopper, and stripping off unneeded gear.
Tim stopped before opening the door. “In case you were thinking of shooting our friend, don’t. He told me to mention he’s worth a mint. You can easily make some money if you treat him well.”
“Thanks for the information.” Ken laughed. “Good friends like you are hard to find. Now tell him to sit down and hold his hands in the air where we can see them.”
“Matt?” Tim spoke into the headset. “Company coming aboard. Sit down and don’t try anything. Hold your hands up, and trust me.”
Ken ripped the headset from Tim and dropped it into the snow. “You won’t be needing that anymore.”
The door opened slowly, and Erin held her breath, bracing herself for the report of a gun. Fearful of it coming, afraid there was no way to avoid it.
Instead she watched as Red climbed aboard and closed in on Matt.
Tim’s friend was obediently seated, hands toward the ceiling. His eyes were wide with fear, but he said nothing as his hands were shoved to his sides and Red pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket.
A hard shove hit between her shoulder blades. “Get this chopper moving,” Ken ordered.
She crawled in and hurried toward the front, only to be jerked to a stop, Ken pulling her nearly off her feet.
“Your friends don’t have to stay in good condition,” he warned. “If you try anything, and I mean anything I think looks wrong, they’re going to get hurt. Don’t call anyone, don’t answer anything—”
His message was clear. “I got it. Do you know anything about flying, though? I have to do lot of things that might look suspicious, but they’re—”
“Explain, or don’t do them.” Ken motioned her forward. “Get going.”
She was in her seat, glancing back to make sure they were doing as they’d promised and keeping the guys safe. “Lock everything down,” she called, snapping to a halt as Ken raised a hand above her.
