Page 39 of Aviator
“Takes more than that to kill this one,” Dean says around a mouthful of roast beef and pepper jack, jerking a thumb in my direction. I scowl at him and roll my eyes. He waits until Felix relays the news over a radio, then asks, “Is Gramps okay?”
“I checked on him this morning. That old fucker—pardon my language—was sipping whiskey with a big cat on his lap while he watched golf on T.V. He wasn’t even worried. He told me you’d be back in a few days, a little worse for the wear. And damn if he wasn’t right.”
“Yeah.” Dean snorts through his nose and takes another bite of his food. “He’s always right.”
“Apparently. I’m going to get you guys straight to the hospital for a once-over. Make sure nothing is worse off than your leg. Don’t worry,” Felix says with a pointed look at Dean. “I’ll drop by and let Lucas know I hauled your sorry ass out of the mountains.”
“’Preciate it,” Dean says shortly. But I can tell by the way his eyes are averted that it means a lot to him.
I fight the urge to take his hand in mine. Now that we’re off the mountain, I’m not sure how to act around him. Sure, we grew closer, and yeah, we kissed, but I’m still not sure if he’d allow me that sort of intimacy.
Forcing myself to focus, I swallow the last bite of chocolate with a gulp of coffee. “Have you heard anything from my family? My sisters must be worried to death. I kind of left in a hurry, and then everything else happened.” I’m surprised they haven’t devised their own bat signal or something.
“I haven’t heard anything, but here, use my cell phone to get in touch with them.” Felix retrieves his phone from the cup holder in the center console and passes it to me.
“Thank yousomuch.”
“No sweat,” he answers.
I abandon the rest of the coffee. With my free hand, I dial Riley’s number from memory, but it goes to voicemail. I try again with the same results. What the hell? Riley is nevernotattached to her phone. The thing is damn near glued to her hands. I try Klaire, but she doesn’t answer either. I leave them messages to contact me through Felix and also the hospital information where they can reach me. Then I ask Dean what his grandfather’s number is at the cabin and leave that, too, just in case.
“No luck?” Dean asks, and his arm comes around me, settling comfortably over my shoulders. I guess he has no problem showing me affection.
“No, but I’ll try again when we get to the hospital.” I try not to worry, but it takes root in my stomach and the chocolate and coffee churns, making me feel sick.
Dean doesn’t try to comfort me with empty words. Instead, he tugs me closer until I’m wrapped in a circle of his warmth, which comforts me more than words ever could. I lean into his arms, and we spend the rest of the ride in silence. Felix seems to sense we’re exhausted, so he just turns the radio on low to a country music station. The music and the rumble from the truck lull me into a half-sleep for the rest of the drive. I didn’t think it’d be possible to sleep, but my body is more tired than I thought.
“Thanks for the food and the ride, man. I appreciate you for everything,” I hear Dean say to Felix through the haze of half-sleep. I yawn and sit up, pushing my disheveled hair from my eyes.
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I know you’d do the same if it was me out there. Besides, now you owe me one.” There’s a pause as they share a grin, and then Felix says,” So what the hell happened? You’re the last guy I’d ever think would go down.”
Dean sighs. “Honestly, I’m not sure. We came across these dudes cooking drugs of some kind, probably meth, in a cabin in the mountains. They ran into us, so we had to get out of there quick-like. Then the engine caught fire not long after we took off.”
“They shoot at you?”
“Yeah, but not with anything powerful enough to damage the engine. It was something else. Probably just shit luck.”
“You don’t really think that, do you?”
“I don’t know what to think. Once I get the all-clear, I’ll fly back out to the crash site and see if I can figure out what the hell happened. But my first instinct is sabotage.”
The truck rocks to a stop at what my groggy brain assumes is a stop sign. I crack my eyes open and realize we must be nearing town. There are signs of civilization I thought I’d never see again. A gas station. A bus stop. Signs for tourist traps. I should be relieved, excited, and more, but instead, I glance at Dean and wonder if I’ll ever see him again once we get to the hospital.
Sitting up, I realize I was right. We’re at a stop sign next to a gas station. I rub my eyes as we pull into the gas station. Felix hops out to refuel, and Dean brushes the hair from my face. “Why don’t you run inside and get cleaned up?” he suggests.
I send him a frown. “Is that your subtle way of telling me I look like crap? Besides, I don’t have any money for anything.”
Dean presses a wad of crumpled bills into my hands. “Here, got a loan from Felix. Get whatever you need. Will you bring me some deodorant, soap, and a toothbrush and toothpaste?”
Swayed by the thought of feeling a little clean, I say, “Okay, twist my arm. What about you?”
He winces and nods to his leg. “Now that we’re not moving, this is starting to kill me, so I’ll be right here.”
“Duh, you’re right. You should rest. I’ll hurry.”
“Take your time.”
I speed through the small gas station and let out a breath of relief when no one is inside other than the attendant, who doesn’t pay any attention to me as I grab a little basket and speed straight to the personal care aisle. There, I toss a couple sticks of deodorant, some bars of soap, two toothbrushes, and a tube of toothpaste into the basket. I also grab some tampons, silently cheering that I won’t have to use my ripped-up sweater anymore. Quickly, I pay for my treasures and slip to the bathroom, where I nearly orgasm over having clean teeth and real feminine hygiene products. Now, all I can think about is kissing Dean and not worrying about my breath.
