“Helping you to your feet.”
“I can stand on my own,” I argued.
He turned to the circle. “I’m going to escort Ms. Miller to the rear of the cabin so I can get a full understanding of her story.”
I shook my head. “No. I want to talk to everyone.” I dug my heels into the hard linoleum. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to unfold.
Jeff sighed. “Honey, just go and talk to him. He’s the air marshal.”
I looked in Hancock’s vapid eyes. “I know you’re not an air marshal. There is no air marshal on this flight.” I didn’t know if I expected someone in the crew to help me. To stop the fake authorities from taking me away.
He chuckled. “Then you should be even more concerned about doing what I say.” His grin was terrifying. “Come on. Don’t do anything stupid on the way to the rear or I’ll put a knee in your back and cuff you in front of everyone. There’s nothing to keep me from identifying you as a terrorist.”
“Fine,” I spat. Causing an uprising on the plane still wasn’t an option. There were far worse consequences if I made a scene. If everyone feared me I’d lose any chance of escaping. The entire flight would turn against me because of one single word—terrorist.
As soon as I emerged past the galley and into first class, I spotted our row. Both seats were empty. AJ wasn’t back from the cargo hold. My stomach dropped.
Chapter Twenty-Two
My eyes darted everywhere. It was as if my head was a water sprinkle
r, pivoting and scanning every face on every row, searching for AJ as I shuffled along the aisle. I hoped he had slipped into an empty seat or even his old seat. I wanted him to be anywhere but in the place we were headed.
I tried to smile at a mother soothing her baby. I saw the worry lines on her forehead.
With every step I took, the hope that AJ was safe faded. He wasn’t here. He was still in the cargo hold. I had no way to warn him. No way to tell him the plan had imploded in my face. The man looming behind me had fucked everything up.
I thought about kicking him in the crotch and making a run for it. I thought about screaming. I thought about yelling for help. But I knew those were all the wrong decisions. The young mother’s face said everything—she was worried about a fussy baby. Throwing my crisis on everyone else wasn’t going to solve anything. Instead, it only increased the risk that more people would be hurt. I couldn’t do that to them.
We reached the galley at the rear of the plane. It was empty. The flight crew was milling about in first class and the rest of the cabin. I understood they were giving Hancock time to deal with me. Only, I didn’t know how far he was going to take things to keep my silence. Was he going to hurt me?
He knocked on both the lavatory doors. The lights glowed with the unoccupied signs. Was he going to shove me in the bathroom?
He pulled a set of tri-fold doors closed behind us, keeping a rough hold on my arm. We were now partitioned from the passengers.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Shut up. You don’t want to risk someone hearing you.” He opened the galley door. The same one AJ had told me was the inner entrance to the underbelly of the plane.
I shook my head in defiance. “Oh no. I’m not going down there.”
“I didn’t ask.” He pushed me forward so that half my body was wedged inside the passageway.
I noticed a set of metal steps that were steep enough to be considered a ladder. There was no way I could descend walking forward. I’d fall straight to the floor.
“Keep going.” He pushed something hard into the middle of my back.
Oh shit. Was that a gun? I was afraid to turn around.
I grabbed the railing and carefully maneuvered so that I was now facing Hancock. I lowered myself one rung and then another. I took my time, finding small ways to stall.
“All the way,” he barked.
“I’m going,” I shot back. I wanted AJ to know I was almost on the last step.
I looked up as Hancock started to follow me. There was no mistaking the gun now that I could see it pointed at me.
“Just put that thing away. You can’t fire it,” I argued. “You’ll take the entire plane out.”