Free LS02 - Lightning Lingers by Barbara Freethy Page B

the arm. "First I clean your wound and put a bandage on your head."
    "All right, Doc, if you insist."
    "I do." She pushed him into the front seat and then opened the first-aid kit, happy to see everything she needed. She cleaned his wound and bandaged it, noting that the skin around his eye was turning purple. "You're going to have a shiner."
    "It won't be the first time."
    No, it wouldn't, she thought, remembering the black eyes he'd sported during football season. Jake had always been an athlete, and he'd pushed himself to the limit, no matter the activity or the safety factor.
    "Done," she said, as she closed the kit. "You also might end up with a little scar."
    "That will just get me more girls, right?"
    "Probably," she admitted.
    He smiled and stood up. "Let's see where we are."
    It took him a few minutes to get the plane door open and then he jumped down to the ground, a distance of about four feet since they had somehow ended up caught between a couple of trees.
    "I'm going to take a walk," he said. "I want to see if I can get a signal if I can get away from all these trees."
    "Wait," she said quickly. "I'm coming with you. The rain is letting up. It's not that bad anymore."
    "Why don't you stay here and wait for me? You're going to get wet."
    "I have a coat and boots on. I'll be fine. I want to see where we are, too." She grabbed her bag with her phone in it and then jumped down to the ground.
    They walked for about ten minutes, but the terrain didn't change. They appeared to have landed in a forest. "I thought I saw a clearing right before we set down," she said to Jake. "Was I crazy?"
    "No, that's what I headed for. It must have been the other way. I guess we got turned around when we came down."
    As he finished speaking, thunder rumbled the air and lightning flashed over the tall trees. In the distance, she could see even taller mountains. "Did you see that?" she asked Jake. "We're near a mountain range."
    "There are several that run down the center of the country, including one close to the airport in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, but considering the time left in our flight, I'd say we're at least a couple hundred miles from there."
    She hoped he was wrong. "We need to get out of these trees and see if we can find some distinctive landmarks."
    The rain suddenly increased, as if a cloud had burst over their heads.
    "That's not going to happen now," Jake added. "Let's go back to the plane."
    They ran through the trees and rain until they got to the plane. Jake helped her up, and she was more than happy to get inside. He pulled the door shut, but there was still rain coming in through two broken windows.
    "We should cover those," she said.
    He nodded, looking around. Then he turned over two of the seats and pulled out flattened life vests. He grabbed tape and she helped him cover the windows.
    "That should work," she said, "but now it's pretty dark in here." There was still some dim light coming in through the cockpit window but when night came it would be pitch black.
    "I've got a battery-operated lantern," he said, returning to the closet. He pulled it out and set it on the floor. "We should probably wait to turn it on until we really need it."
    She nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest as shivers ran through her.
    "You should change, Katherine—get dry." He walked over to another compartment and pulled out her suitcase and another small black travel bag that apparently belonged to him.
    "You packed a case—when did you do that?" she asked in surprise.
    "I have a go-bag I keep at the airport. I tossed it in before we left, just in case..."
    "Just in case you decided to take me to your great-grandmother's house?" she challenged.
    "I wouldn't go that far. You can change first. I'll go into the cockpit, give you some privacy."
    She waited for him to close the door between the cabin and the cockpit before reaching for her suitcase. She quickly changed, happy to put on dry jeans, thick socks and a sweater. When she was