Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
They smile at my offer, their expressions softening.
“This diagram explains the engine controls.” Leo studies it, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “We need to understand every part of this inside and out.”
“These gauges—fuel, altitude, airspeed—are straightforward. Everything we need to operate the plane is here.” Kody’s silken baritone, always so steady, instills confidence even in the face of the unknown.
“Don’t forget the emergency procedures.” I shut my eyes, resting them. “We need those, too.”
A hand strokes my hair. Another slides down my leg, lulling me to sleep.
The discussion continues in a haze of technical jargon and shared resolve, delving into the intricacies of aviation. Each page of the manual is meticulously examined and discussed.
I drift between wakefulness and dreams, their hushed voices a comforting lullaby.
As the night deepens, their focus meanders to our next obstacle, the retrieval of the pemmican. Despite my heavy exhaustion and mental fog, I feel the shift in the air, the tentacles of urgency pulling me fully awake.
“The bear meat will feed us for a month.” Leo lightly kisses my arm, my bare shoulder. “Longer if we ration.”
“We can’t wait too long.” Kody readjusts my head to rest in the crook between his bicep and chest as he slides into a more comfortable position on his back. “The weather won’t wait for us, and we can’t risk getting snowed in until the thaw. You know how unpredictable it is this time of year. We need to be smart, plan carefully.”
Leo’s agreement is silent, a shared understanding that speaks volumes.
In the firelight of their pause, he moves up to spoon me from behind, resting his head beside Kody’s.
They can have the pillow. I’m perfectly content using their biceps.
As they talk above me, their exchange, a seamless flow of understanding and productive debate, underscores the depth of their bond—a connection forged in mutual suffering, unbreakable and essential.
“How much fuel is left for the snow machine?” Kody sniffs my scalp, his hand roving my hip.
“Not much.” Leo’s shoulders rise and fall. “Not enough to drive it thirty miles to the cabin.”
“I figured. Do we have enough jet fuel for the plane?”
“No idea.”
My eyes fly open. I hadn’t even considered that.
“Denver would’ve kept enough on hand to fly a direct path to wherever he went for supplies.” Kody scratches his stubble. “But we need extra. For our practice runs. For any rerouting and backtracking we might do. We don’t know where we are or how far the nearest town is.”
“I can run some numbers. The manual has fuel consumption rates—gallons per hour—at specific conditions.” Leo thumbs through the pages. “I just need our estimated distance and payload. That’s how Denver calculated how much fuel to carry to reach whatever city he visited.”
“A port,” I interject. “In the Prince William Sound.”
Two hard bodies stiffen against me.
“How do you know?” Leo shoots up on an elbow.
“When he abducted me, he transported me on a yacht for several days. Kept me below in a cabin.” I roll to my back to say this part to their eyes. “I couldn’t see outside, but I screamed a lot. Called for help. It pissed him off. Right before he docked, he threatened to toss my lifeless body into the Prince William Sound.”
Kody’s hand forms a fist on my abdomen, his voice pitch-black. “Where did he take you from there?”
I’m ready to steal his angry lips and end this conversation. But that won’t save us.
“I don’t know. He tranquilized me right after that threat. When I woke, I was in a crate on the plane, not far from Hoss.” My chest constricts in memory. “He must’ve put me in the crate while still on the yacht. He had several crates of fish with him.”
“I remember.” Leo flares his nostrils.
“Any witnesses would’ve assumed my crate was filled with fish, too. I guess that’s how he transported me undetected from the yacht to the plane. But he must’ve had help.”
Leo’s breathing accelerates as Kody asks, “How long does a tranquilizer take to wear off?”
“Depends. After he died, I went through his kidnapping kit in the closet. I don’t know which cocktail he used on me or how much he injected, but he was in possession of some highly potent shit. Any of it can keep someone my size down for six hours or longer.”
“Let’s do some math.” Leo pulls the manual closer and flips through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for. “What are the port cities around the Prince William Sound?”
“Valdez, Whittier, Cordova…” I wrack my brain, trying to recall the health clinics and doctors in the area. “Chenega Bay and Tatitlek.”
“And the northernmost city in Alaska?”
“Utqiagvik.” My forehead furrows. “I thought everyone in Alaska knew that.”
Leo raises a brow. “There are three things Denver refused to teach us.”
“Okay. So that was aviation, the cabin’s power system, and…? Geography?”