Deadly Games - Cate Noble [70]
She untangled the seat belt from her waist, then shoved the seat cushion over the edge, hoping to hear it land.
It didn’t travel far. The next flash of lightning showed it caught in the leaves below her.
She glanced one last time at the fire, saw that it had already grown dimmer. She had to hurry while she could still make out its location.
Easing her legs down, Gena swung to the next branch. It swayed and dipped, not as sturdy. She stayed close to the trunk, hoping the branch wouldn’t snap. The seat cushion that had been caught fell free and hit the ground with a thud, giving Gena hope that she wasn’t so high up.
She eased down to the next branch, but as soon as her feet hit, it snapped, hurtling her to the ground. She landed on the seat, which did little to protect her.
Pushing to her feet, Gena tried to get her bearings. At ground level the fire was barely visible. Could she get to the plane before the flames went out?
She had to. She had to find Rocco.
The storm continued to rage, though not as fiercely. Damn it, she needed the lightning right now to help her see. She started walking, hugging herself against the rain. Vines caught on her shoes, slowing her.
A flash of lightning once again illuminated her surroundings. The trees weren’t as dense as she’d thought, making it a little easier to navigate. The plane had obviously gone down in the jungle, but how far were they from a town? From help?
Don’t think about that now. Just get to the plane.
In those last seconds before the crash, when she’d known they were going down, she had desperately wanted to ask Rocco for his forgiveness. Would she ever have that chance again?
She’d been angry with him at the Monterrey airport after hearing that Maddy was pregnant. Hearing Rocco say it wasn’t his brought back painful memories from her past. Their past.
She’d never forgiven Rocco for being unfaithful. For denying their child. But were Gena’s own sins any less forgivable?
Shortly after marrying Harry, Gena had fallen down a staircase and miscarried. Harry had claimed she’d done it on purpose, to get back at Rocco.
She had told Harry he was wrong, but the bottom line was she’d lost the baby. Even if Rocco hadn’t wanted the child, he’d given Gena a most precious gift. It had been her responsibility to cherish and care for his child. And she’d failed. At everything.
There had even been a point in her marriage when she’d seriously considered forsaking her vows to Harry in order to be with Rocco. In the end, she hadn’t.
But for how many years had she clung self-righteously to the thought that she hadn’t cheated on Harry, when in truth she would have if Harry hadn’t caught her. Threatened her. Beaten her. The memory of that particular night, unlike so many others, was crystal clear.
The lightning flashes were less frequent now, but as Gena drew closer, she saw the glow of the smoldering plane. She tried to run but lost her footing in the slippery mud.
“Rocco!” she called out as she reached the clearing.
What was left of the plane was unrecognizable. The wings were gone, along with the back half of the plane. The passenger cabin was gone. Rocco! Clay! Had they fallen free as she had?
The cockpit was crumpled in on itself. Smoke bellowed from it. Gena tried to get closer, but the acrid smoke burned her nose, pushing her back.
With the next flash of lightning, she saw a body and rushed to it. It was the pilot.
“Can you hear me?” She dropped to her knees beside him.
He was on his stomach, but his neck and legs were twisted at odd angles. He didn’t respond, didn’t move, and Gena sensed he was dead even before she placed a shaking hand to his neck to check for a pulse.
She backed away and buried her face in her hands, giving in to her tears.
God, what should she do now? The rain fell steadily, which would put the fire out soon.
She needed to find Rocco