Stolen Chances Read Free Page B

and what was happening with her father, but gossiping about someone she didn’t know and had no interest in meeting wasn’t helping. Neither was concentrating on that tickle in the back of her throat.
    “You won’t regret it.”
    Why had her father said those words? Yeah, he knew Mexico was the last place she wanted to visit again, but what could she possibly regret about seeing her injured, possibly dying, father?
    The plane bumped, jostling Maren in her seat, distracting her from the frantic thoughts rushing through her head. When the metal contraption dipped to the left, she closed her eyes and resumed reciting the periodic table.
    The plane jolted again, and Maren’s fingers dug into the seat until her knuckles turned white. “Nickel, copper, zinc,” she said louder.
    Lisa smiled and reached out to pat Maren’s hand. “You’re doing good. You haven’t made it to xenon yet. It’s not so bad.”
    “Not so bad? Are you nuts ?”
    Lisa chuckled. “In a few minutes, you’ll look back on this with fond memories.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
    “We’re comin’ in, ladies.” The pilot’s raspy voice drew Maren’s attention away from her father and onto the terror that lay ahead. “Hold on. This runway’s short.”
    “Oh God. Did he say the runway was short?” Maren cinched her seat belt down tight and gave up any pretense of holding it together. She grabbed Lisa’s hand.
    Even Lisa tensed as the small plane rocketed down the runway. Maren braced her feet wide and slammed her eyes shut. The shaking only convinced her the landing gear would fall off at any moment. Metal screamed against metal in the small cabin as the pilot applied the brakes. Maren rushed through the fourth line of the periodic table.
    By some miracle, they slowed. And as they began to turn toward the right, Maren finally opened her eyes.
    She could swim through a dark cave with barely a light and only a few minutes of oxygen without being scared, but airplanes freaked her out big time. Giant metal machines were not meant to fly. And certainly not people. Birds and insects. That was it.
    She let go of Lisa’s hand and wiped the sweat on her capris. “Okay. Not doing that again. We’ll rent a car when it’s time to go back to Cancun.”
    “Car would take too long. Especially with the way traffic travels on these back roads. And I’m pretty sure we crossed water at some point. Car won’t work. We’d sink.”
    “Okay. A boat. I don’t care. I’ll even take a Jet Ski. But I’m definitely not doing that again.”
    Lisa laughed and reached for her bag.
    Maren breathed slowly and, feeling marginally steady, finally took a good look around.
    The landing strip was nothing more than a short stub of grass, no more than the width of a normal street in the States and as long as a football field. Palm trees lined the outer rim of the airfield. Off to the left, a small airplane hangar housing probably no more than two planes glittered in the afternoon sunlight. A run-down shack that had to be the terminal sat ahead between two large palms.
    There’d be no getting out of here quickly if she had a panic attack. And considering she didn’t yet know how sick her father really was, she had no idea how long she’d even be here.
    That was a question she probably should have asked before leaving Isabel. But she’d been too worried to think.
    The pilot killed the engine and whipped around in his seat, flashing a toothless grin. “Welcome to Southern Quintana Roo.”
    Maren managed a “Thank you” and unbuckled her lap belt. The Cessna’s door opened, and humid air redolent with the scent of exhaust enveloped her. Sweat beaded on her neck and trickled down her back, but at least her feet were now on solid ground.
    She slipped on her sunglasses and glanced around the small airstrip while the pilot helped Lisa get their bags. “We were supposed to meet a car.”
    The pilot lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the blistering sun.