Two Dauntless Hearts Read online

  He slipped the headset over his ears and plugged the wires into the communications ports. “Do I want to know what’s going on?”

  She leaned back and gave him an assessing stare. “Pitbull, are you telling me you’re afraid of a little ol’ plane ride?” Her brows rose into the hair swooping down over her brow.

  Buck leaned forward. “Bingo! Give the lady a prize.”

  Marly shook her head. “You have nothing to worry about. I have over three thousand hours flying this plane alone, and more in other types of aircraft. I started flying at thirteen, over fifteen years ago. I think I can handle it.” She checked the instrument panel, flicked several switches and started the engine.

  As the propeller spun into action, Pitbull’s gut clenched.

  “Relax. We’ll be there before you know it,” Marly said into the mic.

  Her voice filled the earphones of his headset, reassuring Pitbull when he needed it most.

  Marly spoke to the nearby air traffic controller, got her instructions and started the plane taxiing toward the runway. “With all you go through as a navy SEAL, I can’t believe you’re afraid of flying.”

  “I’m not afraid of flying,” Pitbull said through clenched teeth, his fingers digging into the armrest at his side. “I’m afraid of crashing.”

  “But you fly in helicopters all the time,” Marly reasoned, pushing the throttle forward. The aircraft gained speed as it barreled down the runway.

  “I do it as part of the job.” Pitbull tensed, praying the runway was long enough. “And helicopters don’t eat up thousands of feet of runway to take off.”

  Still grinning, Marly kept her gaze on the runway ahead. “Yeah, but when the propeller stops, helicopters drop like a rock to the earth. Airplanes, on the other hand, can glide for miles.” Just as they neared the end of the runway, the plane left the ground, the wings seesawing slightly as they lifted the craft into the air.

  Pitbull leaned back, willing the plane to continue its climb. “Planes can glide for miles, but they still need thousands of feet of runway to land. Helicopters don’t. Besides, I’m used to flying in helicopters, not planes.”

  Her hands steady on the yoke, Marly handled the aircraft like the expert she was. “Stick with me and I’ll have you singing a different tune.”

  Pitbull shot a glance her way, his groin tightening despite the knot in his gut. He’d like to stick with Marly long enough to get to know her lithe body and the taste of her pink lips. The woman was sexy when she was all into her element of flying.

  Pitbull wished he could enjoy the view more. And he might if he could relax, like she said, and enjoy the ride. But this wasn’t Pitbull’s preferred method of transport. It would take a whole lot more time in the craft for him to get even remotely comfortable. In the meantime, he’d suffer through, for the sake of the team.

  * * *

  MARLY ALMOST FELT sorry for Pitbull. Once she was over five hundred feet in the air, she shot a glance his way.

  The man was as tense as a drawn bowstring. His knuckles were white where they curled around the armrest, and he stared through the front windshield unblinkingly.

  She couldn’t talk him down from his panic. She’d already tried. The best she could do was to land the plane safely and smoothly.

  Marly had to admit Pitbull had been the one to catch her eye among the navy SEAL team members. His hard-packed body, square jaw and intense expression made her heart flutter, an occurrence she hadn’t experienced in her twenty-nine years. Until she’d met the SEAL team and Pitbull.

  Knowing he had a deep fear of fixed-wing aircraft didn’t diminish his attraction in the least. It actually increased it in Marly’s eyes. It proved he wasn’t perfect, like she’d originally thought. After her first encounter with the team, she’d read up on the elite units of navy SEALs and what it took to become one. And wow! This man sitting beside her had braved some of the worst conditions and treatment, muscled through and had become one of America’s best.

  From what she’d learned from others among the team, they’d deployed multiple times to the Middle East, Africa and other places around the world on deadly missions. Pitbull couldn’t be afraid of much, if he strode headlong into danger.

  Marly had waded into dangerous situations on more than one occasion and been scared she wouldn’t emerge alive. But somehow, she had. Many times she’d considered moving back to the States and setting up a charter service there, but her mother still worked in the small villages of Africa, helping serve the poor and sick. Until her mother left Africa, she figured she might as well stay. Marly didn’t have friends or family in Virginia, where she was born. Why go back?

  She glanced over at the man in the seat beside her. Perhaps if she had someone to go home to...

  Not that Pitbull was that someone. Marly had grown up independent, running wild in the villages where her mother and father had worked. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle a full-time relationship. Freedom was everything to her.

  And sometimes, with that freedom came loneliness.

  Time passed. Marly made the scheduled stop to refuel at a small airfield halfway to their destination in northern Kenya. Her landing was so soft, she could have been kissing the ground. It didn’t matter—Pitbull had a death grip on the armrest anyway.

  The men clambered out, made their visit to the latrine and hurried back as the attendant completed the refueling. Pitbull offered to let someone else sit in the copilot’s seat, but there were no takers.

  Marly hid a smile. She didn’t want someone else riding shotgun. She liked the view inside the cockpit.

  Her takeoff was a little less graceful as she hit a couple pockets of air that tipped the wings slightly, making the plane wobble on the ascent. Marly sighed. She couldn’t win every time.

  Over the next hour, the color slowly returned to Pitbull’s knuckles as he loosened his grip on the armrest.

  Marly glanced at the savanna ahead and spotted some of Africa’s finest wildlife. She turned her head toward the rear of the plane. “If you look out to the southwest, you’ll see herds of water buffalo and zebras.”

  The men in the seats behind her leaned forward and peered through the cabin windows.

  Pitbull sat forward and craned his neck, scanning the land below.

  “If you look carefully, I’ll bet you can see a pride of lions lurking nearby.” Marly tipped the nose of the plane downward.

  Pitbull sat back, his grip tightening again on the armrest. “What are you doing?” he said, his voice clipped, his lips pulled back into a tight line.

  “It’s okay,” Marly said. “I’m getting a little lower so you can see the animals.”

  “Isn’t that what the safari is for?” Pitbull asked.

  “Yes, but you can’t see the vastness of the herd from the ground like you can from the air.”

  Buck laid a hand on Pitbull’s shoulder. “Stop worrying and start drinking in this amazing view.”

  Pitbull closed his eyes briefly, sucked in a deep breath and let it out before nodding and reopening his eyes. “You’re right. I need to stop worrying. This plane will get us there.”

  “And the excellent pilot,” Buck added.

  Marly shot a grateful smile over her shoulder. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  And then, without warning, the engine sputtered, coughed and died.

  Marly set the plane altitude for the best glide speed and turned her focus to the control panel. Her experience and training kicked in.

  “What’s happening?” Pitbull’s voice said into her ear.

  She didn’t respond, needing every second of her attention on safely landing the disabled plane. Because they were so low already, Marly mentally went through an abbreviated emergency checklist and lowered the landing gear, all while scanning the surroundings for a suitable place to land.

  Marly
keyed her mic. “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”

  “Holy hell,” Pitbull whispered beside her.

  She’d promised to keep him safe on this flight, probably jinxing them all in the process. “Bravo-bravo-niner-eight-niner, experiencing engine failure. Bearing down on the savanna twenty miles north of the All Things Wild Safari & Resort, seven souls on board.”

  The air traffic controller acknowledged her distress call and offered to send a rescue crew to the location of their transponder.

  Marly eased back on the yoke, trading airspeed for altitude, aiming the plane in the direction of the longest, flattest spot on the huge field. Unfortunately, it was occupied by a herd of zebras and water buffalos.

  She couldn’t take her gaze off the ground ahead, so she raised her voice loud enough that the men in the rear could hear. “Gentlemen, brace yourselves for a rough landing.”

  Chapter Two

  When the engine cut out, Pitbull’s heart slammed against his ribs and pulsed through his veins until Marly gave the warning to brace for landing. Then, as with all dangerous assignments, he drew into himself and focused on the mission.

  In this case, it was to survive and get everyone out of what would surely be burning wreckage, if they were lucky enough to be alive upon landing.

  “Move, damn you,” Marly muttered into the mic, her concentration on the zebras trotting across the field in front of the descending plane. “Move.”

  The closer the plane grew to the herd, the faster they ran.

  Pitbull leaned forward, his breath lodged in his throat, counting the seconds until they ran over the black-and-white-striped creatures. Just when he thought they’d hit one of the animals with the landing gear, the herd split, shooting out to each side of the aircraft and far enough away that the wings didn’t touch them.

  The plane floated toward the earth, slowing, slowing, slowing...

  A horn sounded.

  “What’s that?” Pitbull demanded, searching the interior and exterior of the plane.

  “Stall warning. Relax,” Marly said through gritted teeth. “I’ve got this.” She set the plane down on the savanna, the wheels kissing the earth. Once the nose wheel was down, they bounced across the uneven terrain.

  By the time the plane came to a halt, Pitbull was convinced he’d rattled away every tooth in his mouth. But they were alive, the plane was intact and no fire ensued. He let go of the breath he’d been holding and leaned back in his seat.

  “Wow, Marly,” Buck said from the rear. “That was amazing.”

  Marly sat for a moment, staring at the departing herds, her lips pressed tightly together. Then she nodded, as if pulling herself back to the present, and peeled her fingers from the yoke. She turned with a tight smile and faced the men in the back. “Well, you wanted a safari. I didn’t see any reason to wait.” She held up her hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t charge you extra for the exciting landing.”

  Harm shook his head. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” She pushed out of her seat and waded through the team to the door. Once she’d lowered the steps, she hurried to the ground and around to the engine compartment.

  The team piled out, leaving Pitbull to exit the aircraft last.

  He fought the urge to drop to his knees and kiss the ground. If his legs were a little wobbly, he couldn’t help it. Though Marly had done an excellent job landing the plane among a herd of zebras, she could just as easily have crashed and killed every last one of them.

  The water buffalo and zebras stopped running and went back to grazing, as though it were an everyday occurrence to be disturbed by landing airplanes.

  Pitbull trailed behind the others as they followed Marly.

  “Need a hand?” T-Mac asked.

  Marly lifted the lid to the engine compartment. “Know anything about airplanes?”

  T-Mac shrugged. “No, but I’m handy with a variety of engines and computer issues.”

  “You’re welcome to look over my shoulder.” Marly opened the luggage compartment and started tossing backpacks and duffel bags to the ground. “I have a ladder in here somewhere.” Once she’d dumped everything else out of the way, she said, “There it is.” She yanked a small ladder out and stood it beside the plane. “Unlike all of you, I’m not six feet tall.” She climbed up and leaned over the engine.

  “I’ve had engines quit in my car before due to fuel pump issues,” T-Mac offered.

  “The fuel pump was replaced during the last annual maintenance on this plane,” Marly said. “But that doesn’t mean it didn’t go bad since then.” She looked down at Pitbull. “There’s a tool bag behind the back seat inside the plane. Could you get it for me?”

  Pitbull nodded and hurried to comply. When he returned, Marly and T-Mac had their heads together, staring into the engine.

  A flush of heat washed over Pitbull. He fought the urge to insinuate himself between the two. Hell, they were within kissing distance. Instead, Pitbull cleared his throat and shoved the tool kit between Marly and T-Mac. “Perhaps this will help.”

  T-Mac leaned back.

  Marly didn’t take the bag. Instead, she stared into the engine. “Could you hand me a crescent wrench, please?”

  Pitbull bit back a retort, unzipped the bag and gave her what she asked for.

  She reached into the engine with the wrench and jerked back her hand. “Damn. You’d think it would have cooled down by now.”

  “Here, let me see.” T-Mac took her arm and inspected the inside of her wrist.

  “I’ll be all right.” Marly tugged her hand free and bent over the engine again. A few minutes later, she pulled out a part, shaking her head. “Like you said, it’s the fuel pump. Looks like it burned up.” She handed him the part and leaned over the engine. “Thankfully, it’s the only thing burned up. A new part and this plane will be in the air again.” She straightened and grimaced. “It’ll be a rough takeoff, but I’ve been in worse places.”

  “Speaking of being in worse places.” Harm stepped up beside Pitbull. “How are we getting out of here?”

  “I put in a call to the ATC. He said he’d send out a rescue crew.” Marly closed the engine compartment and started to step down from the ladder.

  Pitbull reached out and took her hand to steady her. When she laid hers in his, he felt the tingle of electricity race up his arm and spread across his chest. He didn’t have time to analyze the feeling before she slipped on the last rung of the latter and pitched forward, slamming into his chest.

  Pitbull went down, landing hard on his back, but cushioning Marly’s fall. She landed on his chest, her hands on the ground on either side of his arms.

  “Sorry,” she said and scrambled to get off him. In the process, she kneed him in the groin.

  Pain shot through him, wiping out the heat of the electricity her touch had generated. Pitbull doubled up, swallowing hard on the groan rising up his throat.

  “I’m sorry,” Marly repeated. As she straightened and brushed the dirt off her hands, her cheeks flamed red. She held out her hand to Pitbull.

  “I’m all right,” he said through clenched teeth, waving away her efforts. For a long moment, he lay still, willing the pain to go away.

  “Well, damn.” Marly knelt beside him and started to reach for the parts still pulsing with pain. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  He let go of his package and grabbed her wrist to keep her from touching him down there. Hell, if she didn’t leave his parts alone, it wouldn’t be long before he embarrassed himself in an entirely different way, pain be damned.

  Buck laughed out loud. “Can’t believe you let a girl clock your nads, dude.” He nodded to Big Jake. “You get one side, I’ll get the other.”

  “I’ll get up when I’m ready,” Pitbull insisted.

  “You’re ready,” Big Jake announc
ed. With one of his buddies on either side of him, Pitbull was brought to his feet. Not that he was quite ready. He did his best to stand up straight, thankful the pain faded with each breath.

  Marly stared across the grassy plains, the color still high in her cheeks. “Shouldn’t be too long. The ATC would have called someone close to our location. We never know what we’re going to get.” She entered the plane and walked from front to rear.

  “Well, we might as well enjoy being this up close and personal with the African natives.” Diesel walked past the tip of a wing and stared out over the savanna. “I don’t think I’ve actually seen a water buffalo or zebra from this close.”

  “You’re not as close as you’ll be on the safari.” Marly pulled a rag out of her back pocket and wiped the grease off her fingers.

  “May I?” Pitbull held out his hand for the rag.

  Marly’s brows drew together, and she ran her gaze over him as she handed him the towel.

  His lips quirked upward. “Don’t be so suspicious.” He leaned toward her and wiped a smudge of grease from her jaw. “You missed a spot.”

  Her cheeks blossomed with color. “Thank you.” She swiped the rag from his hands and stuffed it back into her pocket before turning to the others. “We’re not too far from the resort. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to wait more than an hour before someone shows up to take us there.”

  “An hour?” Buck asked.

  Marly shrugged. “You never know who or how they will arrive. I’m assuming in a ground vehicle.”

  “I’d give my left nut for a whirly bird,” Pitbull muttered. “We wouldn’t be in this situation if we’d started out in a helicopter.”

  Marly rounded on Pitbull, eyes blazing, and jabbed her finger into Pitbull’s chest. “If we’d been in a helicopter and the fuel pump went out, those vultures would be picking our bones clean.” She redirected her pointer finger to a flock of vultures riding the air currents several hundred yards away.

  Pitbull held up his hands. “Okay, okay. You made your point.”

  “Damn right I did. I’d like to see your helicopter pilots land as smoothly without an engine.”