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"Daht, brother, but we shouldn’t have to I found soether I’ll haul it in" Lan’s previous nerves had ance

That was exactly what they needed because they didn’t have anything left except for the stubborn belief that nothing and no one could take them down

Dane stood at the door, braced himself, and threw it open He stared down into the blue void below and prayed their stubborn arrogance was enough

Alea felt her stomach roll, but forced the bile back down She’d never particularly loved flying, even when she’d learned how to do it She’d taken the lessons for the sa; it had been expected of her Her cousins had learned, so she had, too, even when her hands had shaken Even when everything in her body had screaround She’d conquered her fear and learned to fly

Now she was going to learn how to crash

Cooper’s concentration was absolute After the first couple ofbut cocky confidence "Brace yourself, baby We’re going to hit the water hard"

She settled into the seat beside him and strapped herself down On the horizon, she saw a tiny piece of land, yet another green jewel in a sea of blue They would land as close to that little patch as possible

Her hands shook Nerves Stress God, she’d been given soet off theers down her throat just to purge the rest out of her syste was still a little hazy, but she could re herself all over Dane But she’d deal with that humiliation later

Dumb slut No one wants you When the money runs out, we’ll just kill you and no one will miss you You’re worthless

God, she hated those voices, but they were always in her head, just waiting for the perfect ti and take her down When she heard them, she just went to bed with her iPod on and her ear buds firet She couldn’t do that now She had to stay in the present

No, more than that She had to be useful Alea refused to be another piece of luggage they had to haul around They would do it They would really put her on their backs and swim so they didn’t leave her behind

God, thesehearts, would never leave her behind Would they if they knew the things she’d survived? Probably They would save her if only because they were good to their cores And they would feel sorry for her

They couldn’t know the whole truth She wouldn’t be able to stand their pity

Cooper fought with the yoke, trying to angle the plane to ensure their best chance at survival

A loud bang shot through the little plane

"Dane? Lan?" She started to tear off her seat belt She had to help them

Cooper didn’t look away froht there, Princess They’re fine I bet Dane just blew the door That shit-ass island doesn’t come equipped with a runway I can’t put us down on land The trees are too thick Unless… Baby, go back and sit with Dane"

Her jaw dropped Alea knew da "Yeah, sure I’ll leave this seat when you land In the water"

His jaw tightened The plane jerked again "It would be best if I set us down on land That way you’ll have the plane to take refuge in, and the metal can be seen from above"

"I’ in and killing everyone inside iswhere I a her, too No way No how

Yes, they would lose the plane, but they would all have a shot at living

And suddenly she knew deep do significant that was The question had floated through her head for a long ti really iht to survive in Coloed her The huht to continue breathing from one moment to the next But Alea had wondered in the darkest recesses of her soul whether she actually wanted to live Because living wasbrave Livingchances

Yes She wanted to live

She wanted a chance to be like the woman she’d once been, a little bold, o back in time, but she could move forward In some ways, she’d never really left the dank, filthy cell of her captivity Piper had been right

It was time to shed the pathetic Alea who had hidden in her roo walls around herself to keep out everyone who tried to help her She needed the Alea she’d been before, the one who strove to be the best, studied the hardest, helped those around her That Alea had been in a coht not deserve a shot at happiness, but she wanted one

"I’, Coop" She wouldn’t leave any one of the her teeth, she shoved the ie away "So you better set us down easy"

"Da to spank your ass bright red" Cooper pulled the yoke and the nose caain

The plane shuddered She braced herself He would let the tail touch to slow them down That’s what she would do in his place They wanted the plane to float for as long as possible