As Darkness Gathers (Dark Betrayals Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

indicating a call from the flight deck.  
    Edgar spoke quickly. “Put a hold on whatever you’re doing right now, Finch.”
    “Turbulence?”
    “Supposed to be severe, so make sure everyone’s seated and secured. I’ll make the announcement while you do the walkthrough.”
    As Edgar came over the public address system, I strode down the aisle checking each passenger. The elderly woman had taken her coat off and draped it over herself.  
    I touched her shoulder. “Ma’am?” I kept my voice soft, but she still jumped. “I apologize for startling you. I just need to make sure your seatbelt is fastened.”
    She handed me her coat and fumbled for the dangling belts. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice a warble. “Are we in trouble?”
    I knelt at her side, draped her coat over my shoulder, and guided her shaking hands into securing the belt low on her waist. “No, not at all. We’re just going to be experiencing some bumps, and for your own safety, your seatbelt should be fastened.”
    She clutched my hands, the skin of her fingers like thin, wrinkled tissue paper. “I’ve never cared for flying, but my granddaughter just had a baby, and I promised I would come visit. I couldn’t back out when she and her husband bought me a ticket.”
    I squeezed her hands in a gentle grip. “Your granddaughter will be thrilled that you made the trip for her. Your first great?”
    “Yes.” She leaned closer, enveloping me in the scent of talc and a faint hint of lavender. “Lyla was always my favorite grandchild, though I’d never tell the others.”
    I smiled and arranged her coat over her knees before standing. “And by having your first great-grandchild she has cemented her place as favorite, I bet.”
    Her laugh sounded like the tinkling of a wind chime in a slight breeze. “She certainly did.”
    As I moved to the front of the cabin, I kept a hand braced above me on the overhead bins. Even so, the first jolt would have knocked me off my feet had 1A not reached out and grabbed me.  
    I braced myself on his shoulders to avoid ending up in his lap. “Thanks,” I breathed, uncertain which had affected me more—the turbulence, or his firm, steadying grip on my waist.
    “Sit.” There was an undercurrent of command in his voice, and I obeyed without thought when he nudged me toward the jump seat.
    As I clipped the shoulder harness, the plane dropped so abruptly my stomach lurched into my throat, and the elderly woman cried out.  
    The rigorous jostling felt as if it lasted hours, though my watch said it was only thirty minutes. From my vantage point, I saw the white-knuckled grips on the armrests and the tense, sickly facial expressions. I glanced at 1A, but his eyes were closed, his jaw tight.
    The sudden stillness came as abruptly as the turbulence had, and several minutes later, the public-address system crackled.
    “Sorry about that, folks. We tried to find some smoother air at both higher and lower altitudes, but there was none to be found. It should be a mostly smooth flight from here on out. With the way air traffic control rerouted us to avoid the worst of the weather, we’ve flown to the west and north of Ottawa. In about ten to fifteen minutes, we’ll be turning south and beginning our initial descent. Again, we apologize for the bumps. We’ll update you—”
    In the background, the first officer cursed, low and vile. “Edgar, the rudder . . . Shit. I don’t have any—”
    The line went silent, and I held my breath.  
    1A’s eyes had flown open at the interruption of the captain’s announcement, and now his gaze narrowed on mine.
    Unease tightened my throat as the plane jerked and shuddered, and when the four bells went off moments later, I was already reaching for the interphone.  
    “We’ve lost the hydraulics to the rudder,” Edgar said, his voice clipped.
    “That’s bad.”
    “It’s not good, honey. If you don’t hear from either of us when we get down, initiate