: Chapter 23

Lia

My pulse sped, my heartbeat too fast. Further back on the ledge, Effie twisted to inflate the wide, bright-pink-and-blue parasail, and it rose into the air, tugging on her.

Oh shit. Oh God.

“You’re up, Lia,” she called.

My cue to move closer. Legs trembling, I got into position in front of her, and she manoeuvred the ropes and harness to strap me in. We were both in helmets, but that was our only protective gear. I trusted the sportswoman, though. She did this for breakfast.

The breeze dragged on me, too, now, and I swallowed my fear.

“Ready?” Effie asked.

“No, but let’s do it.”

She snickered a laugh. “On my count. No more crusty worm vibes! Go.”

I ran towards the edge of the cliff, a dazzling drop spreading out below.

But before I reached it, the parachute lifted us into the air.

“Ah!” I shrieked, airborne, and slammed my eyes closed. “Oh my God. I’m going to die.”

“No, you’re floating free,” Effie sang back.

I forced one eye open and gasped at the view. High above the Scottish hillside, we soared. I’d seen people do parachute jumps and parasailing, whatever this version of that was, and thought them so clever. Now I was up there doing it, too.

My nerves crested as euphoria, and I squealed with glee instead of fear.

“This is amazing,” I crowed, earning another laugh.

“Right? You’ll be back for more,” Effie promised.

She pulled on some combination of the complicated strings and ropes, curving us around in a swoop. Air whooshed past us, the breeze whipping my curls at my neck.

I let myself simply enjoy the ride.

Everything was in perspective here. I could do nothing but glide under Effie’s control. No decision-making. No responsibility. I badly wanted those things in my life and now could see just how much.

“It’s so peaceful,” I said. “So calm—”

A chopping noise abruptly cut up the air.

“Shite,” Effie uttered.

“What is it?”

“Helicopter. I can’t see it, can ye?”

The tone of her voice sent alarm skittering down my spine. I scanned the skies above us.

“No, not at all.”

The thud, thud, thud grew louder, thunderous and menacing.

“Still can’t see it.” My voice came out frantic.

Effie took a rush of breath. “Oh fuck, there he is. Skimming right above the hillside.”

“Where?”

“He just crested the hill at the end of the glen.” She concentrated on controlling our descent for a moment. “Fucking hell, he’ll be right below us in fifteen seconds. Listen, it’s going to be okay. I can steer us away. Just have to hope the fucking jerk sees us and stays on course.”

I held my breath, panic holding me stiff. Throughout the whole morning, we had barely seen another person, and not a single vehicle. Why this and now?

Our peaceful day had been shattered.

The aircraft loomed out of the cover of the hill to our left, low to the valley floor and almost underneath us. The sound level coming from the fast-moving death machine threatened us.

Effie yelled something, but I couldn’t hear. I didn’t need to. There was nothing I could do and everything at stake.

If the helicopter came too close to us, we’d be cut to pieces. The downdraught could probably break our sail. Terror sped through me. Everything was moving too fast.

Then Effie yanked on the ropes, and the sail curved hard right.

I screamed, unable to look.

The sound of the rotor blades diminished, the whirring tone changing.

The slope fast approached.

“Coming in for landing,” Effie warned with a shout. “This won’t be pretty. Keep your legs up.”

She stalled the sail and cut our speed but still stumbled as she hit the ground. We fell to earth in a mess of limbs.

A stump of a bush hit my helmet. Something snagged my leg, scratching me.

Then all went quiet.

“Are you alive?” I managed.

“I think so? Holy fuck.” Effie groaned, working on our harnesses.

I was freed first and stood then offered her a hand. She clambered up and gave me the once-over, anxiety in her crinkled brow.

“I’m so sorry. That shouldn’t have happened. Are ye hurt?”

“No, you?”

“Uninjured. Which is more than I can say for the moron who carried out that move. I’m going to fucking kill him.” Her lip curled, and she spun around to the helicopter, landed now on the opposite slope.

The pilot had powered it down and was climbing out.

“Hey, wait there,” Effie yelled. With well-practiced efficiency, she bundled up her sail then took off over the uneven ground towards the enemy.

I trotted after her, placing my feet carefully until we reached a barely there path.

The woman moved fast, her fury building the closer we got.

The pilot had jumped down and was now sprinting our way, a second man close behind.

“What the hell was that?” Effie bellowed.

I recognised the men a second later. At the front, in a blue jumpsuit and looking like we’d scared the life out of him, Gabe stomped the ground. Behind him, an older McRae followed, undoubtably one of Max’s kin, though I didn’t know which.

“Eight hundred meters.” Effie closed in. “I need to be able to see ye from eight hundred meters away for thirty seconds before you’re on top of me. Ye skimmed that ridge then descended too fast. Ye could have killed us.”

“Are either of ye hurt?” Gabe replied, eyes wide with recognition and shock.

“We’re fine, but no thanks to ye,” Effie replied.

“Thank Christ.” He put his hand over his heart and dropped his head.

“Seriously, that was beyond dangerous. What were ye doing here?”

“This glen is used for training. It’s naw a jump site.”

Effie blinked. “Well, it was today. You’re still in the wrong.”

The panic left Gabe’s features, and his eyebrows beetled. “Was I? I’m practicing for flying with the mountain rescue, in a place where that happens often. I checked in a flight plan and knew I was in the clear. Did ye?”

Effie gave a hard laugh. “Does it look like I’m flying a plane? I don’t have to lodge a flight plan. Why would I when other air users obey the regulations? Oh, wait, apart from ye.”

“I know the regulations. No one should be jumping this end of the glen.”

Both glowered at the other. Tension crackled.

The McRae elder stepped forward. “Effie, I’m sorry we scared ye. Gabe spotted ye the minute we cleared the ridge. He had control. We banked away to land safely.”

My friend folded her arms. “Thanks, Gordain. It’s good to know that.”

Gabe grimaced at the ground, as if forgetting his manners in his argument with Effie bothered him.

The older man looked at me. “It’s Lia, aye? I’m Gordain, Max’s uncle. It’s a shame to be meeting ye like this.”

I summoned a shaky smile. “Good to meet you, too. That scared the life out of me. I’m sorry we scared you, too.”

“There’s lessons to be learned here on both sides, I’d say.” He pointed to the ridge. “Effie, what distance is it to that ridge?”

She blinked. “Paragliders need to allow a clear five hundred meters. It’s at least that.”

“About a hundred metres shy,” Max’s uncle replied gently.

Effie dropped her gaze now, too. “Oh.”

“Do ye need a ride home? We can take ye,” Gordain continued.

“My car’s nearby,” Effie managed. “We’ll get back fine on our own.” She stared at Gabe.

Though he must have felt it, he directed his words at me. “Lia, I apologise for this. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to ye, I will.”

“No need. We’re just going to go. Fly safe,” I replied.

Linking my arm in Effie’s, I dragged her away. We marched along the base of the glen, quiet after the shock of our experience.

Back at the car, Effie tossed her rucksack into the boot and turned big eyes on me. “My heart is still pounding after that.”

“Mine, too.”

“I’m really sorry. Now the adrenaline has worn off, I feel like an idiot. I should have considered someone might fly that kind of manoeuvre here in training. I’ve made that jump before a couple of times on my own, and I’ve never seen anyone else in the air.”

“What did you tell me up on the ridge? Something along the lines of no regrets, move on to better things?”

Effie tried to smile but failed, misery decorating her features instead. “It had to be Gabe as well. For the sake of all the fucks, why him?”

I wrapped her in a hug and patted her back, then we drove back to the castle.

At the base of the steps, Max clutched Evie to him, his eyes wide with alarm when he spotted us.

I groaned. “Of course, Gabe must’ve told him already.”

Effie sighed, and I bid her farewell and hopped out of the car.

Then Max was in front of me and pulling me into a hug. Likewise, Evie clutched me, and we sandwiched her between us.

“I was so worried,” Max muttered into my hair.

I was, too. But not of the near miss.

I was turned upside down by the multitude of thoughts in my head, the long-held beliefs that were shifting and altering. But most of all by this, being in Max’s arms with our daughter.

So many changes had already started, and I needed to work out how to make them stick.