Chapter 43: A Frantic Takeoff

At first light, Zach cranks the engine to a roar, metal rattling around us. My stomach flips as the plane jolts forward. Elena clasps my hand, her grip iron-tight.

We lurch down the makeshift runway, the entire cabin shuddering. I glance out the window—no sign of Vasquez's men, but my heart refuses to settle. The tires bounce, and then suddenly, we're airborne, climbing into a washed-out pink sky.

Below, the airstrip shrinks. Elena exhales shakily, leaning her head back. For a brief moment, relief floods me. We're actually leaving. The farmland drifts by in a patchwork mosaic, the plane's engines drowning out all else.

Marta twists around, glaring at us. "Don't get comfortable," she snaps over the noise. "We gotta refuel at a private strip near the desert. Then we keep moving." Her voice is laced with tension, as if she expects trouble.

I swallow, nodding. Zach remains focused on the controls, jaw set. Outside, clouds pass in lazy wisps, but inside, the fear is a live wire. Elena closes her eyes, lips parted in a silent prayer or curse. We're in the sky now—no turning back.