Part 38 (1/2)

When they reached cruising alt.i.tude, Brian put the plane in auto-pilot while Ca.s.s reached up and turned the seat belt sign off, indicating to the pa.s.sengers that they were now free to move about the cabin.

”What's the weather look like between here and Durango, Ca.s.s? I really don't need a repeat of that joyride we took during the last thunder and lightning storm!” Brian exclaimed.

Ca.s.s chuckled as she checked the weather service reports. ”Don't worry, Brian. Looks like clear sailing the entire way. Should be a pretty uneventful flight if I'm reading the signs correctly,” she told him.

Brian released a visible sigh and relaxed in his seat just as the door of the c.o.c.kpit opened. Ca.s.s looked up to see Ginny in the door way, a worried expression on her face.

”Yes?” Ca.s.s asked expectantly.

Ginny fidgeted. ”Ah, Captain Conway, we seem to have a problem,” she said.

Brian turned around quickly in his seat. ”Don't tell me we've been hit by lightning ... it isn't even raining!” he said unbelievingly.

”What is it, Ginny?” Ca.s.s said as patiently as possible.

”Ah .... ah ....” stammered the flight attendant.

”Oh get out of my way!” demanded a gruff voice from behind the nervous woman.

”Jason!” Ca.s.s said sharply. ”I thought I told you....” she began.

”I don't give a f.u.c.k what you told me, b.i.t.c.h! I'm in control here now,” he spat out as he pulled a gun out of his jacket.

”Oh s.h.i.+t! Oh s.h.i.+t!” Brian repeated nervously, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender as Ginny fainted.

”Jason ... just what do you think you're doing?” asked Ca.s.s, annoyed with the inept idiot.

”What does it look like I'm doing? This is a gun ... you're a pilot ... we're in a plane. This is a hijacking, what else?” he said sarcastically.

”A hijacking? For what reason, Jason?” Ca.s.s demanded sharply.

”Ca.s.s, you'd better be careful how you talk to him,” Brian warned under his breath.

Ca.s.s threw Brian an impatient look while she waited for Jason's answer. ”Well?” she asked again.

”We're going to Bogota, Ca.s.s. Bogota, Colombia,” Jason said smugly. ”You see, I have a little business deal you're gonna help me with down there,” he explained.

”Bull s.h.i.+t! I'm not helping you with anything!” Ca.s.s insisted.

Jason aimed the gun at Brian's left thigh and fired a shot into it. Brian immediately clutched his bleeding leg. ”f.u.c.k! He shot me!” Brian screamed as he fought to stop the flow of blood.

Ca.s.s' eyes widened as big a saucers, her stomach threatening an overall rebellion all over the c.o.c.kpit floor.

Jason looked directly at Ca.s.s, an look of pure evil power in his eyes. ”Now ... I suggest you cooperate - don't you?” he said, his voice as evil as his eyes.

Ca.s.s just nodded her head, her eyes not leaving Brian's bloodied leg. ”He needs a doctor,” she said.

”He'll get one ... just as soon as you land the plane in San Diego,” Jason said.

Ca.s.s looked at him in confusion. ”But I thought you said ....,” she began.

”... that we're going to Bogota. Yes, we are - after we get rid of the deadwood. Now, we can either unload the plane on the ground in San Diego, or we can throw the pa.s.sengers out one by one while we're still in the air. You choose. Either way, they're off the plane. I don't need unwanted complications on board during this flight. Do you understand?” he asked.

”d.a.m.n it, Ca.s.s. Do as he asks!” Brian said desperately as he removed his necktie and wrapped it around his leg to stop the flow of blood.

Ca.s.s' eyes narrowed as she turned her look back to Jason. ”All right. I'll do as you say, but if you harm another person aboard this flight, all bets are off. You got that?” she warned.

Jason reached back and backhanded Ca.s.s across the face. Her head snapped quickly to the right, blood from her split lip spraying all over the c.o.c.kpit door. Grabbing a handful of hair, he jerked her head back up toward his and hissed into her face, ”Let's get this straight, b.i.t.c.h. You don't give the orders here ... I do! Understand?” Releasing her head abruptly, he took a step back and looked at her. ”Now, I suggest you get on that radio of yours and let them know you're landing unexpectedly in San Diego. Call it engine failure... Call it anything you want, but if you tip the authorities off about the hijacking until we're back in the air, you are a dead woman. Capishe?” he demanded.

Ca.s.s reached up and wiped the blood from her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket, then proceeded to radio San Diego.

”San Diego, this is flight 7231 from San Jose, on route to Durango, Mexico, requesting an unscheduled landing,” she said into the microphone.

”Flight 7231, this is San Diego. Is this an emergency? State the purpose of your request,” came the crackly voice at the other end of the line.

”No emergency, San Diego. A slight malfunction of the panel instruments. Request a transfer of the pa.s.sengers to another plane and a maintenance crew to look at the problem. Estimated time of arrival, one hour,” she said as calmly as possible.

”Unscheduled landing approved, flight 7231. Estimated time of arrival, one hour,” came the reply.

Ca.s.s clicked off the microphone and placed it back in its cradle as she shot a look of pure venom at Jason. He just grinned in response.

”Good girl!” he said in a condescending tone of voice. ”You keep cooperating like that and everything will be fine.”

Sitting in the navigator's seat behind Brian, Jason kept the gun trained on Ca.s.s as she turned her attention back to the control panel. Without taking her eyes from the controls, she started to ask questions. ”Tell me Jason, how did you get the gun on board?”

Jason puffed his chest out like he had accomplished some great feat. ”That was the easy part. I smuggled it on board in the food supplies for the plane. You see, I have connections with the company that caters to your airline,” he said smugly.

”Why are you doing this, Jason? I can only a.s.sume it's for money. Something told me the used car business wasn't lucrative enough to keep you in the lavish style you were living,” she chided.

”Bingo!” he said loudly. ”Give that girl a prize! Oh yeah... it's definitely for the money -- lots of it. And you're gonna help me make it!” he said. ”If you're a good girl and continue to cooperate, you might even get a cut of it. If not ... well, let's say one less freaky lesbian b.i.t.c.h in the world won't make a difference.”

Brian's jaw dropped open at the mention of Ca.s.s being a lesbian. Realization was written all over his face as he recalled the countless failures he had experienced trying to seduce Ca.s.s. Ca.s.s just shot him a look that told him to keep his mouth shut, or else. Visibly snapping his jaw shut at the look, he turned his attention back to the throbbing in his leg.

”Okay,” continued Ca.s.s, her back still to Jason, ”so what do I have to do to earn this cut?”

Jason became excited at her apparent cooperation. ”Now you're talking!” he said. ”First, we get rid of wimp-boy here,” he said, indicating Brian, ”and all the pa.s.sengers, then we fly to Bogota, pocket the cash load the s.h.i.+pment and airdrop it over Tijuana, Mexico, where the contacts will be waiting to smuggle it across the border. Then we land back in San Diego ... you tell the authorities that you and I escaped from our captors and flew the plane back. You get a cut of the take, and we go our separate ways,” he finished.