Chapter 1269:
Jeffrey arrived overhead just in time to witness the collision. His chest tightened. Something about the sight twisted his gut. “Get us over there!” he barked. The pilot stiffened. “Mr. Harper, getting that close could compromise our safety—”
Jeffrey snapped, “I said now!”
The pilot snapped out of his hesitation and redirected the aircraft toward the wreckage. As they closed in, the heat grew intense, the smell of smoke and burning metal clinging to the air.
The pilot eased up on the throttle, holding the plane in a safe distance. “This is as close as we can risk, Mr. Harper.”
Jeffrey didn’t blink. His eyes remained fixed on the fallen wreck, searching for any movement through the haze, but the smoke swallowed everything. Without warning, he wrenched the cabin door open. A blast of wind whipped through the plane, momentarily blinding Malcolm.
Jeffrey stepped forward, one foot already dangling outside.
“Shit!” Malcolm’s eyes widened as he lunged forward, grabbing Jeffry by the belt and yanking him back. “Have you lost your mind?” he yelled. “Do you even realize how reckless that was? Are you trying to die up here?”
If they weren’t midair, Malcolm would have swung at Jeffry. Opening the door at this altitude—what the hell was going through his mind?
Just the memory of Jeffry standing there with one foot hanging outside sent a shiver down Malcolm’s spine. He’d always seen Jeffry as calculated—someone who weighed every move, kept his emotions locked down, and treated marriage like a business deal. But now? He was out here pulling stunts like this.
Jeffry didn’t flinch. His tone was even. “Let go of me. I have to find out if Lydia was on one of those planes.”
Malcolm’s jaw tightened. “You can’t see a damn thing from here. Let’s land and talk to someone who knows what happened.”
Taking the silence as a win, Malcolm shut the door and signaled the pilot to descend.
The closest airstrip wasn’t far off the coast. By the time they touched down, four military planes were lined up neatly on the tarmac, each matching the two aircrafts that had gone down, most likely part of the same group.
Jeffry didn’t wait. He leapt off the plane and headed straight for a Royal Guard standing near the jets, puffing on a cigarette.
Worried Jeffry might act impulsively again, Malcolm hurried after him and struck up a conversation with the guard. “Hey, mind if I ask, were those on the two planes with you?”
The guard, cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced at Malcolm, his expression nonchalant.
Thinking quickly, Malcolm reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek box of cigars. He held it out.
The guard took one look and pocketed the box without hesitation. “Only those on one of the planes were with us. A wild woman flew the other one. Why do you ask?”
Jeffry didn’t answer. He spun on his heel and walked off.
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