Page 37 of Death

He tugs my arm, forcing me to move forward with him.

“Ari, hold on—” I try to stop but his touch tingles up to my elbow. “Wait.”

We stop by the side of the plane and Ari reaches down to open the door. My stomach churns at the interior. There’s barely any room for one inside, let alone two.

My heart pounds harder. I can’t do this. Does he really think I’m gonna do this?

Ari rests his other hand on mine, sandwiching my palm between his. I look up at him, fully expecting another pep talk but he says nothing. He just looks at me with those deep eyes, his soft expression waiting patiently for me. How long will he wait before picking me up and throwing me inside?

Or I can just get in the damn plane.

I let out a sigh and step up into the plane. Ari’s brow rises, seemingly impressed as I sit down on the tiny bench inside. He follows me in, pulling the door closed behind us as he takes his seat beside me.

The plane roars alive and I stiffen, still not used to the idea of phantom pilots and drivers. Ari pulses my hand twice, making me remember that he’s still holding on, still keeping me anchored to something real.

Something safe, maybe?

I don’t know.

The plane moves forward out of the hangar and gently tilts itself toward the runway. I close my eyes as I adjust to the change in momentum, praying I don’t vomit all over myself as the speed ticks upward.

“Open your eyes,” Ari says beside me. “You’ll want to see this.”

I obey, fluttering my lids open. The world passes outside with a blaze of green trees and a dizzy wave washes over me.

Ari rests a hand on my back to hold me steady as we plummet even faster toward the end. Before we reach it, the plane begins to rise and I clench hard. No more ground. Just air. And more air. And more…

Oh, god.

Ari leans forward to get a better look at the ground, his face twisted in a permanent smile. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks, raising his voice over the roaring engine.

I lean an inch and my stomach churns, forcing me right back. “Uh-huh,” I murmur.

He laughs. His hand never loses its grip as we ascend even higher and I can’t exactly lie and say it’s not comforting.

After a few minutes, the plane levels out and my stomach calms enough for me to lean forward again. I scan the land below us, so green and gorgeous. I bite my lip. Ari was right. I probably would have regretted it if I kept my eyes closed.

“How high are we?” I ask.

“Ten-thousand feet,” he answers.

I take a breath. “It’s beautiful.”

He nods. “I like to do this. Now and then.”

I chortle. “Admire Ohio farmland?”

“Or California wine country,” he says, grinning. “Or the castles in Ireland. There’s so much to see in this world. It’s breathtaking.”

I lick my lips, feeling dry. “It is, yeah.”

We pause for another few moments, both of us staring out into the world.

Then, Ari reaches down and pushes the door open. A cold wind rushes inside and I slam backward to hit the opposite wall.

“Ari!”I gasp.

He raises a hand. “It’s perfectly safe,” he says, looking out. “Trust me.”