Here's a teaser from Brace For Impact which is part of the anthology Crashing
Into Love.
Lori gagged on the bile rising in the back of her
throat. She inhaled sharply to calm her stomach. If I'm going to die, it's
not going to be with vomit all over my uniform.
A distant whimper caught her ear. She lifted her
head and opened her eyes. The lady in 37D rocked back and forth in her seat.
Lori fought the urge to run to her. Her flight attendant training told her to
stay seated. The Captain had called, "Brace for impact."
Hang on, 37D. Just a bit longer. I understand how you feel.
Isolated way back here in no-man's land at the back of the plane. No one's hand
to hold for comfort. Alone. Scared. Me too.
The gentleman in seat 36C stood then pulled open
the overhead bin.
Lori sat up taller. "Sir! The Captain said,
brace for impact. Get back in your seat. Please."
He turned his head, glancing at her. Lori blinked.
She'd noticed him as she did her rounds of economy class. Sexy tousled hair. An
unshaven chin. Gorgeous smile. Focus on your job. "Sir. Please.
Sit. Down."
He grabbed a bag out of the bin, slammed it shut
and returned to his seat.
Her heart raced as she shouted out the words she'd
practiced in flight attendant school a hundred times and prayed she'd never
have to use. "Head down. Brace. Brace." She hoped the sound of her
voice could offer a moment's relief to the terrified passengers in economy.
They were her passengers. If she could hold each of their hands, she would.
"Head down. Brace. Brac—"
The plane dropped and shuddered.
Lori's professional calm shattered. The passengers
under her care were going to die. She was going to die. The sensation of utter
loneliness swamped her. She clenched her fists until her short nails dug into
the palms of her hands. Pressure built in her ears. She tried all the tricks
she knew, but the pressure wouldn't release. We're dropping too fast.
Wonder what dying is going to feel
like? Will it hurt? Mom. Trembling as her mother's smiling face popped into her mind, she
swallowed back a wail of grief at the thought of her mother's pain when she
heard the news of the plane crash.
What's taking so long? Maybe— A ray of light shone down on the
darkness of her despair. Maybe the captain was landing the plane. Captain
Fraser was one of the best. He could save everyone.
The plane jerked. Metal shrieked in complaint. Fear
rang loud in the screams of the passengers. Lori's pulse pounded in her chest.
Her breaths came in short pants. She swiped at the sweat on her upper lip. Her
stomach knotted then boiled. It was close. The end. Whatever the end was. She
squeezed her eyelids shuts and whispered, "Mom. I love you."
Crashing Into Love
Seven planes lift off…seven planes crash…seven stories
of struggle, passion and love in the barren Canadian Wilderness, the coast of
England, or the steamy heat of a tropical island. Romance hangs
in the balance between survival and death.
Where to find Daryl Devore
(or Daryl Devore)
LinkedIn - ca.linkedin.com/pub/daryl-devore/58/b42/792/
