daniel grabbed the armrests of his seat and pinched his eyes closed. he'd been in corbyn's float plane before, but this was different. the helicopter didn't offer the same smooth ride or peace of mind. sure, daniel was being silly, but with his stomach in his throat it was hard to think rationally.
after his rather cryptic announcement back at his own apartment, corbyn had told daniel to change into comfortable clothes and then ushered him out the door. god. corbyn had a helicopter. his own helicopter. at his disposal. they'd taken off in anchorage and were heading to destinations unknown somewhere north. the brunet man refused to tell daniel where.
daniel wondered what he meant by meeting his family. having been introduced to his parents a few times in college before their fatal car crash, he'd known corbyn had no other living relatives besides some distant cousins on his mother's side. what could he possibly have meant by that statement?
from the seat beside him, corbyn patted daniel's hand. "you okay, baby?" his voice came through daniel's headset as he yelled over the noise.
up front, jack turned to offer daniel a reassuring smile. "almost there, mr. seavey."
daniel nodded and faced the window. several mountain ranges, lakes, and villages passed as the copter ventured overhead. they were low enough to make out some vegetation and lights from the houses at their elevation.
"i didn't know you could fly, jack."
he turned and grinned again. "yes, sir. i have a license and everything."
"ha," daniel barked. "funny guy."
jack's shoulders shook with a chuckle, but he said nothing more.
corbyn rubbed the back of daniel's hand with his thumb, the coarseness of his skin causing the blonde man to shiver. the touch succeeded in calming daniel a bit. "jack flies me up to the estate once a month. he was an air force pilot before finishing his last tour and coming to work for me. you're in good hands."
jack threw a thumbs-up over his shoulder.
the next twenty minutes passed with nothing but the wide expanse of the rough terrain. corbyn was truly taking daniel to the middle of nowhere. daniel couldn't even make out any roads. questions filled his mind, too many to voice. corbyn wouldn't answer them until he was damn good and ready, so daniel bit them back and focused on the view.
the helicopter dipped left and jack's voice filled daniel's headset. "we're here."
the blonde didn't see anything but mountains. "where are we?"
"the northern yushows mountains, on the western facing ridge." corbyn leaned forward. "circle in from the other side so daniel can see."
"yes, sir."
they were way west, then. though daniel'd never ventured out this far, he knew the land was too rugged for roads and no major communities were within range. was this why he chose the location? to make it near impossible for others to get to him? or...his family?
the family daniel knew nothing about.
the helicopter dipped right, and corbyn tapped daniel's hand, pointing to his window. "welcome to olivia castle."
