Real Love Ch. 11

"Stacy," Debi says gently. "Think of this as a drill, a training exercise."

"For what?"

"Say, for a security threat on the Island, or a foul-weather warning. In the event we have to evacuate you by helicopter, do you really want face that then?" Debi offers.

"The terrorists will just have to put up with me," she says, drawing a chuckle from Brad.

She turns to him.

"This isn't funny."

"I know," he says, holding up his hands. "I just found it funny someone else is as scared as I am," he lies.

"You just said you thought this is fucking awesome," she says, shaking her head.

"I'm hiding it Stacy," he improvises. "You think I was going to admit I'm shit scared to go up in a steel box held up in the air by four rotating bits of metal and a couple of jet engines, no matter what it's safety record is, or how good the crew is?" he finishes, giving Debi a pointed look.

She catches on and adds, "I have to say, the S-76 is used all over the world and has one of the best safety records going. The government even uses them for ferrying diplomats and dignitaries around, it's that good. And did I mention your crew are all ex-special forces and highly experienced military pilots?"

"That's kinda cool," Peggy says.

"Yes. I think Captain Scott use to be a Night Stalker pilot," Debi adds.

"What? One of those guys who flies the Delta Force guys around?" Stacy asks.

"Yes, although if you ask him, he'll deny it."

Brad pretends to consider the matter, tapping his fingers against his chin.

"Stacy, like you, I'm scared, but if I'm going to fly in a helicopter for the first time, I don't suppose I can ask for better circumstances than this."

"You're thinking about it?" Stacy asks, wheeling to face him.

"You know, my dad used to tell me 'never be ruled by that which you fear' so if I don't try it, then I'm letting fear win," he says.

Then cautiously, feeling dramatic and transparent, he takes a step forward, then holds out his hand to Stacy.

"You coming?"

"No."

"Please?" he says, licking his lips. "We might even enjoy it. At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself. I think the aerial view might be very interesting, don't you?"

Brad knows it's a sneaky thing to do, but he knows how important it is that they can just jump on one of these things if anything happens.

"I don't know," Stacy said as Brad looks at Peggy.

"I'll hold your hand too, Stacy," Peggy says. "I'm not frightened at all. I've been dying to fly in a helicopter for years."

"Come on. If I can do it, you can do it," Brad says firmly, taking Stacy's hand. He moves slowly, as if he's fighting his own battle against his fears. As he reaches the steps, he hesitates, then goes up, pulling a terrified Stacy behind him.

"Oh, wow. Look at this," he says, looking around the luxury interior.

Six leather armchairs on pivots sit on a carpeted floor within a white painted interior.

"It's like the inside of the jet I flew in on."

He feels Stacy gripping his hand as she enters the cabin and looks around.

"I don't know if I want to do this," she says.

Brad give her a hug and she seems to relax a little.

"How about we sit over here, in these three seats?" Brad suggests, selecting the three armchairs on the right, all within close reach of each other. Rather than wait for her to reply, he leads her up, Peggy trailing and they sit down.

Captain Scott re-appears through the cockpit door.

"Nervous?" he asks, seeing their faces.

"A little, Captain," Brad says. "None of us have ever been in a helicopter before, so this is new territory for us."

"Hey, that's no problem," he smiles. "Most of our flyers are nervous the first time. When it comes to the second time, they're the first ones on board."

"That's good," Brad says, nodding his head, feeling like a fraud, but Stacy seems to be following his lead, thinking if he can do it, then so can she. He winks subtly at the Captain then casually tilts his head towards his sister.

A brief smile crosses his lips and a barely perceptible nod lets Brad know the message has been received.

"Let me just make sure your seatbelts are fastened, then we'll take off," he tells them.

While he shows them how the seatbelts work, he tells them about his co-pilot, Captain Johnson, that he's going to start the aircraft. As soon as the door is closed, the rotor begins to spin, and within a few seconds, Brad can feel the power in the big engines.

"You know, this is kinda exciting," he tells his sisters. Stacy looks at him like he's nuts. Peggy just rolls her eyes at his theatrics, then nods when Stacy looks at her.

Captain Scott disappears forward and then his voice crackles on a loudspeaker in the ceiling.

"That's us about to take off, folks."

Brad feels it at the same time he sees the scenery begin to move out the window, and then they're airborne, out over the cliff in no time, with the ocean beneath them.

"Hey, you guys did it," Peggy says a moment later. "Well done."

Brad spins his chair so it's facing Stacy and looks out the window to his side.

"Oh, man. This view is amazing."

"Totally," Peggy agrees.

The helicopter continues to rise as it takes off and they circle the Island a couple of hundred feet up in no time at all. It circles slowly around the west side of the Island, giving them a good view of the exterior of the main house, drawing waves from Kelly, Debi, Jack, Nikki and Rick.

Stacy begins to cautiously relax and is able to turn her chair to look out the window. Brad watches her reaction to the amazing view of the Island and grins when she has the nerve to speak.

"I wish I had my camera."

They circle the Island a couple of times at different heights, then swings out to sea, flying over a couple of small islands, barely piles of sand and a few trees, and then a larger one with a small community living on it. They swing further out to the west and the water turns a much deeper blue, obviously a lot deeper beneath them now.

Brad figures now is as good at time as any to tell his sisters about Connor's questioning notes, Charles's response and Craig Alden's thoughts on it.

"What's the big deal?" Stacy asks. "There's probably no safe room."

"Maybe," Brad allows. "But if there is, why is he hiding it from us? What's in there? Has Charles stashed away loads of jewels or cash or is it full of dodgy stuff?"

"It doesn't matter what's in there," Peggy argues. "If it's there, it's there for a reason, right? So if we need to use it in an emergency, he's not letting us."

"Anyway," Brad says firmly, "I'm following it up and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it, so I'm just keeping you guys in the loop, okay? Now, I suggest we don't talk about this back on the Island unless we know we're absolutely alone. We don't know who's listening, do we?"

"I don't like this," Stacy mutters.

"Just don't keep us in the dark, okay?" Peggy tells him.

"I won't," he promises.

A few minutes later, the scenery changes again as they fly around a small cluster of Islands and sand banks. Brad can see several fishing boats pulled up on the beach. It looks like life is simple down there, peaceful and lazy and he feels a moment of envy, but life for him, is anything but simple.

The big helicopter swings around and begins to fly gradually lower until it is only a hundred feet or so above the water. It's difficult to judge their exact height, Brad realizes. His musings were interrupted by Captain Scott's voice in the loudspeaker.

"If you look to our left in the water, you'll see some friends."

Peggy darts out of her seat and crosses the cabin, looking out the windows.

"Oh my God, you've got to see this."

Stacy grabs Brad's hand as he gets up and he slows, helping her out her seat as she moves cautiously through the small cabin. Then her reaction is the same as Peggy's.

The first thing Brad sees is Betsy, racing across the ocean and at their side, his eyes catches sight of the shapes flickering in and out the water in front of it.

"Dolphins."

"Ten out of ten, Brad," Peggy says, flashing him a grin.

They're beautiful. The three of them sit mesmerized, their faces glued to the small windows watching the creatures dart in and out of the water in front of the sleek catamaran as it races towards the Island.

At some invisible signal though, the small school of dolphins turned away, disappearing beneath the water and surfacing again off to the east of Betsy.

"How amazing was that?" Stacy asks, her fear of flying forgotten for the moment.

"Breath-taking," Brad agrees.

"I am totally coming back up here to take some photos," she mutters, Brad and Peggy exchanging a grin.

They land several minutes later, touching down with a barely noticeable bump and then they're off the helicopter. Brad thanks Captain Scott and Captain Johnson and then turns to join the rest of them.

"Still scared to fly Stacy?" Captain Scott asks.

"No. I want to go up again."

Then she turns to Brad and Peggy.

"Will you go up with me again?"

"Absolutely. I'm in," Peggy replies.

"I'm in," Brad says.

Stacy bounces over the helipad and is chatting excitedly with Nikki, while Peggy is making motions with her arms, describing the dolphins jumping in and out the water in front of Betsy.

Brad spots Kelly waiting for him, a slight smile on her face.

"Hey," he says as he walks to her, feeling excited and more than a little horny. She looks great, dressed in a pair of loose grey trousers, heels and a black top that hugs her figure very nicely.

"Enjoy that?" she asks, smiling at him.

"Amazing experience," he admits. "It's been a day for surprises."

She smirks.

"It certainly has. I hear you had a nice treat earlier."

Brad smiles.

"I did. It was very tasty. I've been craving it all week."

If she can talk in code, then so can he, he figures.

"Maybe you'll get more of the same later."

Brad grins as she turns to walk towards the house, falling in behind Stacy, Nikki, Rick and Peggy. He moves too, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no-one is behind him. As he gets alongside Kelly, she glances at him.

He reaches out and gently runs his hand down the small of her back, then further, feeling the softness of her ass beneath his fingers.

She chuckles silently then takes a step to his right, putting herself out of his reach.

Brad, knowing he can't exactly protest in words, makes a pouty face but she sticks her tongue out at him, then winks.

To be continued. Stay tuned for Real Love Ch. 12