Chapter 21

The panic attacks started on the way to the airport. Maverick was deathly pale, his lips pressed into a thin line, his body trembling uncontrollably. Sam worriedly offered him water and a sedative, but he pushed them away. He couldn't risk clouding his mind with drugs before he saw Nicole. Checking in and going through security felt like walking on broken glass. Maverick's breath hitched when he stepped into the spacious but enclosed first class cabin. Cold sweat soaked through the back of his shirt instantly. He collapsed into his seat, the metallic click of the seatbelt sounding like a heavy shackle. The plane began to move, accelerated, and then took off. As the force pressed him into his seat, Maverick squeezed his eyes shut. His stomach churned, and he let out a dry, violent heave. He gripped the armrests so hard his knuckles turned white, his muscles tensing. Fragments of the plane crash in his childhood flashed through his mind—screaming alarms, people shrieking, the helpl