"M ayday, Mayday, Mayday." Zadir's voice rang out again in the tiny cockpit. The speaker on the radio continued the whole time he was talking and didn't stop afterward.

She pressed the earpiece to her ear, hoping for a response. "I don't think he can hear you. What is he saying?"

"It's a prayer."

"We need a prayer. Try again."

He repeated it three times, then she tried, but the man never paused in his recitation of the prayer. Panic tightened her throat. "Do you think the mic is broken?" "Let's try to find another channel." He fiddled with the dial, repeating the Mayday signal with each turn. Three more times they heard a voice, but it seemed as if no one could hear them. Shoulders hunched together, they tried for over an hour, taking turns to repeat the international plea for help, until they were both hoarse. The ridiculous proximity to Zadir and his intoxicating male aroma would have been enough to drive her mad, but it was even more frustrating to hear people out there, sitting somewhere out there in the civilized world, who could help them out of this nightmarish bind if they could only make contact.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek as they reached the end of the dial for the third time. "No one can hear us."

"We need to rest. There's no sense getting exhausted and wound up. Maybe sleep will give us a fresh idea to try in the morning."

They made their way back into the cabin and drank some water. She offered him some of her food, but neither of them had an appetite. Zadir folded all the chairs in their row down so that there was a flat double bed on either side of the aisle.

"This is very luxurious under the circumstances, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep."

"Me either." He spread a blanket over the makeshift bed on her side of the aisle.

"But we need to take a break and maybe some inspiration will come to us."

"I don't think inspiration will do us much good out here. And the sandstorm is louder than ever." Sand rasped against the windows in gusts.

"We're still alive and in good health and spirits." He stood directly in front of her and placed his hands on her upper arms, which heated the skin there. "This plane was intended to crash without us being aware that the pilot was gone, so we're already ahead of the game. Now we've fixed the radio. Tomorrow we'll have another breakthrough."

"Tomorrow is the wedding. I wonder if anyone's noticed we're not there." "I guarantee Najib has noticed his best man is AWOL." He stroked her cheek.




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