Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Fallon sighed. “Not in these files. We’ve got the logs, transcripts, and some maintenance reports. But no flight recorder info. It’s probably stored separately or already buried somewhere deeper. It’ll take Wizard more time to find it, assuming they didn’t purge the damn thing.”
Wizard gave a dark smirk. “As if deleting the data could keep me from getting my hands on it.” He took off his glasses and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Getting the black box data will mean going deeper. Only a matter of time, but it’s not something I can pull overnight.”
I nodded, weighing our next steps. “Then we keep looking. Carson’s crash is our priority, but these others might be the key to breaking the whole thing wide open. We find the loose string, and we unravel this entire fucking mess.”
Both Fallon and Wizard nodded silently in agreement. There was no turning back now. Whoever had buried this was powerful, dangerous, and had no qualms about killing to keep it hidden. But I was ready for the fight.
The office door swung open, cutting through the charged silence as King stepped into the room with Ace trailing close behind. King wore his habitual scowl, and Ace’s attention was locked on the tablet he was scrolling through rapidly.
King stopped just inside the doorway, giving us each a nod. “What’ve we got?”
Ace lifted his gaze briefly from the tablet as he rattled off what he’d uncovered. “Aegis Aerospace’s financials are clean on the surface, but they’re funneling significant funds into offshore accounts. Money is moving in ways that raise red flags. Looks like shell corporations and layers of smoke screens. Typical shit when someone’s trying to hide something.”
King’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. “How deep?”
Ace swiped his finger across the screen, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Deep enough. They’re paying big sums labeled as ‘consulting fees’ and ‘procurement advances,’ but the entities on the receiving end are practically ghosts. Someone powerful is pulling the strings behind these crashes and the cover-up. And it seems like they have enough clout to make sure no one asks questions.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, the muscles in my shoulders tensing with the weight of what Ace was saying. “Whoever’s running this has the resources to silence questions and pay for cooperation. It’s a system built on lies and dead pilots.”
Fallon shook his head slowly, his voice dark. “But why? What’s worth killing their own people for? It doesn’t add up yet.”
King’s gaze cut sharply to mine, his eyes assessing. “We need answers. And your girl might have seen just enough to get tangled in something lethal.”
I met my prez’s stare head-on, understanding passing silently between us. “She deserves to know. About her brother. All of it.”
King’s expression didn’t soften, but his slow nod carried the weight of approval. “You’re cleared to share what you think she needs to know. This stays club business, but she’s earned the right to understand what she’s caught in and why she lost her brother.”
“Understood.” Relief mixed with gratitude.
King gave another short nod before turning back toward the door.
Ace glanced at Wizard. “Sent you some shit to unlock so I can dig deeper.”
Wizard lifted his chin in acknowledgment.
Then both men left, the door shutting quietly behind them. I stood motionless for a moment, processing everything I’d learned, letting it sink in. It was heavier than I’d expected. Not just the cover-ups and the lies, but the trust King had just placed in me. In Linden.
Taking a deep breath, I finally turned and strode out of Wizard’s office, the weight of my next conversation settling firmly on my shoulders as I walked toward my room.
I opened the bedroom door quietly and stepped inside, closing it behind me without a sound. Linden was sitting up in bed, a book open in her lap, her head tilted slightly as she read. The soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the gentle curve of her cheek and the delicate line of her throat.
My mouth went dry.
She was in my bed, wearing nothing but one of my T-shirts, the worn fabric clinging to her curves, accentuating her lush figure in ways that made my blood run hot. The hem had ridden high, exposing miles of smooth, bare thigh before giving way to a pair of tiny sleep shorts. Her honey-brown hair cascaded over her shoulder, loose and slightly tousled, begging for me to slide my fingers through it.
Heat pooled in my gut, raw desire mixed with an almost painful tenderness that I hadn’t experienced before her. My fists clenched at my sides, my breath quickening as I forced myself not to cross the room and drag her beneath me, forgetting everything else until the only thing left was her soft skin against mine.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
Right now, she deserved to hear the truth about her brother.