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)
“Come with me.” I guided her away from the center of the tarmac to a quiet spot near the hangar wall, away from prying eyes and ears. She didn’t protest, just followed my lead, her gaze darting between me and the airfield around us as though still worried we were being watched.
I stopped and turned to face her, my hand slipping slowly from her elbow but staying close enough to catch her if she tried to bolt again. Her shoulders were set in a rigid line, and I could practically feel her pulse quickening from here. She was nervous and maybe a little unsure, but she wasn’t pulling away.
I took a slow breath, calming the protective anger simmering beneath my skin. I needed her to talk, to trust me enough to let me help. My voice softened, but the words were quietly authoritative.
“Look at me, Linden.” I waited until her eyes lifted to mine, wide and uncertain. “I can help, but only if you tell me what’s got you spooked. Why you’re nervous. If someone’s threatened you, I need to know who. And I need to know why.”
Her lips parted as her chest rose and fell in shallow movements. Something flickered in her eyes, hesitant yet yearning. I was hoping like hell she felt the same pull between us that I did, that something instinctive inside her would drive her to confide in me. To lean on me.
I wasn’t counting on her trusting a near stranger with whatever secret had put fear in her eyes. But I stepped just a little closer, lowering my head so my words were for her alone, quiet and demanding but gentle enough to feel safe.
“You can trust me, little dove.”
4
LINDEN
Ididn’t know Keegan. We’d barely spoken the day he caught me before I hit the tarmac. It wasn’t nearly enough to justify trusting him.
But something in me insisted I should. And then there was the nickname he just used.
Little dove.
When I was nine, a pair of mourning doves nested in the backyard of our house when my dad was stationed in San Diego. I’d watched them every morning before school, and he’d told me doves looked delicate but survived in places harsher birds couldn’t. That they were resilient and made smart decisions, like roosting in dense cover in cold conditions.
My dad was great at turning everything into a life lesson, and that was one I hadn’t thought about in years.
It was also what tipped the scales into Keegan’s favor.
“I found something in the records,” I admitted.
He listened while I explained about the mismatched files for Carson’s last flight, recognition flaring in his eyes when I said my brother’s name. Which wasn’t too surprising since everyone at Aegis would’ve heard about the crash, and other test pilots probably would’ve paid particular attention to the information about his death.
Then I told him about how Jim had me give him the paper copies, but I scanned them first. And that it felt as though someone had been watching me ever since then.
“I’m sure I’m overthinking it.” I shook my head with an embarrassed laugh. “It’s just hard to stay objective where my brother is concerned.”
I hated how defensive I sounded. Like I needed him to understand that I wasn’t some overly emotional sister chasing ghosts.
“I don’t think you’re imagining things.”
“Thanks.” The certainty in his tone gave me hope that I wasn’t just spiraling for no good reason. “Part of the problem is that Carson is who I would’ve gone to if I stumbled across something like this before his crash. We moved so much as kids that he was my best friend, even with eight years between us. Now he’s gone. My dad has the Navy contacts to dig into this, but he took a job overseas six months ago. And my mom completely unraveled over the past year, so I definitely can’t talk to her about what I found. It would just make things even worse for her.”
“It’s good you shared this with me, then.” His eyes narrowed. “But you didn’t say why you think someone’s watching you.”
“A man stood at the far end of the lot after work that night.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure nobody was nearby before meeting Keegan’s gaze again. “Something about him felt off. I haven’t seen him again, but there have been a few more times when I’ve felt that subtle prickle between my shoulder blades.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw, and his eyes darkened. “What did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see much because of how far away he was and how he positioned himself. Broad shoulders, I think. He had his phone in his hand.” I shook my head. “That’s about all I caught before I got the heck out of there.”
“Did he follow you?”
“I don’t think so.” The uncertainty in my voice made heat creep up my neck. “I drove home faster than usual, and I didn’t see him again.”