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)
Something was wrong, but before I could ask what happened, his thumbs swept across my cheekbones, and he pressed one last kiss to my lips. “Stay here, little dove. I need to talk to my prez.”
I stared at him as he stalked away, my heart pounding against my ribs. Then I stood and took one step in the same direction. But a soft hand touched my elbow.
I turned and met Stella’s gaze. Her smile was sympathetic. “Come on. Let the guys handle what needs to be done. I know how hard it is to step back, so you can trust me when I say that distractions help.”
“Yeah.” I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “I could definitely use one if you have something in mind.”
She guided me through the lounge, her arm looped through mine. “I have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven. Cadell is down for a nap, and I have some juicy gossip about Ace.”
I managed a weak laugh, letting her pull me into the kitchen. But even as I sat at the long table, a warm mug in my hands and the scent of sugar and spice filling the air, my mind stayed with Keegan. With whatever he’d found at the airfield that turned his fury nuclear.
Considering all the awful stuff we had already discovered, it had to be horrible. But I trusted him to handle whatever he’d found, with his club at his back. And I’d be there to support him however he needed. Because what he was doing was important to me…and I was falling in love with him.
15
TOMCAT
The door to King’s office slammed open with more force than I’d intended, the sound echoing like a gunshot off the walls. I stalked inside, blood roaring through my veins, my pulse a brutal drumbeat beneath my skin. The tight leash I always maintained on my temper had finally snapped, leaving me so far from calm and controlled that it was shocking to even me.
King looked up from his desk, his eyes narrowing at the interruption. Blaze pushed away from where he was leaning against the wall, instantly alert. Both men looked taken aback, the surprise clear on their faces. It wasn’t often someone saw me on the verge of losing my fucking mind.
“What the fuck happened to you?” King demanded, his voice edged with quiet steel as he assessed my uncharacteristic state. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk, but I ignored the offer, too wound up to sit still. I paced the room instead, unable to contain the furious energy coursing through me.
“I overheard some of the ground crew talking.” I turned sharply to face King. “They’ve got wind of Linden staying here—with me. Apparently, word has gotten around that she’s shacking up with a Hound.”
King raised a brow, leaning back slowly in his chair. “All right. So they’re gossiping. We knew they might figure out where she was staying. Doesn’t mean they’ll get anywhere near her.”
“No shit. No one’s touching her,” I snapped, my jaw clenched tight. “That’s not the problem.”
King’s eyes narrowed even further, and Blaze’s gaze flicked from me to King as he silently weighed the tension in the room.
“Then what the fuck has you worked up like this?” King pressed, leaning forward slightly. “Because there’s no way some petty-ass gossip is making you lose your shit, brother. I know you better than that.”
I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to steady myself but failing miserably. My fingers trembled slightly, and rage coiled in my gut. “You’re right. What they said pissed me off, but it doesn’t mean shit in the grand scheme of things. No, I’m livid because of what happened next.”
King and Blaze went utterly still, waiting for me to explain.
I drew in a long breath, trying to slow my racing pulse enough to get my thoughts clear and coherent. King’s steady gaze never left my face, waiting patiently for me to speak. Blaze stood equally silent, his eyes focused.
“I was inspecting the prototype today, the one I’ve been test-flying.” I forced my voice to stay level, though it was rougher than usual, edged with the frustration I’d barely managed to contain. “Something wasn’t quite right. It was so damn subtle that anyone else probably would’ve missed it completely. But I know that aircraft down to every rivet. There was a tiny glitch in the system, a hesitation in the avionics display that lasted less than a millisecond.”
King leaned back in his chair, his scowl deepening. Blaze’s eyes narrowed, his posture tightening with each word.
“I knew exactly what to look for. After everything we’ve uncovered lately, it raised a red flag, so I contacted Wizard immediately.” I paced again, the room feeling too small to contain my restlessness. “Had him monitoring the digital communication lines between the jet and the ground-based systems while I went through a more intensive inspection. With him watching from here, I started running detailed diagnostics and testing the systems one at a time, making sure we didn’t miss anything.”