Chapter 8 #2
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.
The air thickened between us, and a quiet tension settled across her delicate features when I finally crossed the room and lowered myself onto the edge of the bed beside her.
Linden closed the book gently and set it aside, her green eyes searching mine with quiet expectation.
Her trust cut straight through me, leaving me momentarily speechless, but I gathered my words and finally spoke.
“We found some concerning information. You can’t go back to work, little dove. Not now. You’re gonna have to call in sick tomorrow or go ahead and quit if you want.”
Her brows knitted together, confusion flashing across her face. “Why? What’s going on?”
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly, bracing myself for what I had to tell her. “The shit we’ve discovered about the flight logs. And your brother—”
“About Carson?” Her breath caught sharply, and her fingers tightened in mine.
“Yeah,” I confirmed in a gentle tone. “Our guys are analyzing everything we can get our hands on. Flight logs, financial records, maintenance files, even the legal shit tied to all of this. Everything. But one thing we’re positive about is that your brother’s crash wasn’t mechanical failure.
And it sure as hell wasn’t pilot error.”
She stared at me, her lips parted in shock and her breathing shallow. “Are you sure?”
I nodded slowly, keeping my gaze locked on hers, wanting her to see the certainty there. “We don’t have the black box data yet, but everything else points to it. Your instincts were right. The discrepancies, the secrecy—they’re trying to cover something up. Carson’s death wasn’t an accident.”
A tremor ran through her delicate frame, and she blinked rapidly, moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes.
“I knew it,” she whispered, her voice shaking with relief and sorrow all at once. “The story didn’t feel right, but everyone kept saying it was just grief. Denial. But I couldn’t stop wondering.”
I moved closer and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, dragging her onto my lap. “You don’t have to wonder anymore, little dove. The truth is coming out. Wizard will find the black box data, and we’ll have everything we need to prove it. But until then, you can’t go back. It’s not safe.”
She let out a strangled breath, the grief she’d been bottling up finally spilling over, mixing with the relief at knowing she wasn’t imagining things. Her slender frame shook with quiet sobs as the wall she’d built around her emotions finally crumbled.
My chest tightened painfully as she collapsed against me, her body trembling and her tears soaking into my shirt. I held her tighter, my hand stroking her hair as she cried. I didn’t speak, didn’t try to stop her tears. I just held on, offering my strength while she let it all out.