Chapter 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. ”
I forced myself to stand still long enough to explain it without tearing something off King’s desk.
“It wasn’t the same signature we saw in Carson’s crash.
” I shook my head, my jaw tight. “They’re not stupid enough to copy-paste their own crime scene.
Every incident we’ve reviewed was slightly different—variations in injection point, system priority, or failure cascade.
Enough to keep pattern recognition from lighting up like a Christmas tree. ”
Blaze’s mouth flattened. “Adapt and conceal.”
“Exactly,” I agreed with a nod. “This time, it was buried in the command stack for a system override—coded as a contingency test parameter. On paper, it looks like redundancy logic. Something you’d expect to see during simulation or remote diagnostic runs. But it wasn’t passive.”
King leaned forward slightly. “Active?”
“Dormant,” I corrected. “Waiting for a handshake.”
The memory of seeing it sitting there—like a loaded weapon tucked under the seat—made my vision sharpen to a blade’s edge.
“It was a clean injection,” I explained.
“Different architecture than Carson’s bird.
Another pathway entirely. This one would’ve nudged the flight control law under very specific parameters—high-G maneuver, high-altitude envelope, maybe during a weapons simulation.
Just enough to create a destabilization event that would look like a pilot miscalculation or structural anomaly.
And while I fought it, they’d be logging every damn millisecond. ”
Blaze swore under his breath.
“They weren’t just trying to crash it.” My voice went colder. “They were trying to study how much override authority they could exert before I noticed, or anyone else. Before the fail-safes tripped and exposed them.”
King’s stare never wavered. “And you’re sure?”
“I’m positive.” I didn’t raise my voice, but the fury underneath it was unmistakable. “Wizard watched the data stream live while I isolated the subsystem. We ran controlled probes to confirm the trigger logic. It was there. A command branch that had no business existing in that configuration.”
I exhaled once through my nose, trying to bleed off the heat crawling up my spine. It didn’t work.
“They messed with my plane.” My words were coated in something feral. “Mine.”
It wasn’t just metal and composite. The plane was an extension of me.
Every switch, response curve, and vibration through the frame—I felt it before most men even registered a change in tone.
The idea that someone thought they could slip code into my aircraft and I wouldn’t catch it was more than reckless.
It was insulting.
“Of all fucking pilots,” I continued, shaking my head once. “Me? Seriously?”
Blaze’s gaze flicked up. “Arrogant assholes.”
“Suicidal,” I corrected flatly. “The only thing worse than messing with my bird is messing with my woman or my club. They were already on my kill list for the former, but they also thought I wouldn’t find it.
” I let out a humorless breath. “Even if I hadn’t been suspicious, I would’ve caught it eventually.
I’m that fucking good at what I do, and they should know it. ”
“Can’t argue with that,” King murmured.
My lips curved into something that wasn’t a smile. “And if I hadn’t caught this on the ground, I would’ve handled it in the air. Because short of a fucking missile, no one brings my bird down but me.”
I went on to tell them about my early afternoon meeting with two representatives from Aegis Aerospace Systems. I'd managed—barely—to keep my composure as we discussed a handful of proposed design changes after the last test flight.
Collaborating on those changes had seemed routine enough until today.
During the meeting, they had suggested the adjustments were minor enough that we could fast-track the next flight to the following day.
An entire week ahead of schedule. It didn't take a genius to connect those dots.
Of course they wanted me back in the sky as soon as possible.
They'd rigged my fucking plane, and I was nothing more than a data point they needed to complete.
But I hadn't let them see my rage. I'd kept my expression carefully neutral, pretending to consider their arguments, nodding thoughtfully as if I were genuinely tempted by the idea. My agreement hadn't been enthusiastic, but it had been enough to make them confident they'd convinced me.
“I told them I'd take the night to think it over,” I explained to King and Blaze, folding my arms across my chest. “I acted like I was seriously considering it—using positive language, leaving the door open. I didn't commit, but I didn't refuse either. It's exactly what they'll expect.”
King nodded approvingly. “Smart. No need to tip them off. Let them think they've still got control.”
Blaze scowled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “What's the play tomorrow?”
“I'll call it off in the morning,” I replied calmly, though my voice held an edge sharp enough to cut steel. “Give them some bullshit excuse about needing more prep time or wanting to double-check a subsystem before I’m wheels-up again. They won’t question it too much.
I have enough credibility that they'll trust my caution.”
King considered that for a moment before nodding again. “Good. That buys us time.”
Blaze shifted, his arms still crossed and eyes thoughtful. “But time for what? What's the next move?”
That question was still digging at me—the uneasy feeling in my gut refusing to ease. “There's something else that’s bothering me.”
King raised a brow, waiting for me to elaborate.
“Linden found the discrepancy,” I explained, running a hand roughly through my hair. “But do they really believe she only told me? That I'm the sole person she confided in? Who else do they think knows about this? Because if they're willing to sabotage me and go after Linden, what's their endgame?”
King's eyes narrowed, instantly tracking my line of thought. “You think they might try to clean up anyone else she's talked to.”
I nodded. “Or at least anyone they suspect she talked to.
Now that they're fairly certain she's here, they might not care if we're collateral damage.
Aegis isn't playing small. They're testing remote overrides on military aircraft. They killed Carson, and who knows how many other pilots. It’s a billion-dollar cover-up. Why stop at one loose end?”
Blaze's jaw tightened. “They won't. They'll target anyone who might know about the cover-up or compromise their agenda. Probably have a contingency for it already.”
“Exactly.” I met King's stare head-on. “They're going to escalate. Whatever they do next will be bigger, messier. If they can't take Linden quietly, they'll do it loudly. They might even come at the club itself—make it look like a feud or a hit that doesn't trace back to them.”
King stood. He was already two steps ahead, his mind processing everything I'd laid out. His eyes met mine, the intensity in them making it clear he was ready for whatever war they brought to our door.
“We're already preparing for that. They won't catch us flat-footed. Echo’s got eyes all over on Aegis. Wizard and Rebel are hunting every digital footprint and surveillance angle they can access. Blaze and Kevlar will be ready for physical security and response if shit hits. Cruze has already acquired its internal, undigitized records, and Linden and Fallon are combing through them for additional information. Ace is still digging deeper into their money trails to see if there's anything else there to give us leverage.” King ran his fingers through his hair. “I have some other ideas, and I’ll get brothers on those as well. We’ll put these motherfuckers in the ground soon enough.”
Blaze nodded, already focused on the steps he needed to take. “They won't get close to Linden again. Or the club.”
“No, they fucking won't,” I growled.
Being blind to their plans was driving me fucking insane. We couldn't fully prep against an attack we knew nothing about.
But as I turned to leave the office, my mind was already racing toward Linden.
She was waiting for me—safe for now—but vulnerable in ways that left me fucking terrified.
Aegis Aerospace Systems had shown how far they’d go to bury this secret.
They'd killed to protect their agenda before. They’d tried to take her already, and she’d been smart enough to call me.
But now that they knew where she was, they'd escalate.
The threat wasn't just to Linden anymore.
But it sure as hell started with her.