Page 7

Present…
Looking out the plane’s windshield, I see nothing but clear skies as I enjoy the final leg of the flight. I’ve had my pilot’s license since I was seventeen, and flying is my first love. When I’m soaring above the clouds, all my worries and troubles temporarily melt away.
I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately thanks to my old military buddy Braxton “Pharoah” Graves. He and his team—better known as Ex Nihilo—needed a pilot in their quest to take down The Agency. A lot of secrets and twists I never could have imagined recently came to light, but Brax and company defeated the nefarious group. He also reunited with his ex-wife, Quinn, and they rekindled their love. And marriage. In fact, they should be enroute to their honeymoon in Hawaii right about now.
And I’m not jealous at all. Nope, not one little bit.
Okay, maybe a smidge.
But it has nothing to do with Brax and Quinn, who are perfect for each other, and everything to do with me. I’m not exactly sure what my problem is lately, but I feel…empty. Normally, I’m so independent, strong all on my own, and couldn’t care less about finding a significant other. But afterwitnessing the Ex Nihilo crew fall in love one by one, it’s making me question things.
Should I open myself back up to the possibility of love? Dating? A relationship?
I groan. Just the idea of baring myself to a man makes me queasy. It’s so scary putting yourself out there, opening up physically and emotionally, then getting shit all over. I tried once, and it didn’t end well—for me. Being burned sucks. And ever since that terrible experience, I’ve closed myself off. Like a turtle, I tuck my head and hide whenever I feel threatened. Or, in my case, someone flirts too hard and shows too much interest. Because letting a man get close again, allowing myself to be vulnerable and potentially hurt, scares me.
I shut that line of thought down fast and focus on the blue horizon. I left Brax and Quinn’s wedding early for this job, so while it’s not a pleasure flight, I can still enjoy my sky-time.
Current flight time has me arriving in Bogotá, Colombia, in less than half an hour. Local time is three hours ahead of San Diego, so I’ll be coming in at eight in the morning. My job is to pick up one of Addison Mills’ crew—a thief named Knox Beckett. More details are supposedly coming, but I haven’t heard from her yet.
Addie is Ryland “Rip” Mills’ older sister. And Ryland is a member of Ex Nihilo, which is the only reason I would leave a party for a rescue mission. Okay, not the only reason, but a pretty solid one. Ryland got a call from Addie during Brax’s reception about needing help. Apparently, her thief got in some hot water while attempting to steal an emerald.
Now that Brax’s team is out of the woods, I don’t have anything tethering me to one place, so I jumped at the chanceto get out of town. Mostly, to clear my head and figure out what the hell I’m planning to do with the rest of my life. Because my current trajectory is going to lead me to nothing but loneliness. Something the party I left definitely put into perspective.
Feeling sorry for myself isn’t my style, so I turn my attention to what I can control. I’m in the middle of reviewing my flight instruments when my phone rings. “Pyro,” I answer.
“Hunter?” a feminine voice asks. “It’s Addie.”
“Hi, Addie.”
She clears her throat. “So, there’s been a bit of a snag.”
As much as I appreciate a clearcut plan, I’m also damn good at adapting. Maybe the adrenaline junkie in me even likes when things occasionally go off the rails. A good challenge keeps me on my toes and working at my highest level. As a Navy pilot, that skill served me well. Hell, it still does. “What’s going on?”
“Knox got a little held up, but he’s on his way to the airport. At least, he was.”
“Was?” I echo.
“We lost comms. But he has his phone and I sent him your number. I told him to make contact with you the moment he could.”
“Does he have the emerald?” I ask. Ryland told me Knox tried to steal an emerald and then got into some trouble. I have no idea if he succeeded in his plans, but I can’t say I’m too thrilled about helping him escape the country with something so valuable. A manhunt for contraband tends to make things a lot more complicated.
“No,” she assures me, “Linc has it.”
“Linc?”
“Lincoln Decker, another member of my crew. He and Knox went down there together but got separated and things went downhill fast. Knox got detained briefly, but like I said, he should be on his way to the rendezvous point now.”
“Roger that.” I’m used to working with former military men and women who are highly organized. This group sounds like a circus.
“I really appreciate your help, Hunter. I know this was all thrown at you last minute, and we haven’t even met, so thank you.”
“No problem,” I say easily, but my mind keeps reminding me I’m helping a bunch of thieves.
The truth is, I’m starting to have some serious misgivings about accepting this job. For one, it goes against my moral code. I’ve never stolen anything in my life, and I certainly don’t condone it. Second, what if their lack of organization gets me in trouble? Because, let’s face it, there’s such a thing as adapting to a changing situation, and then there’s trying to wade through someone else’s chaos without getting pulled under and drowning yourself.
Studying the horizon, I remember not everything Ex Nihilo did was exactly legit. They got involved in some sketchy shit, but they’re the best people I know. So, maybe not everything is always so cut and dry.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.