Page 1 of The Ampersand Effect
One
“Fuck you, Eddie,” Tobin Maes drawled playfully. “I have to stop letting you voluntell me for your commitments,” she muttered as she pulled herself into the cockpit of their custom VIP helicopter.
She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the picture of her sister, Harrow, tucked into the control panel of every chopper in their fleet—a ritual for luck, and a reminder she had family to come home to.
“Box office loaded. Preparing for flight,” she said with a smirk. During flight school, she and Eddie had renamed the cockpit thebox office—a punny little rebellion against the boys’ club of aviation. It stuck.
“Mmm. Because you have so many better things going on.” Eddie’s retort was soft and low, her sultry tenor wrapped in her usual governed poise. From the right seat—the traditional position for the pilot in command—she studied her controls. A glint of sun bounced off her mirrored aviators, perched on her nose. Even with her eyes hidden, Tobin could feel the sarcasm in her gaze as Eddie announced, “Rotors turning, clear prop.”
As the blades of the chopper whirred to life, Tobin felt the bird grow light on its skids. They eased into a forward glide, andas speed built, Eddie coaxed them skyward while Tobin worked the foot pedals, counteracting the helicopter’s natural yaw. Their cohesive control of the helicopter was a familiar dance, constantly balancing each other in silent support.
“You know I love joyriding,” Tobin said, voice crackling through the comms. “I’m happy to help test these new helipads. But, we both know I’m here for the kids,”
It was true—she’d have helped Eddie test the helipads her friend had funded for Aetheridge Children’s Hospital without question. But the real draw was offering the gift of flight to some staff and, most importantly, to the young patients. That was what really spoke to her heart. She only wished she could see their joy firsthand—to watch their faces light up as they took to the air and saw everything from a bird’s-eye view. Instead, she’d have to settle for verbal smiles through the headsets that would let them communicate with the pilots in the cockpit.
“I’d tell you the setup was chance, but I’m not one to downplay my own ministrations. I knew you couldn’t saynoto this,” Eddie drawled, her soft southern lilt nearly imperceptible—smooth as honey but capable of a bite Tobin never wanted to provoke. She had to admit, her friend knew how to get what she wanted and she wasn’t shy about how she got it.
While their banter and mannerisms were often flirtatious, the drive for a more intimate connection had long since dissipated. Both women honored their desire for a true and lasting friendship in lieu of something physical. The trials they’d faced during flight school—and later, during missions through Eddie’s private search- and-rescue (SAR) firm—had forged a partnership built on trust and communication, one neither wished to complicate with sex.
Tobin inhaled a cleansing breath as they reached cruising altitude and maneuvered the chopper toward the hospital. This feeling—this view—would never get old. It was as thrilling as itwas calming. She found peace in the sky, with the worries of the world far below. Aetheridge was a beautiful region, nestled atop coastal cliffs, bordered by the Aetheridge Forest to the west and the great Lake Aether to the north. The area was as gorgeous as it was tempestuous, depending on the season and the lake’s effect on weather patterns.
Lost in her thoughts and the second nature of flight controls, she was jarred to reality as Eddie brought her back to the present.
“We’ve got four rides today, five to eight passengers each.”
“How long are we taking them up?”
“Fifteen to twenty minutes—enough to get the adrenaline rush, but not long enough to lull anyone to sleep.” Eddie adjusted the control panel, comfortably maintaining her grip on the cyclic.
“Weather’s clear and wind’s calm. We got lucky. Great day for flying. I was thinking about going for a spin afterward. Join me?”
“Tempting, but I can’t,” Eddie answered cooly. “I’m covering co-pilot for Erik—his kid’s sick again. You should take the Raven though. You visiting Elodie? How’s she doing?”
Tobin smiled. Just hearing her grandmother’s name could trigger the sensation of a full body hug. The family matriarch had been Tobin’s closest ally from childhood on, a constant source of soul-cleansing conversations and stern advice. “I hadn’t thought of it, but that’s a great idea. I can see how the trees are coming along and get some of her cooking. I’ll call her when we touch down.”
She felt her smile grow at the thought of one of LoLo’s home- cooked meals. The woman had inspired her own love of cooking, and her dishes still never ceased to delight her tastebuds. Tobin chuckled inaudibly, thinking that LoLo could make a BLT that deserved a Michelin star. Her mouth was watering already.
“I can’t believe she’s still running that orchard. She’s what—eighty-four?”
“Good memory,” Tobin huffed. “And you’ve met her. That stubborn Belgian will tend her cherries until she’s buried beneath them—which she fully intends. She’ll never move on to whatever afterlife awaits. Her orchard is her manifested heaven, and she’ll literally be damned before leaving it!”
Eddie chuckled nasally. “Oh, LoLo. That woman is an inspiration! A force to be reckoned with, with a heart of gold in one formidable, overworked body!”
Tobin answered with her own deep laugh. Her grandmother truly was formidable—to anyone who didn’t know her. Built like the farmhouse she lived in, sturdy and enduring, with shoulders as broad as her hips. And she had a constant coating of flour on every inch of her clothing.
Not a woman to be crossed, LoLo held her rank with ease and was well-respected by her employees. She carried a tenderness that infused every gesture, alongside a discerning gaze that could pry the buried truths from deep within anyone she set it on. She was a warm hug and a veteran detective in one body. Tobin couldn’t wait to see her.
Tobin began unconsciously rubbing her left forearm. She had shattered the ulna in her dominant hand in multiple places during a helo accident three years ago, and it still bothered her from time to time, spasming at its worst. She had prescription muscle relaxers but hated to use them—they grounded her from flight. She hadn’t noticed the creeping pain or her unconscious massage until Eddie startled her into the present: “Prepare for landing.”
Tobin adjusted in her seat and refocused on the approach. “You hurting? Are you going to be okay for these flights?” Nothing ever got passed Eddie—her uncanny sense for mission disruptions was legendary.
“I’m fine. It’ll pass.”
“Famous last words,” Eddie grunted, positioning them above the helipad.
Tobin lasered a look of contempt at Eddie as she helped stabilize the helo from her co-pilot seat. “Worry about yourself,sweetheart,” she replied, emphasizing the last word with sultry flare. They fell into silence as they set the chopper onto the pad and began the power- down sequence.
“Get out of my box office!” Eddie hollered, flashing a devilish