Page 1 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Pilot
Chapter 1
FELICITY
My phone screen lit up on the counter as I sipped my morning coffee.I lunged for it, almost sloshing my caffeine fix to the ground in the process.
“This is Felicity!”I chirped, tucking the phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Felicity, it’s Gladys from Discreet Talent Connections.”Her voice held that particular tone that always meant money.“I’ve got a last-minute charter for you.Very high-profile.”
I straightened, suddenly more alert than my coffee had managed to make me.The recruiting company specialized in servicing rich and powerful clients.Some of those services included on-demand private flights.“I’m listening.”
“Tanner Roberts needs immediate transport to Angel Spring.”
The coffee I’d just swallowed nearly came back up.“Tanner Roberts?As in Roberts Mining?”The death of the old owner of the mining company had been all over the news this week.His son, the sole reluctant heir, was an infamous regular in celebrity gossip news.Tanner was a notorious playboy who seemed more at home at a club in Miami than a remote mountain town like Angel Spring.
“The very same.The heir himself needs a pilot today, and he’s willing to pay double our premium rate.”
I sank against the counter, the numbers already calculating in my head.Double premium rate meant six months of Mom’s nursing home covered in one day’s work.Six whole months without that gnawing dread when I checked my bank balance.
“Text me the details.I’ll be at the airstrip in forty minutes.”
After ending the call, I dashed to my living room and snatched my pendant from the coffee table.The silver airplane felt cool against my lips as I kissed it.
“Luck’s on my side today,” I whispered to the empty room.
Twenty minutes later, I stood before the mirror in my crisp navy uniform, adjusting my collar.The pendant’s familiar weight was a comfort against my chest.
“Thank you, Universe,” I murmured, smoothing down my jacket.“One easy flight to Angel Spring, one giant leap for Mom’s care.”
The small mountain town was barely four hours away by air.I’d be back in Huntington Harbor in time for dinner and my weekend visit with Mom.Except this time, I’d arrive with the weight of financial worry temporarily lifted from my shoulders.
When I arrived at the private airstrip, Bryce, my first officer, was already there, meticulously going through the pre-flight checklist.His fresh-faced enthusiasm was evident even from across the tarmac.His pilot’s cap sat perfectly straight on his sandy brown hair, still crisp with newness compared to my well-worn one.
“Morning, Captain Foster!”he called out with a wave, clipboard clutched in his other hand.His eager smile reminded me why I’d agreed to mentor him despite my usual preference for flying solo.
“Morning, Bryce.How’s my baby looking today?”I nodded toward the Cessna Citation X gleaming in the morning sun.
“Pristine!Just finished the external check.Fuel levels optimal, all surfaces clear, hydraulics responsive.”He rattled off the list with textbook precision, still at that stage where procedures were memorized rather than instinctual.“I’ve already filed our flight plan to Angel Spring.”
“Good man.”I patted his shoulder as I walked past, unable to resist running my hand along the fuselage.“Though you missed one critical check.”
His eyes widened in alarm.“I did?What did I—”
I grinned, tapping the side of the aircraft.“Always say good morning to the lady.She knows when you’re being rude.”
Bryce’s anxious expression dissolved into a relieved laugh.“Right!Sorry, ma’am,” he said to the plane with an exaggerated bow.
“You’ll learn.First year flying commercial is full of lessons they don’t teach in flight school.”
The sleek black SUV pulled onto the tarmac then, and I watched Bryce’s eyes widen as he recognized our high-profile passenger emerging from it.
“Is that—?”he whispered.
“Tanner Roberts himself.Remember what I told you about VIPs?”
“Act professional, not starstruck,” he recited, straightening his already-perfect posture.
“And…”
