Page 115 of Raul
After exchanging further greetings, Lieutenant Roberts said, “Ms. Ortiz, if you will come with me, I’ll get you suited up for your flight.”
“Your Royal Highness, Captain Lucas requests your presence on the bridge, where you may monitor Ms. Ortiz’s flight,” Lieutenant Fahey said.
Now Erica understood why Raul couldn’t wear jeans.
Raul leaned down to give Erica a peck on the cheek before he smiled into her eyes. “Have a good flight,querida. I’ve made them promise to bring you back in one piece.”
“I will always come back to you,mi amor,” she said in a low voice.
His expression turned solemn, and he kissed her again, his mouth lingering against her cheek. Lifting his head, he pivoted toward Fahey with his public prince-face back in place, looking pleasant but just a touch regal.
“This way please, ma’am.” Roberts waved Erica down a set of metal steps.
After winding through a few passageways, the lieutenant escorted Erica into a small cabin, clearly used by visitors since there were no personal effects in sight. It was a surprisingly comfortable room with wood paneling, an upholstered armchair, a desk, and a single bed. Roberts opened a closetdoor to reveal an array of sage-green flight suits. The lieutenant scanned Erica and selected one of the suits. “You’re about my size, so this one should fit you,” she said before pointing to a chest in the closet. “T-shirts to wear underneath it are in the drawers. You might also want to wear bike shorts, but that’s optional. Don’t forget the gloves in the top drawer. Everything is fireproof, just in case.”
“Thanks very much.” Erica held the flight suit against her and nodded. “Looks good.”
“I’ll let you change while I get your pilot,” the lieutenant said, before exiting and closing the door.
Erica stripped off her clothes and climbed into the fighter pilot gear as fast as she could. She smiled wryly at the bright orange patches saying Visitor that were sewn on the front and back of her flight suit. She was just trying on the Nomex gloves when a knock sounded on the door. “Come in!”
A brown-haired woman wearing a flight suit like Erica’s, minus the orange patches, came through the door, carrying two helmets with visors and oxygen masks. “Ms. Ortiz, I’m Lieutenant Commander Carla Newsom, but please call me Rocky.” She held up one helmet with her nickname on it. “I’ll be your pilot for today.”
“Please call me Erica.” She accepted the helmet that Rocky handed her. “Why Rocky?”
“Not because of my landings, I promise you,” the lieutenant said with a grin. “I studied geology for two years before I went to the Naval Academy.”
“I understand.” Erica chuckled.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road,” Rocky said, leading her out of the room.
After a lot of instruction, mostly about safety and whatnotto do, Rocky loaded Erica into the back seat of a white-and-red training jet, checking her harness at least three times. “It’s notjust to secure you for the ride,” Rocky explained through the mic in her helmet. “It’s to hold you in the seat if you have to eject. Not that I expect that to happen.”
Rocky climbed into the front seat of the jet, which was lower than Erica’s, so all she could see was the top of Rocky’s helmet. The glass canopy closed over them, and the jet began to taxi, following the directions of various yellow-shirted deck crew members. As they moved onto the runway, nerves and excitement tightened Erica’s throat and made her pulse pick up.
Another training jet was lining up beside them, the jet blast deflector already raised behind it. A pack of crewmen in different-colored shirts scurried around it and then raced away. The engines revved, and suddenly it shot forward and into the air.
“We’re next,” Rocky announced as the multihued shirts swarmed around their aircraft.
Erica watched as Rocky ran through a list of cockpit checks before giving a thumbs-up to the yellow shirt.
“Look to your left,” Rocky said.
Erica turned her head to see Raul standing tall among the crew members, his blazer flapping in the wind, a headset covering his ears while his hair fluttered around it. She waved. He lifted his hand to his lips and blew her a kiss.
“You are one lucky lady,” Rocky said.
“Don’t I know it,” Erica agreed as she returned Raul’s gesture, happiness tumbling through her.
“Okay, lean back as hard as you can in your seat,” Rocky instructed.
Erica braced herself the way Rocky had shown her and waited as the engines revved, and the plane moved forward on the catapult. After some more checks, Rocky saluted the deck crew.
And Erica felt like her eyeballs were being pushed toward the back of her head while the rest of her body tried to meld withher seat. She barely had time to register the deck passing under them before they shot off the carrier and were airborne.
“Holy shit!” Erica whooped as the jet raced over the waves before tearing skyward like a rocket.
“You got a strong stomach?” Rocky asked.
