Page 108 of Fly Boy
“Okay, what’s up?” I ask, cornering him in the cockpit after Alistair has left to do the final checks before leaving.
“Oh, Miss Cartwright.” He practically recoils in his chair, using his clipboard like a shield as I tower over him, my arms crossed. “I—I didn’t see you.”
“Why are you acting weird?” I purse my lips, waiting as he flounders, his mouth opening and closing, his eyes darting to the door like he’s wishing Alistair would return.
“I’m not,” he eventually says, smiling with such force his lips disappear.
“Liam, you would have usually asked about the competition I’ve got coming up by now. Yet you’ve been avoiding me.” I tilt my head. “Why?”
“It’s nothing.” He visibly swallows when I level a glare his way. “Shit—I mean,stuffwent down yesterday.”
Thanks for being so cryptic.“What kind ofstuff?”
He frowns. “You didn’t hear?” I shake my head, and he grimaces. “Erm… I don’t think it’s my place to say.”
I step forward and it’s almost laughable his reaction. It’s like I’m a lion, and he’s a mouse backed into a corner. “Tell me. Please.”
“Wyatt’s been fired.”
It feels like the ground has been snatched out from under me. Lead bricks drop one by one into my stomach, my lungs struggling to take in air.
“That—” I clear my throat, my voice flat as I say, “That can’t be right.”
“That’s what I thought,” Liam exclaims. “Wyatt isthebest pilot I’ve ever seen. He was so thorough and meticulous that it doesn’t make sense.”
“Are you sure?” I croak, and he nods.
“Yes, your father called me and Alistair into his office Thursday afternoon, saying we’ll be flying you indefinitely until he finds a replacement.” He glances back at the cockpit door, lowering his voice so only I can hear. “He didn’t actually say Wyatt was fired, but it’s hard not to read between the lines.Services no longer neededdoesn’t exactly leave much room for interpretation.”
The flight deck suddenly feels too small, my clothes too tight, the air too thick. “Thank you for telling me, Liam.”
He nods quickly before turning back to his clipboard, pretending to be engrossed in work, but I’m already out of the door and down the plane steps.
Running like my ass is on fire, I make my way to the pickup zone, pulling up Wyatt’s contact details.
“Hi, you’ve reached the number for Wyatt—”
“Shit,” I snarl, trying again only to get the same voicemail message. I wave at Dave, my driver, as he opens the passenger door for me, hurriedly throwing myself into the back seat and pulling up my dad’s number.
“You’ve reached—”
“Fuck’s sake,” I seethe, then stab the end call button. I glance up, finding Dave staring at me. “Do you know where my dad is?”
“No, miss,” he replies curtly, his gaze moving back to look out the window.
“Is he flying right now?”Why would he be? Both of his pilots are at the airfield.Panic clutches at every organ inside my body, and I shake my head, my legs bouncing as I glance out the window.“Never mind.”
Tapping his number again, I try Wyatt once more, my heart thrashing against my ribs as nausea starts to make an appearance.
“Hi, you’ve reached the number…”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Fucking hell, I’m coming,”I mutter as I jog down the stairs, the incessant pounding at my front door becoming more irritating with each bang. “What is—?”
Shock makes my words die on my tongue, the sentence long forgotten as I see my girl on my doorstep. I’m about to take a step toward her, pull her into my arms, a surprise I didn’t know was coming, but stop short when I notice Pippa’s jaw locked, her face murderous, as she stands on my step.
“I’ve just had déjà vu.” I smile, wanting to break the tension that’s coming off her in waves, but it doesn’t get a chance to grow as she shoves past me and whirls around as I close the door.
