Broken Wings Read online

  “I can come to you where you are,” he suggested. “I’m in Albuquerque and can be there within a few hours.”

  “We’re going to Oklahoma City,” she said again. “I’m sure you can meet us there, as well.”

  He sighed long and loud. “I understand, but I had to try. Masters?”

  “I’m here,” Ethan replied.

  “I’d want to turn that bird in as well. I’ll meet you in OKC. I’ll have a Marshal waiting, but just until I get there.”

  “Understood,” Ethan replied. “You need to know that my next phone call is to Cris O’Connor and Scott Lincoln with the OSBI,” he said, referring to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Agent in Charge. “They’ll have our backs once we land.”

  Ethan would have sworn the Marshal sounded amused. “Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

  Natalie disconnected the call, then handed the phone to Ethan. He called Rob and Cris, gave them a status update, then disconnected. Stared at the phone in his hand. Knew he had to say what was in his heart, even if she didn’t want to hear it.

  “I know I’m a bad bet, Natalie, but when this is all over, can I call you? I don’t want to lose touch.”

  She reached over, tipped up his chin so they were eye to eye. “I’d like that very, very much.” A smile tipped her lips, and it was a sad one. “We both have some cleanup to do.”

  He nodded, glad she hadn’t shut him down as soon as he mentioned it, then began to gather their trash, looked mournfully at the bullet hole in one of the windows.

  But things were looking up. Natalie was still speaking to him, kissing him, willing to talk later. He would deal with bullet holes all day for a second chance with her.

  The flight to Oklahoma City was frighteningly fast. So fast that Natalie wished time would slow, that she’d have just a few more minutes with Ethan. With the woman she’d become over the last few days.

  She wanted to be free, to be the woman who necked in the back of a helicopter, cuddled in the back of a Jeep. But instead she’d step into a suit and face down her father. Decide what to do with her life after that.

  Ethan flew the helicopter into Oklahoma City, heading for Red River Recovery. He’d explained that normally they wouldn’t land a helicopter at the yard, instead going to wherever the bank needed them to drop it off, but given the extenuating circumstances, his boss was willing to allow some irregularity.

  The fenced-off lot seemed tiny, too small to land such a large helicopter, but Ethan did it with a deft touch, just like he had when he’d flown to her rescue. Not that she’d needed it, but still, the thought counted.

  As the rotors began to slow, he shut down the dashboard one switch at a time.

  The back door to the building opened and three people walked out.

  For the first time, Natalie felt a little shy. These were Ethan’s friends, his boss, his coworkers. And she’d pulled him into this.

  He stepped out of the cockpit, then moved to the copilot’s side, helped her down even though she didn’t need it. Let his hands linger at her waist for a long moment before he shuttered his expression and turned.

  Those seconds before he did, she swore she saw longing. Pure, simple, everything.

  Then they were no longer alone, and anything she might have said in the spur of the moment died on her tongue.

  A fourth figure stayed in the doorway, and from his stance she guessed it was the Marshal sent to babysit them for their statement.

  A tiny blonde was the first to reach them, to envelop Ethan in a bear hug that surprised a grunt out of him and spurred something like jealousy in Natalie. Then Ethan was being regarded by a serious-looking Hispanic man with tattoos edging out of his cuffs, the collar of his shirt. “You did good, Masters.” He held out his hand. “Keys, please.”

  Natalie saw Ethan smother a grin, then handed the man the keys that would lock and unlock the doors. He turned to her, made introductions.

  “Natalie, this is Cris O’Connor, my partner, and my boss, Rob Hude. Pretty sure this gentleman is Scott Lincoln, from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.”

  The older man nodded, his sharp blue eyes not missing a thing.

  “I’m assuming the shadowy figure in the back is a Marshal,” Ethan said dryly. “We were told to wait here until our contact showed up.”

  “Which would be why I’m here,” said Agent Lincoln. “He may be a fed, but this is my turf, and we’ll wait.”

  “But let’s do it in the garage,” Rob said. “Karla hustled up some grub, in case you’re hungry.”

  Natalie shot Ethan a look she knew had to be smoldering. Didn’t much care. Then she sighed. “And while we wait, I need to call my father.”

  They headed into the building, which turned out to be a huge, immaculate garage, and with each step, she felt her spine stiffen, her feet grow heavier.

  A Marshal who didn’t bother to introduce himself, ostensibly from the Oklahoma City district, met them inside and they all settled into folding chairs erected around a collapsible banquet table. She lasted for about two minutes before excusing herself.

  She could feel Ethan’s gaze tracking her, but this was something she needed to do on her own. Now, before they went into questioning. She knew Greg would want a lawyer present. She didn’t care. She just wanted it all to be over.

  “Arrow Security,” her father answered.

  “Greg,” she said, “I’m safe, and in Oklahoma City.”

  “What the ever-loving fuck are you doing there?” he hollered, and she jerked the phone away from her ear, blinked back tears.

  There was no “I’m so happy you’re safe” or “are you okay.” It made the bile rise in her stomach until she was choking it back. She’d been right. So very fucking right.

  “Delivering a helicopter, that’s what I’m doing. I’m debriefing with the Marshals in about an hour, I suspect, and then I’ll work on getting a new ID so I can fly home.”

  “Don’t say a damned word without our lawyer present,” he said, and she curled in on herself even more.

  “What could I possibly say?” she ground out. “That you sent me in there knowing Petra was probably an assassin? That you had your only child engage in corporate espionage? That you were more than happy to let Ethan take the fall so it wouldn’t damage the company?”

  She felt an arm curve around her waist and melted back into Ethan’s strength. “It’s okay,” he breathed in her other ear. “I’ve got you.”

  “I’ll talk to the Marshal when he gets here, and let the chips fall where they may, Greg.”

  She waited for the outburst and all she got was a sigh in response. “When did you start calling me Greg?”

  The question was so non sequitur it surprised her for a moment. And then she answered. “When your only child became less important than the company line.”

  “I deserve that,” he replied. “I’ll have a charter at the Oklahoma City airport in a few hours. But be careful, Natalie. When you stole Ward’s data, you broke the law, regardless of what Petra did. Regardless of who I told you was our client. They’ll come after you.”

  “Let them come,” she said. “I’ll see you either tonight or tomorrow, depending on if I need bail.” She disconnected the phone, her head suddenly light, her breath coming in sharp little bursts.

  “Shhhh,” Ethan rocked her slowly. Pulled her behind a behemoth of an SUV to give them privacy. “I’ve got you,” he repeated.

  And he did. She turned into his arms, burrowed against him. Soaked in his solid strength. His reliability. The fact he was here with her right now, when he could have turned away so many times.

  She took a deep breath that smelled of him, then another, her resolve returning with each moment. She looked up to see the concern in his eyes, stepped out of his arms. “It’s a family thing,” she said lamely.

  “Bullshit,” he replied, his normal easygoing caramel voice now hard and unforgiving. “No one gets to treat you like that.”

  She smiled,
placed a hand on his chest. “Let it go, Ethan. This is one I have to deal with on my own.”

  He covered her hand with his own, pressed them both against his heart. “Only if you want to,” he promised, and her heart rose in her throat, threatening to choke her.

  “If I need backup, you’re the first person I’ll call,” she promised.

  Their moment was broken by the arrival of Agent Harmon, and they left the safety of the corner of the garage and settled in to give their statements.

  The very first thing she was going to tell the Marshal was that Petra would be in Maryland soon. In Arrow custody. If Greg had shown any remorse, if he’d shown one ounce of love, she probably would have let him tell the Marshals he had the assassin. Would have let her father debrief Petra for the good of the company. But he’d made Natalie’s decision for her with every word he’d spoken.

  God, she was tired. She really hoped she wasn’t going to jail today, because she really wanted her own shower, her own bed, her own little condo, before she had to face her father.

  And while she’d love to have Ethan’s solidity with her all the time, she needed to stand on her own two feet.

  Ethan didn’t much like the way Harmon separated them, although he understood it. He waived his right to an attorney, since he hadn’t really done anything wrong. Except harbor a suspected murderess and a potential felon. But Harmon was more interested in getting the goods on Petra than anything else. Offered Ethan immunity for his testimony, which he happily took.

  OSBI Agent Lincoln sat in on the questioning, at Cris’ behest, Ethan was sure. And since he didn’t say a damned word, Ethan left the interview feeling pretty good.

  He felt even better when Rob ushered him inside his office. His boss closed the door, gestured for him to sit.

  “You did good, Masters,” Rob said, when he so rarely gave praise. “Despite the bullet hole.”

  Ethan cringed, and then straightened. He’d done it to save Natalie and the bounty hunters, and he’d do it again.

  “Your debt is paid,” Rob said, and Ethan felt a relief unlike anything he’d ever known…except seeing Natalie unharmed this morning. “I know you’re only working here to square that debt,” Rob continued. “But if I could keep you on retainer, for when I need a pilot…”

  “Happily,” Ethan said, then stood and clasped Rob’s hand. “I’d like to take a day or two off, though.” He smiled and Rob joined him in a chuckle.

  He walked back into the garage, not knowing what he was going to do with himself. It was empty. He assumed Cris and Linc had left after his interview, but where had Natalie gone? Where were the Marshals?

  Panic began to beat through him when Karla, their dispatcher, called out to him from the doorway to the building. “Your girlfriend said she had to catch a flight to the east coast and that she’d call you later.”

  While he loved to hear Karla call Natalie his anything, he couldn’t really contain his disappointment. She’d gone. Left without saying goodbye. And taken a piece of his heart in the process.

  Natalie and Agent Harmon spent the three-and-a-half-hour flight to Baltimore detailing everything that had happened over the last four days. She now knew she’d committed a crime at her father’s orders. Was willing to pay the price for it if it came to that. She was a big girl and could have refused. But she hadn’t. She’d made the wrong choice because her father had ordered it, and she’d have to live with it.

  She’d opened her comments by telling him that Petra had been handed over to Arrow, so he could get an agent there quickly. She thought she’d feel uneasy saying the words, but all she felt was relief.

  By the time they hit the tarmac it was closing in on midnight of one of the longest days of her life. She was allowed to go home, as long as she returned to the Marshal’s district office for her ten o’clock appointment in the morning.

  There she’d finish her statement and see if they were going to charge her. She doubted it, since they were letting her go home, but she wouldn’t put it past them to put a tail on her to see if she did anything dumb. Like try to flee the country.

  Honestly, all she wanted was a hot meal, a hot shower and her own bed.

  She called an Uber that deposited her on her doorstep after swinging by an all-night kabob place. She wolfed the food in the car, luxuriated in the shower for an obscene amount of time, then fell into bed.

  And couldn’t sleep. Because she missed Ethan. Wondered where he was, what he was doing.

  It was all so teenagerish and angsty she was disgusted at herself. She was in her mid-thirties. Ethan was even older, if the gray at his temples was any indication.

  But she didn’t even know that much about him. When his birthday was. What his favorite eats were.

  She flopped on her pillows and realized it wasn’t just Ethan. They’d been running on adrenaline and nerves for four long days. Been in hiding, dressed for an Alien Fest, and then engaged in a shootout. It was no wonder her nerves were shot to hell.

  So she took a melatonin from her medicine cabinet, set her alarm for seven, and fell into a series of hot dreams that featured the man who’d set her world on fire, even as he tried to save her.

  Chapter 15

  Natalie showed up at the Marshal’s district office fifteen minutes early, feeling more like a human than she had in days.

  Agent Harmon showed her into an interview room and offered her a cup of coffee that she gratefully took. Feeling better didn’t mean that caffeine wasn’t a priority.

  Five minutes after they’d settled in, and she’d begun to answer questions again, this time officially, Greg showed up with the company lawyer.

  “As an employee of Arrow Security, Ms. Flynn will no longer be answering questions without our lawyer present,” he said. He was wearing a slick suit that she knew he’d put on for the express purpose of putting the Marshal in his place as a public servant.

  Which totally didn’t work.

  Marshal Harmon leaned back in his chair, not fazed in the slightest.

  He looked at her. “Up to you, Miss Flynn. Yesterday’s chat was fact finding. Today we need to take your formal statement. We do it now, or we’ll hand you over to the FBI and you can enjoy their fine facilities. I’d suggest we finish here, where you’ve already laid groundwork, and we have a relationship.”

  She looked at her father. Waited for an emotion rather than anger to overtake her. It didn’t. He was bowling over her—again. Instead of asking the Marshal for a few moments to themselves, where he could really talk to her, he’d continued in corporate mode, not even asking how she was. If she’d been injured in the shootout.

  And it was that complete disregard for her as his only child that made her decision easy. Had made it easy last night when she told Harmon where Petra was. Right here and now, she was done with it.

  She was done with the drama, with never knowing where she stood because he was such a cold fish. He’d shut down when Mama died, but that didn’t give him the right to use her as cannon fodder for the almighty company he obviously loved more than her.

  So she turned her back to him and faced Harmon. “Let’s continue.”

  “Stop,” Greg said, stepping to her side and finally looking at her. Pure anger burned in his eyes. He was actually mad at her for not listening to him. For disregarding his order. Probably for handing Petra to the Marshals on a silver platter. But there was no hint of worry in his expression, and she knew for sure she’d made the right decision.

  “I quit,” she said. She turned her attention to Harmon. Shut her father out.

  Harmon sat up in his chair. Folded his hands in front of him and looked at Greg. “Your presence and that of counsel has been declined. You can see yourself out.”

  Greg bulled up, started to round the table when the lawyer caught him by the arm. Harmon watched it all with a little smile, and Natalie knew that the agent would have dropped her father in about two seconds flat. It didn’t matter that Greg was a former Green Beret. That had been ye
ars ago, and a rich-man’s lifestyle and age had diminished his physical threat significantly. Especially to a guy like Harmon, who looked like he bench pressed Cadillacs.

  The Arrow lawyer pulled a sputtering Greg out of the interview room and for a moment Natalie felt triumph. Before everything inside deflated.

  He was her father. But he’d shown, with each and every action, where his true loyalties lay. Right now she needed to get this interview out of the way and find out if she needed a lawyer on her own.

  In the end, she didn’t. She cut a deal Greg would have an apoplexy over, but she didn’t really care.

  In exchange for the thumb drive she’d been carting around for the last five days, her testimony against Petra, and a very lengthy federal probation, she was free to go about a new life.

  Part of her probation stipulated that she couldn’t carry a weapon, and for the first few days, she felt naked without it. Vulnerable. As if someone was going to jump out of the bushes and throw down on her.

  She’d avoided Greg, hoping to give them both time to cool down, but in the end, not talking with him just seemed to fuel her anxiety, so she bit the bullet.

  Arrow’s primary office in Bethesda was small, intimate, extremely high end, as fit their clientele.

  She chilled in the waiting room with the receptionist, asked her about her kids and her corgi, chatting about those little mundane things that make a life. And realized she didn’t really have one beyond the job. Not really. She had a company apartment she was going to have to move out of.

  The thought didn’t raise the panic flag she thought it would.

  But since she still had access to the company bank account, there was one item the receptionist could help her with while she waited.

  A few minutes later a Broadway star walked out of Greg’s office, tight lipped and halfway to scared. Her father hadn’t put that look in the woman’s flawless face, whatever had driven her to Arrow had. Likely a stalker. Maybe an ex.