Page 52 of Confessions of an Apache Pilot

“Let me guess, you two flew together in the last deployment, Iraq?”

“She’s a quick one,” Rage said with a smirk. “But yeah, we flew a few sorties in Iraq. Pretty awesome we get to do another mission together here.”

Is there anyone in this country that he hasn't worked with?

The butterflies were back, but this time with admiration. Damn him, it was impossible not to want to be around him. Impossible to keep him at a distance, emotionally or physically.

I tried to shake it off. “So...Rage and Hammer?”

“The Air Force is a lot more serious with its call signs. Once you get one assigned, you keep it for life.”

“I see. That raises new questions, I think,” I said. My mood improved the longer I spoke to them. The excitement to see a new aircraft was seeping in. Or, maybe my good mood could be attributed to the man standing next to me. Either way, I leaned into the feeling and promised myself that I’d have some fun. It was long overdue.

“Long story, for now why don’t I show you the aircraft,” Rage responded with a chuckle.

Brady and Artie were practically jumping up and down with excitement. Even Sheppard was excited, though more contained. His eyes were wide and he couldn’t stop the smile that was permanently fixed on his face.

Laura leaned in to whisper to me. “Deep down, they’re just boys with bigger toys.”

She was right. They still had that child-like excitement at getting to play with something new. It was really...heartwarming. I certainly hadn’t been that excited about anything in a long time. Even the thought of seeing the jet wasn’t affecting me the same as it was the men. I let a smile spread across my face. It was time I allowed myself to enjoy life a little. I turned to Laura and saw her smile transform into an evil grin.

“Don’t you dare say anything about Sheppard’s ‘Big Toy’,” I whispered at her, barely choking back my laughter. “Let's go see what the boys are playing with.”

“This here is the centerpiece of the A-10, the cannon, or if you like, the Gatling gun. Seven thirty-millimeter barrels, firing in hundred round bursts.” Rage said while patting the gun.

“Doesn’t the Apache shoot thirty-millimeter?” Sarah asked Santos.

“Yes, but it's a single barrel, shooting twenty round bursts. And their thirty-millimeter round is twice the size, bigger explosion.” Santos explained.

“So...theirs is bigger than yours,” Karolyn teased with a grin.

“Shut up, you,” Brady said with a scowl, pointing at her, but we all saw the way the edges of his lips tipped up as he tried to bite back his grin.

Rage laughed with them before saying, “If you want to level an area the size of a football field, we’ve got you covered, but we don’t have the surgical precision that these guys do. In an urban environment we cause too much collateral damage. That’s why it's so awesome that we get to run some missions together.”

I didn’t expect that. I expected dick measuring, the usual contest. But these guys genuinely admired the capabilities of the other. It was such a different dynamic than the Black Hawk versus Apache that we constantly had to deal with.

I was starting to understand it. It was the attack culture. When all the joking was put aside, they all admired and respected each other; Green Berets, Apaches, A-10s. They respected warriors. They had no use for anyone else, especially administrators.

It was nice to see the way the guys got along with the Air Force pilots. They laughed and joked together as Rage and Hammer finished giving us a tour of their aircraft. Then we took the party over to the Apache and even to my Black Hawk so the other pilots could check out our helicopters.

“Haven’t seen you out here before,” Rage said to me, as Mark let Hammer jump in the front seat of the Apache.

“First time,” I told him.

His smile was bright in the low light and he rocked back on his heels. “Maybe next time we’re flying over I could buy you a cup of coffee.”

Rage was a good looking guy. Tall, taller than most of the other guys, his blond hair made him look like a Greek God. The last thing I needed was that kind of trouble. Especially since I already had one guy I wasn’t sure what to do with.

“It’s free in the chow hall,” I told him with a laugh.

He shrugged and gave me a wide smile. “Fine, just get you a cup of coffee then.”

I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He seemed like a nice guy, but there was no way I was going to accept that invitation. “Thanks, but I-” I wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. My eyes drifted over to Mark, where he was standing on the side of the helicopter, pointing out different buttons to Hammer.

Rage’s eyes followed mine and he made a little humming noise. “No problem. Should’ve realized a woman like you’d already have a man. I’m glad it’s Shep. He’s a good dude.”

With that, Rage moved closer to the helicopter so he could hear what was going on. He hadn’t even given me a chance to explain that Mark wasn’t my man. Except he was, I was just in denial. That realization was beginning to sink in.

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