Page 3 of Confessions of an Apache Pilot

It happened so fast, I only had time for my mouth to fall open in surprise. Sheppard’s hand shot out, hitting Scott directly in the chest. It sent the smaller man stumbling backward. Sheppard’s free arm locked onto my bicep and pulled me toward him. “Quit fucking around and get in your helicopter.”

Breathing erratically, I stared down at my ex as he looked at us in shock. Just as he started railing at us about reporting us for this, Sheppard interrupted him. “Come near any of my pilots or crew again and I will unscrew your head.” He pivoted on his foot and looked at me, I was still standing behind him. “Either you stop wasting time and walk with me back to the helicopters or, I swear to Christ, I’ll carry you there myself. We’re done fucking around today.”

Mutely, I followed him, grabbing my bags and only allowing myself one look over my shoulder. Scott was fuming, his face red as he picked himself up off the ground.

Focusing back on my aircraft as we approached, I threw my bags in the back and began to climb into the pilot’s seat. His face softened for just a moment. “You good? You alright to fly?” I nodded, but before I could actually speak, the softness in his tone dropped and the asshole was back. “Good, keep your personal business to yourself, it’s time to get the fuck out of here.” Once again, he didn’t bother to wait for a response.

There was silence in the cabin for a few heartbeats. Then Sarah let out a dramatic sigh. “That was-”

“No,” I cut her off.

“But-”

“We’re not talking about it.” I flicked the switches and the engine gave me a reprieve as it whirred to life, drowning her out. I knew if I looked in the back both Sarah and Karolyn were going to be staring at me with hearts in their eyes. A quick glance over at my co-pilot showed him trying to bite back a grin.

“You’re definitely off to a better start than Ross was,” he said, while forcing his face into a blank mask as my irritated stare landed on him.

I didn’t bother to ask for clarification. This is going to be a long deployment. The last thing I needed was my ex in the same country as me. Then there was the matter of the sexy, grouchy as hell, Apache pilot. Shaking my head, I readied the helicopter for take-off. All I could do was avoid them both and hope that I’d make it through this intact.

CHAPTER 2

Jen

My head was still spinning from the confrontation between Sheppard and Scott. I had to force myself back into the real world so that we could finish up the start sequence on the helicopter and get out of here. I wanted to know what had just happened. Was he in such a hurry to get out of this base that he was willing to fight anyone who delayed him?

Take your hand off my pilot. Is what he’d said. Of course, he also told Scott to stay away from any of his pilots or crew. Had he just claimed me? Or was he this protective of all his team? And why did both answers leave me breathless.

I avoided Sarah’s gaze, though it was all but drilling holes in my back. Her and Karolyn’s noses had been pressed to the window as Sheppard and I walked back toward the helicopter. They had zero chill and my face was still burning hot at the thought of everyone on the tarmac watching the show we’d put on. What a great way to introduce myself to everyone. Scott had struck again. Would there ever come a day when he didn’t materialize out of nowhere to hound and embarrass me? How long would I have to pay for being stupid enough to date him? Stupid enough to trust him.

The last thing I needed was to get caught up with anyone while I was over here. I wouldn’t allow it. Scott being here was a huge inconvenience, but he was stuck in Bagram and I’d be half a country away. It was the only thing keeping the agitation at bay. I hated the asshole and was supposed to have a break from having to occasionally see his face on base back home. He wasn’t supposed to have been on this deployment. Not that I could do anything about it.

I let Nick handle most of the start-up and fly us out of here. Besides the obvious fact that he knew the area, I was too shaken to take over. Everything that had just happened was confusing and unnerving. I took the scenery in as a way to distract from Sheppard. I refused to moon over the man. The mountains were enormous, and the view was nothing short of breathtaking.

“This is amazing. I’ve flown through mountains before, but nothing like this,” I said.

“Oh yeah, these things are nuts. Some of these peaks are so high that we can’t even fly over them, helicopter just won’t go that high. Crazy thing is, people live up there,” Nick replied, motioning to the top of one of the peaks.

“The buildings? Some of them look centuries old. It feels like we’re flying in the literal footsteps of history.”

“If you like that, when Chief Asshole back there has one of his rare happy moods, he can tell you all about the history of this land. He knows every inch of the place. Bit of a history buff,” Nick commented.

I tried to imagine Sheppard not being a moody jerk. The image wouldn’t form. It didn’t matter that I’d only seen him for a handful of minutes, the first impression he’d made was rooted deep. For now, I’d take Nick’s word for it that Sheppard had good moments.

“And here we are, coming up on home sweet home.”

Out on the horizon a military base was coming into view. I could make out the runway and see another helicopter in the distance. Nick reached down and adjusted the radio, tuning in the airfield’s radio frequency. The voice that came booming through the speakers was an unexpected and delightful surprise.

“Hey Shep, that you coming back with the new kids?” The voice was female and more than familiar. It was Laura. My best friend since ROTC in college. I knew she was in the country, but things had moved so fast since arrival that I hadn’t pieced together that she was up here. Add in the fact that we were originally supposed to be stationed in Bagram for this deployment and this was a nice change of pace. Suddenly I didn’t feel so stressed and alone.

“That’s right, Captain. We’ll be landing in a moment,” Sheppard answered. He was much less grumpy when talking with other Apache pilots.

It wasn’t easy to ignore the way my belly clenched as his deep voice sounded over the radio. What is wrong with me? I worked around men every day and never had I responded to anyone like this, not even Scott when he’d first approached me. Sheppard’s voice alone shouldn’t be causing my panties to dampen. Trying to ignore my reaction, I calmed my nerves. Knowing Laura was down there waiting for me helped.

We’d parted ways during flight school. She chose Apache attack helicopters; I chose Black Hawks. She was a captain, same as me, which meant that not only was she part of Sheppard’s team, but was technically in charge of him. That would also help keep things civil, I hoped. Despite my bizarre reaction to the man, I hadn’t forgotten that there was bad blood between our teams. Enough of it that the former MEDEVAC team had been given the boot.

I should have used this time to pump Nick for information during the flight. Instead, I’d remained mostly quiet, reminding myself what I was here for and what I didn’t need in my life. My brain seemed to understand, but the rest of my body was rioting.

“Well, I’ll make sure that they get a warm welcome.” I could sense something mischievous in her voice. I knew her too well. We still got together for vacations a few times a year, except for when one of us was deployed. The time away and distance never seemed to matter once we saw each other.

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