Page 5 of Jolene's Justice

He gently removed her hands from her white-knuckled grip on her seat, then helped her swing her long legs out of the helicopter door. With an arm wrapped around her waist, he held her steady as she climbed down. She was a bit wobbly, but he held her up as they walked toward the small hangar building. His friend followed them through the door.

“Hey, Matt,” Finch finally greeted. “Thanks for this.”

“No problem. What happened, Bro?”

That was the question of the day, wasn’t it? What did happen? He’d done a thorough check before takeoff. Everything was in order; there were no signs of anything out of the ordinary. He wouldn’t have dared put Jolene in danger like that if he felt any of the parts on his helicopter were damaged.

“Think it was the storm?”

“I don’t know. The wind was pretty strong, but I’m not convinced that’s what damaged the tail rotor.”

“Want me to check her over?” Finch had served with Matt Blankenship and knew his ability to repair and diagnose aircraft mechanics was unparalleled.

“That’d be great. Thanks.” He turned to Jolene, intending to introduce her to his friend. She swayed slightly, and he was quick to react, his arm still securely around her to keep her steady. “Jolene,” he said softly. “This is my buddy, Matt. Matt, Jolene.”

Matt held out his hand, and Jolene hesitated until a gentle squeeze of encouragement from Finch had her placing her hand in his. Matt smiled as he said, “Nice to meet you,” and shook her hand gently.

Jolene’s voice strengthened as she apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m not quite myself at the moment.”

“Understandable.”

“Why don’t you have a seat?” Finch suggested. “I need to see to the helo, but I’ll be back as quickly as I can. Matt can keep you company.”

Matt held out a bottle of water to Jolene and indicated a chair next to a long metal table. “Absolutely. Go take care of your bird.”

Since she was unsteady, Finch was hesitant to leave. He crouched down in front of where she sat and cupped her cheek. “You okay?”

She inhaled deeply, leaned into his palm, and smiled. “I’m good. I’m okay. Just a little shaky, but it will pass.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Go take care of what you need to do. I’ll be fine.”

Unable to resist, he kissed her on the forehead, hearing her sharp intake of breath and feeling her tense beneath his touch. His lips lingered for a moment before he released her and stepped away, wishing he could kiss her more intimately.

Chapter 4

Jolenedidn’tlikethefeelings ricocheting through her. Her legs felt like rubber, a remnant from their close call. The adrenaline dump was a tangible thing as it slowly seeped from her body. It left her jittery and worn out.

Then there was Finch and the feelings he provoked. The warmth of his lips on her skin lingered, and she didn’t know how to process the confusing mix of emotions.

He’d been amazing during the emergency. So calm and confident. He soothed her with gentle words while effortlessly dealing with the crisis. She knew he was skilled at flying. As a former member of the Air Force, that was to be expected. And his skills had to be top-notch to work for the Nighthawks. She imagined there weren’t many people with the skills to fly the way he did to save lives. It was incredible to think of the expertise needed to navigate a helicopter with precision in any kind of weather and terrain while making sure those on board were safe.

Throw in a malfunction, and his skills were even more astonishing. But it was the way he took care of her during and after the emergency that left her in a state of confusion. The sound of his voice, full of compassion and worry for her. The feel of his hands, gentle and comforting, as he supported her wobbly weight. His kiss . . .Gah!She had to stop letting him chip away at her defenses, making her feel vulnerable. She couldn’t let herself be lulled into a sense of security by him . . . not again.

She closed her eyes, wishing things could be different.

Her eyes shot open.No!She would not allow herself to weaken. Fool her once and all. Harrison’s lies had been bad enough. But Finch’s . . . she hadn’t seen coming.

She needed to focus on her reason for being here. Her father needed her. That was all that mattered. Finch and her pitiful, broken heart could go fly off a cliff.

While she waited, she made small talk with Finch’s friend. She’d learned they’d served together. Matt had worked on the aircraft that Finch had flown.

“Maybe we should have waited for the storm to pass,” Jolene mused, thinking that was what had caused the damage.

“Nah. That tiny storm wouldn’t have stopped Finch. He was always the one who took on the riskier missions,” Matt said. “It was like the more dangerous, the better. I always wondered what drove him to do that. Some days, I worried he had a death wish. But he always came back. Mission success.”

“Hmm” was the only response she could give. She didn’t know much about how his missions with the Nighthawks went. Did he still have that death wish? She hadn’t heard the guys telling any crazy stories about him. Maybe he’d grown out of that daredevil mentality. Or was there more to it than she was seeing?

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