“How many?”
 
 “So far? Five.”
 
 “Five?” I tip my head back and stare at the ceiling.
 
 Five transport routes gone.
 
 “Who’s the owner of Sea-Air again?” I ask.
 
 “Frank Parcell,” she replies.
 
 “Right. The asshole hears about me going to Montana and… what? Decides to finish us?”
 
 I hear her frustrated sigh through the miles.
 
 “He knows I’m sick. That’s not news at this point. I don’t know how he learned about your father’s will though.”
 
 I think on it. “It’s got to be Ed.”
 
 “From the dock?” Surprise laces Mom’s words.
 
 I nod even though she can’t see me. “He was there when Shankle showed up. I can’t remember how much Shankle shared before we took off, but I do know he overheard that Jonathan Bridger died.”
 
 “So he put two and two together.”
 
 “I did leave within the month,” I remind her. “I doubt Ed did anything on purpose. He probably just mentioned my situation to Frank in passing. I mean, we’ve known him forever.”
 
 Mom is quiet for a minute. “What are we going to do?”
 
 “You’re not going to do anything. Not even worry,” I say.
 
 She laughs.
 
 Carly, Chance, and Miles are staring at me, concerned.
 
 “Is your mom okay?” Carly whispers.
 
 I put my hand over the phone. “She’s fine. The fucker we hired to fill in was a mole and stole our routes.”
 
 “You’re not alone,” Mom says, apparently realizing I’m updating the others. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
 
 I take my hand away. “It’s fine. It’s Chance, Miles, and Carly.”
 
 “Who’s Carly?”
 
 Yes, I hear the curiosity in her voice. The one that always comes out when a woman is involved, because that’s the key to her desire for grandchildren.
 
 “You want to ask me that now?” I pose.
 
 I need to get Mom back on track. She wants to know about the woman in my life when a sneaky bastard is taking advantage of her and stealing our business.
 
 Mom sighs again. “It’s done. He’s fired. Obviously.”
 
 “Obviously.”
 
 “But without a pilot, no flights are going up now. I had to cancel the passengers for today, which means they got their money back and went to another company.”
 
 “Sea-Air probably,” I grumble. “I can send you money to pay bills, but without routes—without a pilot—we’re doomed. I’d say hire another one but who knows who we can trust at this point.”