“I had a feeling Levy was gonna pit us against each other,” he said as he slipped his arms inside the straps and secured it. “The four of us have been circling the top of the leaderboard for a while now.”
It was all up to us now, and what we did in the air today. The person who was named the best of the best was going to have to exhibit both exemplary piloting skills and top-notch leadership qualities, and I knew that the man standing opposite me was my biggest competitor.
Smart, sexy, and one hell of a pilot. Solo was everything I wanted wrapped up in a flight suit and a pair of Aviators. He was my partner in the air, on the ground, in my bed, and in my life, and no matter who came out on top today, I couldn’t help but believe we’d both be winners in the end.
“Hello… Earth to Panther. Did you hear me?”
I blinked, pushing my thoughts aside. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Are you good? Is there anything else you want to go over before we head out there?”
We had already run through our game plan back in class, but beyond the initial setup, there was really no way to predict what would happen once we were airborne. We had been assigned the role of the aggressors today, but instead of getting down and dirty like everyone expected of us once we hit the air, I’d come up with a new plan: stealth.
“No, I’m good,” I said, then reached for the straps of his harness, tugging him in as close as I could get him with all his safety gear on. “But you be careful up there today. I want you back in one piece at the end of this, you hear me, Lieutenant Morgan?”
“I’ll fly smart and follow your lead, how about that?”
I knew that was as close to a promise of carefulness as I would get from Solo, especially considering what was at stake today. So I let him go and gave him a clipped nod.
“That works. Okay, I’m gonna go suit up. I’ll meet you out there in a few.”
I turned to head out of his bay and over to mine, then heard him call my name. I stopped and looked back to see him looking every inch the cocky, rebellious fighter pilot I’d fallen for.
Solo flashed that charming grin and said, “I love you.”
Wow.It was amazing how three simple words could make you feel as though you could conquer the whole damn world, and I felt invincible. I had the most talented, quickest-thinking pilot in the Elite flying by my side this afternoon. I was out to prove to Levy, our fellow trainees, and my father that I was worthy of Mateo “Solo” Morgan, and I pitied the poor fools who were about to have to face off with me.
33Solo
THE SUN BARELY managed to slip through the clouds as we headed across the runway to where our planes waited fully fueled and ready for their pre-check. I could see Houdini and that asshat Utah coming in for a landing one runway over, and after the way they’d just annihilated Phantom and Alphabet up there, I had a fire lit under my ass.
From day one I’d entered this course with every intention of winning, and just because I’d gone and done the unimaginable—fallen in love—that didn’t mean my determination to kick everyone’s ass had flown out the window.
One ass I was particularly looking forward to spanking was Utah’s. The last time we’d gone head to head, I’d been all up in mine and that motherfucker had gotten the best of me. But today was a different story. I was one hundred percent focused, and the only way I was leaving that sky was victorious.
This newfound confidence also came because I just so happened to be partnered up with the best pilot in the program. Don’t get me wrong, I was a close second and nipping at Panther’s heels, but I’d have to be stupid to think that anyone who beat Captain “Razor” Hughes wasn’t a serious threat.
Panther had this cool, calculated way about flying that you couldn’t help but be in awe of. And when he flawlessly executed some of the most difficult maneuvers without breaking a sweat, damn, that was just sexy as fuck.
After running through all the checks, I caught Panther’s eye and gave a nod, then we climbed up into the cockpits and prepared for takeoff. As Panther was the lead on today’s mission, he taxied out ahead of me. When he moved into position, I drew to a stop behind him and waited. Seconds later he was hurtling down the runway at a breakneck pace, and my stomach dropped and my heart lodged somewhere in the back of my throat.
Okay, that was new, this feeling of total exhilaration coupled with terror as the nose of Panther’s F-A/18A Hornet lifted and he shot up into the great blue expanse above. I guess that was how you felt when you watched the man you love strap himself into a machine that would blast him into the sky. Excited, because you knew what a rush it was to be sitting in that cockpit, and deathly ill because you also knew how damn dangerous this shit was.
With Panther safe and clear, it was my turn now, and while I’d been nervous watching him, I felt none of that for myself. Instead, my adrenaline began to hum in anticipation of the rush I knew I’d get from takeoff.
I waited for the all-clear then gunned the engines and shot down the runway like a bat out of hell. Fuck me, this feeling never got old. I went straight up into the sky, then locked on to Panther’s coordinates and set out to find him.
The plan for today’s hop was to shake things up a little. Instead of coming in hard and fast, we were going to execute things a little differently. We’d been up against Gucci and Whiplash before, and if I knew my buddy, he’d be expecting my usual kind of take-no-prisoners flying. But today we were playing by Panther’s rules, and that bastard was a stealthy one.
As I pulled into formation, with Panther in the lead, the ten feet separating us felt like next to nothing out here in the never-ending stretch of forever.
I looked over to see him give a quick wave of acknowledgement, and then through the speaker in my helmet he said, “I’ve got you on my six. You ready?” and it took everything I had to be on my best behavior.
“I’m in position and got you in sight. Ready when you are.”
Panther gave a thumbs-up and then pulled ahead, banking to the left, and as I executed a turn to keep in position, the roar of the slipstream made the Hornet’s wings flex and the body of the jet shudder. Panther punched it into gear, until we were clocking some serious Gs, and as we tore through the clouds dotting the afternoon sky, I scanned every inch of blue I could see.
Come out, come out, wherever you are,I thought, as I searched for signs of Gucci and Whiplash, and like the universe decided to hear my call, the sunlight caught on something off to my right.Ahh, there you are.
