“You’ll be working exclusively for Gage.”
Trent’s statement had her head whipping his way as the meaning of his bombshell sank in. “You’re taking me off rotation?”
“I’m giving you a special assignment.”
The bully was farming her out to someone else, and there wasn’t one thing she could say about it in front of the client, unless she wanted to get fired for insubordination. She refused to mouth off and give Trent the satisfaction of an easy way out.
Gritting her teeth, she fought her seething anger. Being cut from the schedule was like being sent to her room or put in time out. And damn it, she hadn’t done anything wrong to earn such shoddy treatment. Working for only one client would limit her hours and her pay. Her mother would never allow—
No. She wouldn’t go to her mother. Their relationship was too new, too tentative and too volatile for Lauren to ask Jacqui to choose sides between her oldest son and her youngest daughter, and Lauren couldn’t afford to alienate her mother yet. This turf war was between her and Trent, and Lauren refused to let him win.
Tightening her grip on her helmet strap rather than around her half brother’s thick neck as she’d prefer, she stared him down. “I’ll be the pilot-in-command instead of first officer?”
Her idiot brother had limited her to flying as first officer instead of the pilot-in-command. She hadn’t flown in the copilot seat in years, and the pilots he’d made her fly with often had fewer qualifications than she did. But she’d accepted the entry-level position while she earned her certifications in the models and equipment new to her. She could endure any indignity as long as it benefited her in the end—even playing nice with her mother.
Trent tossed his pen onto his blotter. “None of the aircraft Gage has requested require a copilot.”
He threw her a sweet bone of concession to offset the bitter deal he was forcing down her throat. “None of your other HAMC pilots is assigned a one-on-one job.”
“My other pilots don’t have your…varied experience.” He made the comment sound like an insult instead of the compliment it would have been coming from any other employer.
Don’t let him rattle you. You know that’s what he wants. “How long is the assignment?”
“For as long as Gage needs you. Becky has your immediate schedule and plane assignments.” Trent rose and indicated the door, dismissing her.
She’d learned early on that arguing with Trent was a waste of time. Eager to escape the blockhead’s presence as well as see what and where she’d be flying, Lauren sprang to her feet. The upside was HAMC had some sweet planes that her brother had yet to let her touch. Maybe she’d get behind the controls of a few.
Faulkner unfolded his long body beside her, making her aware of his height and the smooth, athletic way he moved. He towered over her as he offered his hand. “I look forward to flying with you, Lauren.”
His chilly tone belied his words and made her wonder if Trent had poisoned yet another mind against her. She reluctantly put her hand in his. That same breath-stealing surge shot through her again, and something flickered in his eyes, making her wonder if he felt it, too—whatever it was. Didn’t matter. That wasn’t a trip she’d be taking.
“I’ll do my best to deliver smooth, punctual flights.” Ripping her hand free, she spun on her heel and hustled her boots out of the throne room. Killjoy Trent shadowed her to The Sphinx’s desk.
“Lauren, Gage is a close personal friend.” He pitched his voice low enough not to carry back through the open door of his office. “Don’t blow this or you’re out of a job.”
Ah. The catch. She rocked back on her heels. Trent had assigned her to work for a spy—one who would help him find grounds to get rid of her.
Wasn’t that a show of brotherly love? She bit back the urge to tell him to kiss her butt. But she’d deal with Trent’s tricks until she got what she needed. Then she’d tell him what he could do with his big head and bad attitude.
“Piece of cake, big brother. I’ll treat your buddy like precious cargo.”
The obvious grinding of his teeth when she called him brother nearly made her laugh out loud. Score one for baby sister. But she knew better than to let down her guard. This battle was far from over.
Angel or badass?
Gage’s gaze tracked Lauren Lynch out of the room. The woman was a walking contradiction with her big teal eyes, flawless honey complexion and the black leather biker gear hugging her lean curves.
The bone-jarring effect of her touch had been an unwelcome surprise. Even if she weren’t Trent’s sister, she was too young for him, and he had no time or inclination for complications—not when he was this close to reaching his goal of having Faulkner Consulting be the best in the industry and having six million in secure investments.
“Your announcement was a bit premature,” Gage said the moment Trent closed the office door. “You haven’t convinced me to fly with Hightower Aviation yet.”
“I will.”
Maybe. Maybe not. But he’d give Trent a chance to state his case. He owed him that much. “Lauren gives you a hard time.”
“But she’s smart enough to keep from crossing the line and giving me grounds to fire her. She has my mother wrapped around her little finger.”
“Are you sure? Jacqueline’s pretty sharp. You have to give her credit for keeping Hightower Aviation from going under after her father died and yours dropped the ball. She even managed to take HAMC international by convincing her jet-setting friends to employ your services on their pleasure jaunts.”
Trent sat behind his desk. “Mom’s been hoodwinked this time.”
“How does this involve me? Your message said you needed my help, but you left out the details.”
“Eighteen months ago Mom flew to Daytona. Shortly thereafter she began making large cash withdrawals of between twenty and thirty thousand on a regular basis. She’s returned to Daytona bimonthly since then.”
“Is it company money?” Embezzlement would be bad news.
“No, it’s my mother’s personal funds, but her accountant called me with a heads-up. I ordered him to alert me to any unusual transactions. Remember my father’s stunt? And yours?”
Gage’s gut tightened. “I remember.”
He might have only been ten when his father overextended himself, borrowing against his business and their home until he’d lost everything, but living in the family car for six months wasn’t something Gage would ever forget. Trent was the only one Gage had ever trusted with those details.
“Why would Jacqueline suddenly go off the deep end now?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. If Mom’s judgment is faulty or if she’s getting senile, then I need to get her off the board of directors before she does serious damage.”
“You’re going to need more than speculation to unseat her.”
Trent glanced at the papers on his desk. “Mom’s spending and visits to Daytona escalated a few months before Lauren moved to Knoxville. Lauren is from Daytona. My guess is she discovered her birth mother had deep pockets and decided to cozy up and dip her hands into them.”
“Lauren doesn’t look like a con artist.”
“Don’t let those big blue eyes and her innocent girl-next-door look fool you. If I didn’t have good reason to suspect she’s tapped my mother’s financial vein, I wouldn’t have called you.”
Trent, like Gage, wasn’t the type to ask for help. That his friend had called meant he was desperate. “If your mother is channeling money to your baby sister—”
“Half sister,” Trent corrected. “And the only reason I believe that is because I had a DNA test done during her employment screening process.”
“Is that legal and does Lauren know?”
“I doubt she knows, but she signed a waiver allowing us to test for whatever we wanted when she took the job. I tested for everything.”
“She came up clean?”
“Unfortunately. Ditching her would have been much easier if her drug tests or background check had revealed even a hint of something questionable. Hell, even her credit history is clear.”
Trent really had it in for the girl, but he’d never been the type to overreact or jump to conclusions. Because of his family’s wealth Trent had always been a target for gold diggers, and his radar for them was unmatched. He must have good cause for his suspicions about Lauren.
“You’ve asked your mother about the cash?”
Trent nodded. “And she locked up tighter than Fort Knox. If she has nothing to hide, then why keep secrets?”
“I hear you.” But Gage lived by the opposite theory. He didn’t believe in revealing anything unless required. “What about Lauren? Did you ask her why she relocated?”
“Lauren gave me some bullshit about her father wanting her to meet her Hightower siblings as a reason for her move to Knoxville, and she claims she knows nothing about the money.”
“Why wouldn’t your mother have given Lauren money sooner? Why wait twenty-five years?”
“Maybe Mom didn’t know where Lauren was or she could have been giving her smaller amounts over the years that didn’t catch the accountant’s notice. But we never heard a whisper about Mom’s little mistake until she showed up on our doorstep, pilot credentials in hand and expecting to waltz into a job. Do you know how selective Hightower Aviation is in hiring?”
“Lauren doesn’t meet your standards?”
Trent’s scowl deepened. “Other than her lack of a college degree, she exceeds them. But, Gage, she’s too damned young to have the résumé she’s claiming. I just haven’t been able to prove she’s lying. Hell, I’ve checked and rechecked her credentials and put her through a battery of physical and mental testing, looking for any reason to reject her. I even forced her to sit through hours of training in a flight simulator before allowing her in a real cockpit. But the little smart-ass aced all the tests and refused to quit.”
That earned her a dose of grudging respect. “Maybe she’s simply a good pilot.”
“Nobody’s that good at that age.”
“You were.”
Trent’s entire body tensed and Gage regretted his words. Trent had practically been raised in a cockpit. He’d been eager to join the Air Force as a pilot after college, but his father had nearly destroyed HAMC by incurring gambling debts that had jeopardized the company. Trent had been forced to abandon his military career plans to clean up his father’s mess. By the time he’d dug HAMC out of the negative spiral Trent’s dream had been supplanted by the necessity of remaining CEO of HAMC.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“Forget it. It was a long time ago. I’m over it.” Trent cleared his throat. “Here’s what I know. My mother hid her pregnancy then gave Lauren up for adoption to her natural father rather than tell my father she’d gotten knocked up by one of her lovers.”