"For what?" Captain Tanner "Bronco" Bennett shrugged, his massive chest filling the seat. An Air Force Academy graduate and football tight end, Bronco was a big, blond poster boy for American patriotism. Rumor had it pro ball teams routinely tried to recruit him. Apparently, Bronco preferred to duke it out on battlefields rather than ball fields.
Bronco had picked one hell of a battle to start today. Gray reached to pop his headset again.
The copilot ducked and draped it around his neck. He plastered on a prim air at odds with his bulk and not quite suppressed laugh. "Please, I'm trying to maintain checklist discipline."
Gray yanked the checklist from his hands and slammed it on the console. "You set me up."
A grin twitched along his close-shaven mug. "Set you up?"
"Don't mess with me today."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"You just forgot to mention her?"
"Her?"
Gray stepped forward.
Bronco raised his hands in surrender. "So Lori's on the flight. No big deal. You two are history. This shouldn't be a problem if she doesn't mean anything to you. Right?"
A chuckle sounded beside Gray. He pivoted toward the aircraft commander. Lance "Lancelot" Sinclair was stuffing cookies in his mouth, eyes twinkling as he chewed. Lance swallowed and held out a Ziploc bag full of chocolate chip cookies. "Want one? Julia made 'em fresh yesterday." He raffled the bag. "Good stuff, man."
The warm scent of chocolate wafted from the bag to fill the confined space. Just like the kitchen during one of Lori's cooking jags.
Gray suppressed the urge to tell pretty-boy Lancelot where to stuff his cookies.
Focus on one Judas at a time. Gray pinned Bronco with a glare. "What did you promise O'Connell to get her off this flight?"
"She's sick. Stomach flu. Probably puking her gorgeous guts out as we speak."
Gray almost bought it. Almost. Except he knew Bronco and O'Connell better than that. "What'd you guys promise her?" he pressed.
Bronco's gaze ping-ponged around the cockpit before he mumbled, "The Spain deployment."
"Geeez, Bronco!" Gray chewed on a number of curses swarming in his brain. He could have been sunning on the beach next week. What had he ever done to deserve this day?
Let Lori down.
The failure settled over him like a toxic fog fueling his anger. "Why didn't you just give O'Connell your car? Would have been less valuable. Damn it, I wanted that deployment. Instead I get—"
The copilot's eyes lost their humor. He jabbed a finger toward Gray. "You get to settle unfinished business and move on. We get the old Cutter back." His finger curled into a fist, and he slugged Gray on the arm. "We've missed you this year."
Bronco turning sentimental? That shut Gray up faster than any shouting match. The world had gone freaking nuts today. "What do you care? I'm transferring out at the end of the month, anyway. A few more weeks and I won't be your problem."
"That's not the point."
"There's nothing to settle. Just ask her."
"Why don't you?"
Gray braced a hand on the console and crowded Bronco. "And why don't you—"
"Problem, boys?"
Gray pushed away from the panel. Lt. Col. Zach Dawson hovered in the doorway. The squadron commander, the boss, he would be monitoring the mission as well as serving as the other relief pilot for the overseas flight. The last thing Gray wanted was his private life or lack of one, unrolled for the commander's viewing pleasure during the mission.
Nothing could ground a flyer faster than hints of instability in his home life. A military brat himself, he knew the mantra well. Don't air your dirty laundry in public, son.