Branded by Frost

by Aliyah Burke

  “Yes.”

  “No other questions?”

  “Are we flying or driving? When do we leave?”

  “Driving. I have a chopper for you up there and we leave as soon as you’re able to.”

  She pushed to her feet. “I’ll go grab my gear. Be right back.” She nodded once to Taggart before walking out of the door without a look back.

  He put his attention on the man left in the room with him. Taggart Force. The man had a grin on his face.

  “Not what you expected, is she?”

  “No. I was thinking this experienced person would be a bit older. More seasoned.”

  Taggart sat behind his desk. “Trust me, she was the first person to come to mind when your boss said you needed the best.”

  “How old is she?”

  Taggart waved off his question. “You’ve seen her stats. She’s what you need.”

  “It’s not easy up there, Taggart.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Stronger men have cracked.”

  “Sometimes I wonder if she hadn’t been born with wings then lost them at some point. She’s got this uncanny ability to read the currents, pick the best route—and she’s fearless.”

  He frowned. “We both know that being reckless isn’t what we need up there.”

  “I said fearless, not reckless. I wouldn’t have someone on my team who was.”

  He pictured her again. Slender and tiny. God, did she even have the strength to operate a bird? He had no wish to lose another.

  “I trust you, Taggart. But you have to admit, she’s not that big.”

  “Luckily for you, I’m not out there flapping my arms then to keep the bird in the air.”

  He pivoted on the seat. Shit, I didn’t even hear her come in. “I reckon so,” he said, holding her challenging stare.

  She hefted her sea bag. “I’m ready. Taggart, tell the others I said goodbye. I sent them a text, but still…”

  Taggart got to his feet and walked toward her. Dex didn’t appreciate the emotion streaking through him when the man hugged her with obvious affection. He rose and strode toward the duo.

  “We should be going.”

  She brushed her lips along the man’s cheek. “After you, boss.”

  Flashes of her writhing beneath him slammed hard into his mind’s eye. He grunted and walked to the door after shaking Taggart’s hand.

  She followed him to a Jeep Compass. He opened the hatch and she lobbed her bag and backpack in before heading to the passenger seat. She’d already buckled her belt as he climbed in.

  “So we have a short drive then are catching a flight.”

  “Okay.”

  He glanced askew at her. “Why didn’t you ask about pay?”

  She didn’t respond as he turned them around and put them on the road.

  “I’ve known Taggart for a while now,” she said. “I knew him when I was a Coastie Reserve. He knows what’s important to me and if he recommended me to you as being for hire, then the pay he would have told you is already a fee I am comfortable with.”

  “That’s right. You were in the Reserves.”

  “I was. Still help them out from time to time, so I guess technically I still am.”

  “Do you have any questions?” He shook his head in a failed attempt to keep his mind on work and not how she would look beneath him, rumpled and flushed from sex.

  “No. I reserve the right to change that, however, once we reach your outpost.”

  “You got it.”

  Silence reigned the rest of the way to the airport. Her attention grew sharper, a calculated gleam grew in her gaze while she leaned into the seatbelt strap as he turned in and headed toward the runway and the waiting plane.

  “Ohh, you have a DHC-4, a Caribou.”

  He slanted a look to her, impressed she knew what it was. “Yes, refurbished from Canada. We got it for cheap.”

  In the fading light of day she fairly glowed and he figured it was from excitement. They parked and she’d hopped out before he’d even shut off the engine.

  “Who’s the princess?”

  Dropping the keys in the airport worker’s hand, he said, “That, Emilio, is my new chopper pilot.”

  He whistled low. “How’d you get so lucky?”

  “You know her?”

  “I’ve seen her around. They’ve flown out of here before.”

  Frost spoke to the pilot, her hands waving around in animated gestures. He wasn’t sure what to do with his thought train. He shook his head as she smacked the man on the back and jogged easily up the long steps to the plane interior.

  “Catch you later, Emilio.”

  “Hey, Dex.”

  He turned back to his friend. “Yeah?”

  “I like her. Don’t hurt her.”

  “Strictly business, my man.”

  “Sure,” he said in a disbelieving tone. “Keep telling yourself that.”

  Chapter Two

  Aminta walked to the back of the transport. She tossed her bags on a seat then took a place beside them. Unsure of how long she had until Dex boarded, she reached out to her family.

  “Anyone heard from Roz?”

  “Not yet.” Lian passed along the message.

  “I’m heading for Alaska right now, so I’m sorry I won’t be able to help. Unless you need me then I will not go now and head home.”

  “Go, child. We will find her and bring her back.”

  “I love you all.”

  She closed off communications at the clanging of feet on steps. Opening her eyes in time to see him step into view, she used the distance to take more of him in. He reminds me of a jaguar—coiled and ready for anything.

  He vanished up to the cockpit briefly before spying her and striding back to join her. Unappreciative of her body’s reaction to him, she cleared her throat and sat up straighter when he sat near.

  “We have to refuel once before we reach our final destination.”

  His voice poured over her like warmed pure maple syrup. She licked her lips and shrugged. “Not a problem. I can catch some shuteye on the flight.” She held his gaze. “Unless you needed to talk to me about something.”

  “Sleep away. I have some more reading up to do.”

  She rubbed her hands over her eyes and yawned. “Can you tell me a bit more about why people are thinking the job is cursed?”

  “People are superstitious.”

  She turned her head toward him. “Yes but for them to believe a curse, there has to be something more. What aren’t you telling me?”

  They rumbled down the strip and took off. One of the good points to the Caribou was its STOL ability—short takeoff and landing.

  “The choppers go up, having cleared pre-flight checks. Usually on a more difficult rescue”—he sighed—“there are mechanical problems. None of it makes sense. So the locals are saying there’s a curse. Some of our members have quit, people who are stuck don’t necessarily want to be rescued by us because not all have been successes lately and they don’t want to die because of something tied to us.”

  “I don’t scare easily, Mr. Collins.”

  “Dex please, and good.”

  “Where am I staying?”

  His expression told her he had become uncomfortable. “Right now, with me.”

  She leaned toward him. “Really? Is this part of the job perks or just for me?”

  His smile was blinding. “The last pilot shared a place with me. I thought I was coming back with another man so no new arrangements have been made. We can fix it quickly though. It will be a few days, tops.”

  “I don’t care where I put my head, Dex. So long as I have some space to myself, I’ll be fine.”

  “You have your own room. We just share the rest of the small cabin.”

  Watching this man walk around nearly naked will be no hardship at all. “Works for me,” she said, praying she came across way more nonchalantly than she did in her head.

  “How long have you been flying?”

  She cl
osed her eyes again. “You read my file.”

  “No. I have it but I haven’t read it.”

  “You offered me the job without reading my file? Is that sound?”

  “I trust Taggart with my life. Are you saying you’re not worthy of his support?”

  “Hell no, I’m worth it. I earn every bit of good words that man says about me. I just didn’t realize you would have taken him at his word like that.”

  “I take it he hasn’t changed in how he treats those working for him. Stingy with the praise, easy with the corrections?”

  “You hit it.” She cracked her neck and sought a more comfortable position. “But, he’s a damn good boss. I don’t need someone showering me with how good I did every time I go up. If we’re successful, that’s all the praise I need. And if I do something wrong, I want him to rake my ass over the coals. It’s not like I can issue a refund if a mistake is made.”

  “Well said.”

  She watched him through slitted eyes, enjoying how easy he was to stare at. He escorted her to the land of slumber.

  Dex read while she slept—or he attempted to. His attention continued to drift to the woman across the aisle from him. Her file lay open on his lap. Top marks in everything she did, glowing letters of recommendation from both the Coast Guard and the USFS.

  The one stat sticking with him was the fact she was single. She wasn’t married. Why it mattered, he hadn’t a clue—but it did. He wanted her available for him.

  What the hell is wrong with me? I barely know her and my mind has her barefoot and pregnant. Well, maybe not barefoot, but damn…

  He studied her Asian features. Amerasian, if he were being specific. As they flew to Alaska, he found himself wishing he knew which of her parents had been Vietnamese and which had been black. How they’d met. Did she have siblings?

  Crap, I’m losing it. I think I need to get laid and quickly. Shoving a hand through his hair, he rose and strode to the front of the plane where he couldn’t cast mooneyes over the slumbering chopper pilot who went by the call name ‘Frost’ any longer.

  When they landed to refuel, she woke. He kept his distance, not that it mattered—she spent her time chatting with the pilot, creating more of those unpleasant, jealous emotions to flow through him. Dex ignored them. In his line of work he had no place for such behavior.

  Again airborne, he made his way back to her seat. Her pensive expression had him sitting across from her once more as opposed to taking a seat elsewhere.

  “Everything okay?”

  “No, but there’s nothing I can do about it from here.”

  “Meaning?”

  She shoved her phone in her pocket. “Something happened to one of my sisters and I’m waiting to find out how she’s doing.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Her smile, sad. “Me too. Like I said, nothing I can do from here. Do you happen to have a map of your area so I can begin to familiarize myself with the topography?”

  “Sure, let me get it for you.” He walked back to his bag and withdrew a map. Dex paused after his about face, for she had a hazy look around her. He blinked a few times and it was gone. Must have been my imagination. “Here you go,” he said, handing the map over once he returned.

  “Thanks.”

  He sat beside her this time and helped her hold the open map. Her expression—one of complete concentration—had him pleased she was with him.

  “Is there an area of your patrol zone that has more incidents than others?”

  “Right here,” he said, pointing to a small area in the mountains. “A lot of people come here to snowboard, ski, et cetera. The problem comes when the avalanches happen, the cold nights and the sudden snows.”

  “Okay.” She dropped her corner of the map and dug into her bag before pulling out a tablet.

  Dex couldn’t even begin to say how impressed he was with the information that popped up on her screen moments later. “What is this?” He leaned closer to her, inhaling the soft scent of white blossoms—sweet, sultry and musky—with a hint of woodsy amber undertones.

  “My own map. Has all the wind currents, updated in real time. I can do projected ones as well. Shows air temperatures and precip levels.”

  “Where did you get this?” he asked, reaching out to draw it nearer to him.

  “I know a guy.”

  He angled his head in her direction, putting them nose to nose. “You know a guy?”

  She flashed a grin. “Doesn’t it make me sound all mysterious?”

  “You have a sense of humor.”

  “I find it showing up more and more as of late, yes. I got this from one of the men I know. He’s a flippin’ computer genius. I told him what I needed and he created this for me.”

  “But how is it different from what most weather stations have?”

  “There are a few differences,” she said with a grin. “I can’t tell you all my secrets though.”

  “I like uncovering secrets.”

  She didn’t back away from his closeness. “So do I.”

  They banked to the right and she would have fallen against his lips had she not instinctively held herself in place. He wasn’t sure whether he was pleased with that.

  “Tell me more.”

  Her smile was enough to coat his cock in diamonds. “It can show me the best way through the currents, the straightest path and smoothest ride. It’s also possible to connect it to my shades, so I have it if I need it. Or, as with my chopper I had back there, it can be interfaced with the windshield.”

  “Why isn’t this out for everyone?” He gripped her wrist. “Do you know how many lives this could save?”

  “I’m testing it.” She canted her head to the side. “Who’d you lose?”

  How’d she know? “What makes you think I lost someone?”

  She didn’t comment, just held his gaze.

  He exhaled. “My sister.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “We were just children and had been out hiking in the snow. A path we were on gave way and we tumbled a few hundred feet before landing on a ledge. Night fell, along with the temperature. They didn’t find us until morning. We nearly froze to death. I tried to get them to take her up first because the ledge was shaky but she, being older, sent me first. I had just about made it back to the chopper when I looked over my shoulder and watched it drop away, taking her with it.”

  “That’s what put you in this line of work.” She squeezed his arm.

  “Yes.” He shook his head, trying to get rid of the memories he’d never been able to outrun. There was way more to the story but he had no wish to share it and was pleased she didn’t push to get the full details from him.

  Her attention returned to her tablet and he observed as she pursued the past year of air statistics. It took him a bit but he realized she was checking for patterns. Not of snow, like many did, but of the air currents.

  The final leg of their flight passed with them side-by-side looking at maps. She put things on her tablet, marked spots and did other things—he hadn’t any clue what, though he accepted there was a purpose for them. He was the one who left the chopper and went to hook up a victim. He left the flying to others and the more he watched her, the more he understood why Taggart had recommended her. And we’re not even in the air yet.

  * * * *

  “Here we are.”

  Aminta stood with one hand on the top of the SUV, staring over the one story cabin she would be calling home for a while. Up here, snow already covered the ground and the scent in the air promised more.

  To the left of the cabin was a large building and to the right were two more cabins. Places, she assumed, for the rest of the people.

  “Nice,” she said, slamming the door shut with her hip. They met at the back of the vehicle. She grabbed her bags while he took the ones full of groceries they’d stopped for on the way.

  He led the way to the cabin and pushed open the front door. She closed it behind her and took it all in. C
omfort came to mind as she gazed about—solid wood furniture, thick cushions, and a large area rug filled the living room.

  “So where am I sleeping?”

  His intense stare lingered on her for a moment. “Second door on the left, just down that hall.”

  She walked away. A double bed, a dresser and a chair were the only pieces of furniture in the room. A few framed pictures were on the wall but otherwise it was sparse.

  “Feel free to add what you need to make it feel homey.”

  His rich voice behind her had her inhaling sharply. She wanted to grab him and press their lips together. Not what I should be focusing on right now. “I have what I need in my bag. A rug would be nice, though.”

  “We have one of those. I’ll be right back.”

  She breathed easier once he vanished. Once she’d set her bags on the bed, she peered out of the window. Tall mountains stretched for the sky in the distance, covered in snow and reflecting the setting sun. Untamed beauty.

  “Here you are.”

  She maneuvered enough to observe him as he entered her room, a rolled rug under his arm. “Thanks.”

  He spread it out then backed to the door. “I’ll let you get settled. You’ll meet the rest of the team tonight.”

  “Great. I won’t be long.”

  The unexplained emotion in his eyes gave her pause as he drew the door shut on his retreat. She sank with a sigh to the bed, grateful at least to see the clean linens piled at the end.

  Opening her sea bag, she made short work of unpacking. With the dresser and closet full, she made her way to the other bag and withdrew the two pictures she carried around with her. One of her and Roz, then one of her with the family. She placed them on the dresser top and nodded. She was now set. That was what made a place home for her.

  She made the bed and thought about the man who’d come to hire her. The money didn’t bother her. She didn’t need any of that. Her reason for doing what she did was her love of it.

  “How are things? Did you find Roz?”

  “Nothing yet, Aminta. We’re still searching.”

  “You will keep me updated, right, Billy?”

  “Absolutely. Dracen and T are on a lead to locate her.”