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Page 27

by M. L. Buchman


  He scooped her against him, rested his cheek atop her hair, and held her tight.

  Taz snuggled in close. “This had better work, Jeremy, or I’m going to be super pissed.”

  “The crash investigation? Why wouldn’t it?”

  “No, you doofus. Us.”

  “As long as I get to hold you tight, nothing else matters. No way could I do this without you.”

  Taz sniffled. “Aw shit, Jeremy. You know you shouldn’t say stuff like that to me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if you keep doing it, I might start believing it.”

  “Good.” He smiled as he kissed the top of her head.

  She held him just a moment longer, then poked him hard enough in his ticklish spot to hurt. She broke free and grabbed her pack.

  He fished out his own.

  “Come on, lazybones. There’s a crash, get a move on.” And his personal whirlwind was out the door before he had even taken a breath.

  For the twenty-third time today, Miranda turned and discovered that Jeremy wasn’t there.

  In utter dismay, she inspected the sprawl of the shattered KC-46 Pegasus air tanker spread down the main runway at Elmendorf Air Force Base. It was a Boeing 767 modified into a flying fuel truck—except this one had become a fuel bomb.

  “How am I supposed to do this?”

  “Come on, Miranda, you’re the best there is. You’ve done more crash investigations than anyone in the entire history of the NTSB.” Andi Wu held a fistful of small orange flags on wires for staking out the perimeter of the debris field.

  “No, Terence has done more than—”

  “Not according to him.”

  Miranda sat on the airplane tire that had rolled nine hundred and fourteen meters past the next nearest piece of debris. Andi had laughed that cheery laugh of hers when Miranda had insisted that it be properly staked. Usually her laugh made Miranda feel better, but not today. Andi had done the staking, Jeremy’s usual task, without complaint but her laugh reminded Miranda of his excitement about every aspect of a new crash.

  Only they weren’t here. Jeremy and Taz had climbed into their truck, headed east, and were gone.

  For two years she could just turn and there he’d be for whatever she needed.

  Andi slipped a hand around her waist. “You know it was time for him to fly on his own.”

  “Knowing that and liking that are proving to be quite disparate thoughts in my head.”

  “You still have Mike, Holly, and me.”

  “I do.” That cheered her up some.

  “And the new guy should be here in an hour or so.”

  Miranda shuddered. New. Such an awful word. In these last months, her autism seemed to be becoming more reactive, squeezing in harder and harder like a cherry tomato that was going to burst and spray out everywhere with no warning. She hated cherry tomatoes for that reason—didn’t even like removing them from her salad when a restaurant included them against her instructions.

  Even finding a good metaphor wasn’t cheering her up. Everything that was supposed to be getting easier seemed to be getting harder.

  Although, perhaps Andi was right as usual.

  “Last year you were new.”

  “Last year I was a goddamn train wreck,” Andi groaned in that way of hers that said she was half joking. Miranda still didn’t always get why, but it was a good measure of Andi’s generally positive mood.

  “But now you’re a good thing.”

  In answer, Andi kissed her on the ear, then whispered so close that it tickled, “Let’s go solve a plane wreck.”

  “Good idea.”

  They headed back along the runway to where Mike and Holly were already photographing the debris field itself.

  Miranda turned to see if Jeremy was following…and sighed.

  Twenty-four times today.

  * * *

  Coming in 2022

  About the Author

  USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. “Matt” Buchman started writing on a flight from Japan to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Just part of a solo around-the-world trip that ultimately launched his writing career.

  From the very beginning, his powerful female heroines insisted on putting character first, then a great adventure. He’s since written over 70 action-adventure thrillers and military romantic suspense novels. And just for the fun of it: 100 short stories, and a fast-growing pile of read-by-author audiobooks.

  Booklist says: “3X Top 10 of the Year.” PW says: “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” His fans say: “I want more now…of everything.” That his characters are even more insistent than his fans is a hoot.

  As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, and solo-sailed a 50’ ketch, he is awed by what is possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

  Also by M. L. Buchman

  * also in audio

  Thrillers

  Dead Chef

  One Chef!

  Two Chef!

  Miranda Chase NTSB

  Drone*

  Thunderbolt*

  Condor*

  Ghostrider*

  Raider*

  Chinook*

  Havoc*

  White Top*

  Romantic Suspense

  Delta Force

  Target Engaged*

  Heart Strike*

  Wild Justice*

  Midnight Trust*

  Firehawks

  Main Flight

  Pure Heat

  Full Blaze

  Hot Point*

  Flash of Fire*

  Wild Fire

  Smokejumpers

  Wildfire at Dawn

  Wildfire at Larch Creek

  Wildfire on the Skagit

  The Night Stalkers

  Main Flight

  The Night Is Mine

  I Own the Dawn

  Wait Until Dark

  Take Over at Midnight

  Light Up the Night

  Bring On the Dusk

  By Break of Day

  and the Navy

  Christmas at Steel Beach

  Christmas at Peleliu Cove

  White House Holiday

  Daniel’s Christmas*

  Frank’s Independence Day*

  Peter’s Christmas*

  Zachary’s Christmas*

  Roy’s Independence Day*

  Damien’s Christmas*

  5E

  Target of the Heart

  Target Lock on Love

  Target of Mine

  Target of One’s Own

  Shadow Force: Psi

  At the Slightest Sound*

  At the Quietest Word*

  At the Merest Glance*

  At the Clearest Sensation*

  White House Protection Force

  Off the Leash*

  On Your Mark*

  In the Weeds*

  Contemporary Romance

  Eagle Cove

  Return to Eagle Cove

  Recipe for Eagle Cove

  Longing for Eagle Cove

  Keepsake for Eagle Cove

  Henderson’s Ranch

  Nathan’s Big Sky*

  Big Sky, Loyal Heart*

  Love Abroad B&B

  Heart of the Cotswolds: England

  Path of Love: Cinque Terre, Italy

  Where Dreams

  Where Dreams are Born

  Where Dreams Reside

  Where Dreams Are of Christmas*

  Where Dreams Unfold

  Where Dreams Are Written

  Science Fiction / Fantasy

  Deities Anonymous

  Cookbook from Hell: Reheated

  Saviors 101

  SF/F Titles

  The Nara Reaction

  Monk’s Maze

  The Me and Elsie Chronicles

  Non-Fiction

  Strategies for Success

  Managing Your Inner Artist / Writer

&n
bsp; Estate Planning for Authors*

  Character Voice

  * * *

  Don’t miss a thing! Get a free collection!

  www.mlbuchman.com

  Copyright 2021 Matthew Lieber Buchman

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author.

  Receive a free book and discover more by this author at: www.mlbuchman.com

  Cover images:

  Sikorsky VH92A lands at the White House © Naval Air Systems Command

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