High Risk (Point of No Return Book 1)

by Brenna Aubrey

A dark-haired man sitting near Dad leaned forward to interject. I pushed my glasses up my nose to get a closer look. It was Adam Drake, the video game designer whom Pari had been fawning over. He was the only one in the room who’d actually visited the station before as a private citizen a few years ago. My panicked mind reached out to him as a tiny ray of hope that perhaps he could turn this around. He’d been a passionate advocate for this program for months, and he was the type of businessman my dad respected—a self-made man.

  “I’ve read that some of those flat-earth nutjobs can get mean as hell and, in some cases, violent. And besides, Ty’s in good company. Buzz Aldrin also got into an altercation with a flat-earther after being called a filthy liar and a fake. They hounded Neil Armstrong about the Moon landing for years before he died, too. They can be awful when they’re pushing their agenda. I can’t think of better company for Commander Tyler to be in.”

  Dad tilted his head, acknowledging Mr. Drake’s contribution before turning to give Ty the once-over. “But don’t astronauts learn in training not to lose their cool? And what about your Navy training before that? An officer. A graduate of the Naval Academy?”

  During this diatribe, Ty had straightened, dropping his arms to his sides as if coming to attention under the rebuke of his commanding officer.

  “Mr. Barrett—”

  “We both know where this is going, Commander,” Dad said. “I’m going to question you. You’re going to stumble over real news items reported about you in respected media outlets—”

  “Not to be confused with all the lies spread or exaggerated in the tabloids.” One fist closed at Tyler’s side to punctuate his reply.

  Dad nodded, his mouth crinkled, considering. “In addition to that video of you punching that guy, there are reports of partying and trashing hotel suites. Different women every week—every public appearance. A real playboy cashing in on his heroic image to score. Are they truly lies, or is the train wreck of the truth more interesting?”

  Oh crappity crap. This was not good. Not good at all. I scanned the room. A few heads were nodding, hanging on Dad’s every word. He had that effect on people.

  Any more of this and he’d have even the most diehard space nerds in here pulling out of this. I caught Victoria’s eye and glanced meaningfully at Ty’s back. She clenched her jaw and shook her head tightly.

  I stepped forward, wobbling a little like I was about to walk into a war zone. It was no-man’s-land with Dad in one trench and Ty in the other, each wrapped up inside barbed wire and staring across at the enemy.

  “I’m going to intervene and suggest we steer this discussion in a more…productive direction,” I said at almost the same time that Ty opened his mouth to—doubtless hotly—contend with Dad. He jerked his head in my direction, animosity shooting like bullets out of his eyes.

  I turned to Dad. “Obviously, you have some objections. I’m sure the PR issues will be addressed. Victoria is very good at her job.”

  Victoria spoke up. “Yes, we have an entire campaign prepared—”

  But Dad hadn’t even turned to look at her. He was still focused on me. “What do you think, then? Honest opinion. If it were up to you, would you make Commander Tyler the face of XPAC?”

  I froze. Oh shit—and other swear words I was too panicked to think of. Every eye in the room focused on me—Dad, Tolan, Victoria, Adam Drake, all the others. And Ty himself. I shot him a sidelong glance. “Uh, I’m more than willing to answer that question…in private.”

  Tyler’s jaw dropped. Apparently, even the slightest hint of doubt in him was not acceptable. He stiffened, folding his arms over his chest. “Anything you’ve got to say about me, feel free to say it right here and now. I can take it. But your professional opinion is hardly worthwhile since we just met.”

  I blinked, irked by that reminder that he still thought of me as a nobody unworthy of remembering. “We didn’t just meet, Commander Tyler, but okay. Duly noted.”

  I cleared my throat, noting out the corner of my eye how Tolan was biting his bottom lip, staring at me stone-faced. I turned back to the people facing us. Dad leaned forward, putting his chin in his hand and focusing on me. The best way to deal with him was with direct honesty. Dad did not suffer fools and bullshit gladly. That was actually his motto.

  After a prolonged pause, I continued, “I don’t think that placing Commander Tyler as the face of our program was the wisest choice. I would have preferred we go with Noah Sutton. He is much less controversial. But it wasn’t my call. It was Tolan’s and the team leaders. But I’m sure they have very good reasons for choosing as they have.”

  The rest of the room was absolutely silent, and I could feel the hostility oozing off of Tyler a meter away. But everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for what Dad would say next.

  “Noah would be excellent,” Tolan said before Dad could reply. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “But he doesn’t have the same public draw that Commander Tyler has.”

  I nodded. “True. Like I said, you had good reasons, and I was giving my honest opinion. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t proceed with Commander Tyler. He’d be much less risk under certain conditions.”

  “What sort of conditions, kiddo?” Dad interjected, and I tried hard not to show my irritation at him by clenching my teeth. I did not need the added heat of him revealing our relationship to the room. “He seems like a man out of control to me.”

  I flicked a glance at Tyler, who now appeared even more pissed off at me than he had at my dad. Oh well. No danger of him forgetting who I was now. “He’s not out of control. He does have issues. But he’s been through a lot in the last year. He’s not superhuman. Anyone would be affected by the things he’s been through.”

  “Wait a minute—” Tyler started, but he cut himself off when Victoria reached out and touched his arm.

  “Are you diagnosing a temporary psychosis?” Dad asked, a smile teasing his lips.

  “You know I can’t diagnose yet. If Tolan thinks Commander Tyler is a good face for the program, then I trust him. While the commander might not be ideal—not with everything being said about him in the press—there are things that can be capitalized upon. I do think he needs a tighter leash. For his own sake and for that of this program.”

  “The narrative about him in the press can be changed too. That all plays into the plans I have,” Victoria said in a slightly fainter voice as people focused on us, rapt, as if watching a Greek drama unfold onstage before them.

  Dad leaned back, eyebrows climbing his forehead. He turned to Tyler, who was now steaming mad, staring daggers at me. I avoided his gaze as much as possible, trying to ignore my own racing heart and the definite onset of that migraine I’d felt coming on earlier.

  “So how do you control what’s being said?” Dad asked with another vicious once-over of Ty. “Even if he does get his act together, hasn’t the damage already been done?”

  Tolan leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees to address Dad in that sincere voice he used for nearly every human interaction. “Mr. Barrett, we are doing all we can to repair Commander Tyler’s image over the summer before the test flight. I’ll let Victoria explain.”

  “We change the narrative.” Victoria picked up smoothly from where Tolan served her the pitch. “Give Commander Tyler’s life the appearance of stability by crafting a perfect relationship for the cameras. They do it in Hollywood all the time. Like Kara Jean and Jimmy Kane, for example.”

  “What? I thought they were for real,” said one of the potential investors, a prominent real estate magnate and friend of Tolan’s. He was sitting behind my dad. After a cough and a couple of smiles and snickers, he heaved a big sigh. “Karimmy forever.”

  Victoria smiled as if suppressing laughter. “That brief relationship skyrocketed them both. They ended up coming out of that ‘breakup’ with a new recording contract for her and a three-movie deal for him. People adore love stories. The public fell in love and was rooting for them. We
could do the same for Ty. Nothing changes the narrative more effectively than an irresistible and glamorous love story. Especially one involving a reformed bad boy.”

  Tyler blinked, staring at Victoria as if wondering if he’d heard her right. I almost laughed at the obvious shock written on his face. Could the thought of being tied down to one woman for a few months be unfathomable? Could it be worse than all the unpleasant things he had to do while training to become a Navy SEAL and then an astronaut?

  He certainly seemed to be reacting as if capture and torture behind enemy lines would be a preferable fate.

  And who knew, maybe for Tyler it was preferable.

  “So, the question is…assuming Commander Tyler is on board—” Victoria turned to speak to the room. “Who would we cast to be Commander Tyler’s girlfriend and love of his life?”

  1-2-3-Not it, was my first thought before chomping down on my tongue and wincing. The next moment was swallowed up in a startled laugh when I saw the expression on Tyler’s face in reaction to Victoria.

  He looked like he simultaneously couldn’t believe what had come out of her mouth and he wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and throttle her.

  The room practically rang with the unanswered question—did Tyler want this bad enough to go through with it?

  Chapter 4

  Ryan

  Well, well. Looked like I’d just been thrown under the bus.

  I fought my instinct to interrupt as Victoria droned on. All I could hear was a distant incoherent mumbling—like all the adults did on the Peanuts cartoons. “Wah wah, wah waaah wah waaaaaah.”

  Instead, I watched Conrad Barrett listen intently to Victoria’s crazy plan. “Photo opportunities at charity events. Concert attendance. Accompanying her on the red carpet. Back in March, I arranged for Commander Tyler to take Keely Dawson to the Academy Awards right after the announcement about the opening of the XPAC to give us visibility. She’s becoming very popular in the media, and I think she’d be perfect for this. Since they appeared together two months ago, it wouldn’t seem so sudden. And I’m friends with her publicist.”

  The others were nodding. There were some smiles. Even Adam Drake seemed to be listening intently and muttering that it was a “viable solution” to the “PR dilemma.”

  I clenched my jaw so hard it might have shattered, a thread of a heartbeat throbbing at my temple. How on earth could I have lost control of the meeting so quickly?

  It felt like they were talking about someone else’s life.

  As if they were planning to showcase someone else—serve them up as chum to the sharks of today’s media, both professional and amateur. I might even have had the wherewithal to laugh at the poor schmuck they were discussing.

  But I was the schmuck. And I was not amused.

  Miss Gray the Uptight was asking questions of Victoria. “Would a summer romance suffice? It’s already May.”

  I stiffened, interrupting Victoria’s answer. “I have training, obligations—”

  “We can work around your schedule, Commander,” Victoria said.

  My face flushed hot. “And how—”

  “Commander do you want to fly again or do you not?” Conrad Barrett’s nasal Midwestern twang cut through the crap conversation. “Because I will invest—if there’s a sound plan. And it sounds like one is forming, provided you go along with it. Perhaps all this would help you get your life straightened out.”

  What the—was he fucking serious?

  My life wasn’t so fucked up—okay, there were issues. But damn it, I wasn’t giving up control of my life to some damn committee for the sake of money and a PR stunt.

  Except his question kept ringing in my ears. Do you want to fly again or do you not? That was the million-dollar—in this case, multimillion-dollar—question.

  And the answer was yes. Hell yes, I did. And apparently, a lifetime of study, honed skills, and expert training wouldn’t be a high enough price to pay.

  “Listen, Barrett—” I stepped forward, pointing a stiff index finger in his direction.

  “Thanks for your honesty, Mr. Barrett.” Adam Drake rode over me, leaning forward to catch Barrett’s eye, and they nodded to each other. “I think it sounds like a good plan too. I know when I was getting my company off the ground, funding was everything. It’s a huge step for XVenture to go from being a solid rocket supplier and contractor to becoming a competitive force in manned space exploration.”

  Adam turned his head to catch my gaze as he continued talking, seemed to be communicating something unspoken—to me, most likely. I didn’t need the reminder, but apparently, he thought I did.

  Et tu, Drake? Damn it. They were all falling into line behind Conrad Barrett like soldiers—or drones. Figured. My uncle used to follow his stock tips and financial advice like it was Biblical scripture carved into the stone of Mount Sinai. No one represented the salt-of-the-earth capitalistic American dream like Conrad Barrett.

  “A history-making step,” Adam added.

  I took a breath and expelled it, stopping the outburst I’d been about to make. I was only strengthening Barrett’s objection by refusing to contain my emotions, anyway.

  I am a leaf on the wind. That shit was going to have to be my new mantra. Not that I’d had an old one.

  What even was a mantra? This is bullshit—now that was a mantra.

  I cleared my throat, willed my voice to speak in an even tone. “I’ve sacrificed a lot in service to the government and my fellow Americans. I’ve sacrificed a lot to fly in space, but—”

  Fifty Shades of—Annoying—Gray spoke up. “Looks like you’re going to have to sacrifice a little of your time this summer to have a beautiful actress on your arm and pose for kissing pictures, Commander. It’s a hard life.” The room dissolved into soft laughter. I turned back to study her, back rigid, arms folded over her chest. Without her baseball cap on, her hair was in disarray.

  It wasn’t unattractive, but still, she was the mirror opposite of the impeccably put-together Victoria, who stood at her shoulder nodding. If I weren’t so annoyed at the words she was speaking, I’d be impressed she had the backbone to stand up and interrupt me in the first place. Who was this girl anyway?

  She’d appeared out of nowhere and was now giving professional-sounding opinions on whether or not I should head the new private astronaut corps. And to make it worse, providing ideas bound to change my life in the most uncomfortable of ways.

  More resentment burned, but I swallowed it. Keeping my cool at the moment was paramount. I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.

  “So assuming you can get her, you’d choreograph this cute little romance with Keely Dawson.” Barrett shifted in his chair and focused on the young woman to whom he was giving entirely too much credence. “But Gray, you did say that certain conditions should be laid down. I assume you meant restrictions? So would this actress be able to get him to toe the line?” Barrett’s eyes traveled from my head to my feet as if inspecting a defective used car someone was trying to dump on him. I’d never wanted to punch a guy as hard as him, except maybe that flat-earth fucker from last month.

  But Barrett was a close second.

  Nevertheless, he had an epic ton of money we desperately needed. And I desperately needed to fly again. And with NASA having stabbed me in the back, this was my only hope. My promise to Xander was never far from my thoughts. Ever.

  I’d be a fool not to jump through Barrett’s stupid-ass hoops. But on top of the hoops, I now needed a police officer?

  “No, I don’t think any actress we could employ would agree to enforce any type of restrictions.” Victoria shook her head and laid a scarlet fingernail against her matching lip. Attagirl, Victoria. That was the answer I needed. “Usually in a staged relationship such as this, the couple is brought together for high-profile events and photo ops. Or we arrange quiet little getaways and tip off the press to show up for a more candid experience.”

  Barrett looked less than impressed. “But what ha
ppens if we get all this in place, I plunk down money, and he screws the pooch by going out on a drinking binge and causes more problems?”

  “So you’re proposing what, a damn babysitter?” I laughed and then stopped when I realized I was the only one laughing.

  “That’s exactly what I’m proposing,” Barrett said, pointing a finger at me. “I think Gray would do a good job at it, actually.” He turned to Miss Perfectly Uptight, who looked as shocked as I had been at the beginning of this conversation.

  “That’s not—” she choked out.

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Victoria chimed in, and I mentally yanked back that attagirl I’d given her. “If I choreograph everything, use my connections to put the plans in place, you could be my boots on the ground, help manage the details,” Victoria said. “Since I’ve also got the PR campaign to launch, you could travel with him, assist him with his obligations and publicity opportunities with the actress. Things like that.”

  Gray’s eyes widened, and she shook her head, cramming her hands into her pockets, her shoulders hunched. I almost laughed, and were I not so annoyed, I would have said something to her. Talk about throwing out a boomerang and then being shocked when it spun around to dig into your own back. Fifty Shades of Cornered—by her own doing.

  Her face flushed. “I’ve got work to do here.”

  “This is more important. If you can make this work, we all benefit,” Tolan Reeves spoke up. Shit. If he was on board with this, then I was well and truly fucked.

  It was either parade around and smile with this actress, playing the part of the smitten man in love, or never fly again. Because NASA had made it clear—even before they’d let me go—that I’d never fly with them again.

  And I had to go up again. I’d promised Xander. My last words to him, in fact, when he’d begged me to promise him. I wouldn’t let the accident end our dreams. I’d fly again, in his honor. I didn’t go back on my promises—and most especially not that one. That promise to a man whom I’d never again see in this life.