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Chapter One
The turquoise watersof Resurrection Bay stretched out before Bjørn Rebel as he flew toward the mountains. The stick of his new AW139 helicopter he’d affectionately named Annie hummed beneath his hands as he scanned the console and eased his pretty girl along the coast to where the sea lions lounged. An eagle swooped down to its nest and stood regally on the edge, watching their approach. Bjørn adjusted his speed and turned to the couple behind him.
“If you look out the right, we’re about to pass our nation’s mascot.” Bjørn couldn’t contain his joy as it stretched across his face. “This bald eagle is guarding its nest. We could even catch a glimpse of any hatchlings that might be in there.”
Could he really be in Seward, Alaska, taking his first customers on a wildlife tour? In what little downtime the army gave him as a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment—otherwise known as Night Stalkers—he’d planned, made lists, sketched logos, and rewrote taglines. He’d filled notebooks full of ideas and budgets for so many years, he had wondered if it would ever actually happen.
He pulled back on the cyclic some more. The chopper responded like it was an extension of himself. Excitement burst like sunshine in his chest, and he chuckled low.
He’d have to thank his brother-in-law, Marshall Rand, for providing such a sweet replacement for the helicopter the terrorists blew up while trying to capture Marshall and his son, Carter. A piece of Bjørn’s heart had exploded when he watched his first bird burst into a fiery ball of flames. Sure, insurance had covered the damage, but Bjørn had searched for over a year for the perfect chopper within his price range. Now, because of Marshall’s generosity, the money from the insurance claim, and what he’d saved while in the military, Bjørn had the best helicopter on the market and enough money to float him for several years while he built up his business.
He hovered at the perfect location for the couple to view the eagle and the nest and keep enough distance not to disturb the animal. The majestic bird just ruffled its feathers and shifted its stance, turning its head away like a huge, metal beast wasn’t something it needed to worry about. Another eagle flapped up from the ocean with a silver fish in its talons, and the woman in the backseat gasped.
“Henry, look!” Her enthusiastic tone turned Bjørn’s head to watch their amazement.
He loved that about witnessing people experiencing things for the first time. Their excitement made all the planning and stress worth it and helped him see situations from a new angle. Would he ever tire of it, eventually seeing the beauty Alaska offered as just another day at work? He hoped not.
“Oh, eagle babies!” The woman shrieked, shaking Henry’s arm, and Bjørn checked out the windshield to hide his laughter.
“Yeah. Cool.” Henry’s lack of enthusiasm needled under Bjørn’s skin. “Christy, I thought you said this was an adventure tour.”
Bjørn clenched his teeth as he pushed on the sticks to get them moving again, glancing in the mirror that showed the passenger area. Nothing irked him more than ungrateful people. They hadn’t even flown a mile from Seward, and the dude was already complaining.
This might be where Bjørn’s downfall would come. For the last ten years, he’d flown soldiers into dangerous missions that would curl most people’s toes. He’d transported more fallen heroes back to base than he cared to think about. Listening to pampered tourists complain when they didn’t have a clue what real suffering was like might just test Bjørn’s patience to the limit.
“Knock it off, Henry. Just because I didn’t want to fish again doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk.” Christy’s spunk had Bjørn wanting to pump his fist in the air. “Besides, you kept complaining about the choppy waters. I figured a change in pace would be nice.”
“It’s that stupid boat captain’s fault for taking us to the roughest spot in the entire bay,” Henry whined like a two-year-old.
So, the dude was one of those people who blamed everything on everyone else. Bjørn couldn’t stand people like that. His parents had drilled into him and his six siblings that a person who took responsibility for their actions and shortcomings was a person others could trust.
“Why did I bring you on my dream trip again? I’m having a hard time remembering.” Christy’s comment made Bjørn’s gut twist. She didn’t deserve to be treated like this on her vacation.
“Because you wanted to stick it to good ol’ Pops.” Henry’s sneer tempted Bjørn to turn in the seat and slam his fist in the jerk’s face.
“So, you two have weak stomachs?” Bjørn glanced over his shoulder, not really worried since Annie flew smooth like butter, but more to stop the unhappy couple before a fight broke out.
“Man, there’s nothing weak in me.” Henry puffed up his chest like a challenged ape.
Christy rolled her eyes, looked at Bjørn, pointed her finger at her boyfriend, and mouthed, “Big baby.” Bjørn smirked, turning in his seat before the baby could see. The ocean churned before them, giving him an idea.
“Since you two have stomachs of steel, I’d like to show you something.” Bjørn hoped Henry could hear the challenge in his voice.
“Bring it on, man.” Male ego almost filled the cockpit.
Henry didn’t know what strength was, and Bjørn wouldn’t mind giving the jerk a lesson on humility. Tilting Annie onto her side, Bjørn circled the bubbling water at the required distance from the whale pod below. Sure, he could’ve just hovered, but where was the adventure in that? A team of humpback whales breached through the bubble-net they’d created, snatching up herring and other little fish. Christy clapped as the huge mammals bobbed up and down in the water.
Bjørn sped up through the last rotation and straightened Annie in the opposite direction from their destination. “We still good?”
“Yeah.” Henry’s tan had paled on his face.
“That was amazing.” Christy glanced through the window behind them like she could still see the whales.
“Now, I normally don’t offer this since most people can’t handle it, but you two seem the adventurous types.” Bjørn almost snorted as Henry’s Adam’s apple bobbed in the mirror. “I have some tricks I learned in the army flying special ops I can show you, if you like.”
“Really?” Christy bounced in her seat. “You’d actually do it with us in here?”
“If you’re up for it.” Bjørn shrugged. “Of course, if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it.”
