Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(67)

It would be faster, still…

“Do you have a license?” she demanded.

He shrugged. “I’ve seen it on TV, how hard can it be?”

She pulled away from his grasp. No way in hell she was going to ride with a man who’d learned how to fly from a TV show.

“I’ll walk before I get in that thing,” she said.

His lips twitched. “I’m kidding, sweetheart. I was trained a couple of years ago to fly military helicopters,” he assured her.

She frowned. Why would he train to fly a helicopter? Then she gave a faint shake of her head. Did it really matter?

As long as he was competent and could handle the dangerous machine, she was satisfied.

Gingerly, she climbed into the seat, allowing Sinclair to strap her in and arrange the helmet with built-in headphones on her head.

Then, trying to remember to breathe, she watched as Sinclair climbed in beside her, putting on his helmet before studying the instrument panels that looked far too complicated. Did he really know what to do with all those dials and buttons?

As if reading her mind, Sinclair sent her a wicked grin as he started the engine. Overhead, the blades began to turn, whirling faster and faster. Then, as they lifted off from the roof, Mira desperately sought something to distract herself from the knowledge that they were rapidly rising away from ground.

Glancing around the small cabin, she caught sight of the steel briefcase that was half shoved beneath her seat.

Hmm. It looked like something important.

With a tug, she was lifting it onto her lap, surprised to discover that it wasn’t locked. She was even more surprised when she realized what was inside.

“Yes,” she breathed, excitement racing through her.

Capable of hearing her through the headset, Sinclair sent her a curious glance before returning his attention to the wide-open sky in front of them.

“What is it?” he demanded.

“A laptop,” she said, quickly opening the computer and typing in the password to enter the SAU’s private network. She’d stolen it during her time at the air base, as well as the ability to hack through the various firewalls they’d put in place to try and prevent anyone but the top officials from gaining control of the world’s infrastructure.

“Can you use it to send Bree the tape?” Sinclair asked.

Mira already had the flash drive in the computer, downloading the large files directly into the SAU cloud. She wanted to make sure that no one could interfere with her plans.

“Oh, I can do better than that,” she promised, excitement tingling through her as her fingers flew over the keyboards.

Sinclair was a dominant leader, and a lethal predator, but this was her talent.

And she didn’t need fangs or claws to draw blood from their enemy.

“Better?” His gaze remained on the various instruments, as they swooped through the air. “What are you talking about?”

She continued to open the various portals that would allow her to take control of the news media.

“This laptop is connected to the SAU internet,” she said.

“And?” he prompted.

“And they can take control of every network in the world.”

“Christ.” She felt him stiffen his shock beside her. “You mean you can show that video on every TV?”

“Every single one.” A smile of anticipation curled the edges of her mouth. “Even those at the Capitol Building in DC,” she added, recalling Markham’s statement that the head of the SAU, Colonel Ranney, was going to speak before Congress.

She heard the rasp of Sinclair’s breath through the headphones as he turned to send her a glance filled with blatant awe.

“You. Are. Brilliant.”

She hunched a shoulder, her face flaming with a combination of embarrassment and raw pleasure at his admiration.

“It’s not that hard.”

“Brilliant and modest,” he said. “Is it any wonder that I love you?”

Mira jerked, her eyes wide as she met his warm gaze. “You love me?”

Abruptly realizing what he’d said, Sinclair wrinkled his nose and returned his attention to his task.

“Damn. I didn’t mean to say it when we’re in the middle of saving the world,” he growled. “My timing sucks.”

A joy that felt too large to contain swelled within her. Sinclair had implied that he cared about her, and even that he intended to make her his mate.

But for her, those were very different things than being in love with her.

“You’re sure?” she asked in soft, hesitate tones.

The rich scent of his musk filled the cabin as his fingers tightened on the control stick until his knuckles turned white.

“Mira, I love you in every conceivable way,” he assured her. “And I intend to spend the rest of my life earning your heart.”

“Sinclair,” she breathed, trying to bend toward him, only to be halted by the rigid seat belt. With a rueful chuckle, she settled back in her seat. “You’re right. Your timing sucks,” she said, wishing she could throw herself into his arms.

She’d waited so long to find someone who could love her for who she was.

A nerdy, overly curvaceous woman who would never be glamorous, or beautiful, or blessed with a social skill that most men preferred.