Cover Copy
Distraught over the loss of her brother in a fighter jet accident, Tinklee Pinkerton decides to follow in his footsteps—and prove the tragedy wasn’t his fault. But when she’s chosen as the first woman to fly the Air Force’s F-35, her plan for a life that revolves around work is thrown off course by a handsome, mysterious stranger…
Thanks to Locke’s seductive British accent, sweet nature, and one too many beers, Tink is soon inspired to throw caution to the wind—and herself into his arms. She thinks maybe love can heal after all—until she discovers Locke is her superior officer. Tink has no problem risking her life in the air, but with everything on the line, is she brave enough to risk her heart on the ground?
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Books by Jamie Rae
Call Sign Karma
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Call Sign Karma
Jamie Rae
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 by Call Sign Karma
Cover photo credit Scott Wolff
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First Electronic Edition: January 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-670-4
eISBN-10: 1-61650-670-9
First Print Edition: January 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-671-1
ISBN-10: 1-61650-671-7
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
To my husband and children, you are my life.
and
To the brave men and women who wear the uniform working endless hours to protect our freedoms.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my favorite fighter pilot, my husband, Mike. I love you for not only being an extraordinary man but for believing in me more than I believe in myself. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my dream even when everyone else thought I was crazy.
Thank you to my amazing children, Jake, Josh, and Jordyn. Your beautiful smiles keep my heart overflowing with joy and your love inspires me to never give up and to strive to be a better person.
Thank you to my parents who instilled in me at a very young age that the sky was the limit and with hard work I could achieve anything and everything.
Thank you to my friends, critique partners, and beta readers--Katrina, Cindy, Fiona, Taeya, Kelly, Lizzy, and Caleb. Thank you for dropping everything to read, offer incredible feedback, and for delivering a barrel full of hugs and laughs when I needed them. You’ve each made my writing process fun in your own unique way, while keeping me sane!
Thank you to my agent and friend, Michelle for believing in this story and for your countless hours of hard work to find Call Sign Karma the perfect home.
Thank you to Renee, Jennifer, Lyrical Press, and Kensington Publishing for taking a chance on a debut author and her feisty fighter pilot.
An extra thank you and shout out to my incredible editor, Jenn for challenging me to dig deeper and raising the bar. Because of you, this story is one that I am proud and eager to share with the world. It’s been an awesome and incredible experience working with you. In the words of Tink…Holy hell, you rock!
To my readers, I hope that you will love this story as much as I do!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to dream, write, and inspire!
Keep your circle positive.
XXXOOO
Jamie Rae
Chapter 1
There was zero chance of survival—for either of us.
The thought caused my insides to twist as I stood, paralyzed staring at the blazing inferno. I watched in shocked horror from the window of the control tower as the jet-fueled flames fed on his body, still strapped inside of the cockpit.
Tonight the distant flames were from a bonfire that danced happily in celebration of a holiday, but their flames were close enough to ignite the memories. Memories that still fueled my nightmares. A familiar chill skated down my spine.
I slammed down the beer bottle on the table next to me and looked away from the flames. Sweet honey lager splashed out and onto the cover of my tablet that sat on the edge of the table.
The tablet called to me. I couldn’t help but reach for it. My shaking hand nearly knocked over the beer bottles that surrounded it. My index finger hovered over the screen. The damn arrow glowed as if challenging me to touch it.
Go ahead Tink, watch me one more time.
I swallowed the boulder-sized lump in the back of my throat as I accepted the dare. My finger tapped the start button and instantly dropped me in the middle of the nightmare that had consumed and wrecked my life.
“Altitude. Altitude. Pull up. Pull up.” The unemotional, mechanical female voice of the jet’s warning system rang out.
Her words rattled in my head like a pinball looking for its escape. I studied the altimeter screaming toward two thousand feet.
“Pull up,” her empty voice commanded. Each time she repeated those words, my stomach lurched. That voice, that command, still haunted me.
I squeezed my eyes closed unable to stop from reliving that day in the tower and how her robotic tone had sent everyone into a panic. I stood frozen, unable to do a damn thing as the jet continued its nosedive.
My own weight crushed me as if I were being pushed down by the forces of a hard turn in the cockpit. I gasped for oxygen, my lungs rebelling as the image of the jet pitched down. I began counting between breaths to keep from passing out the way they had taught us in pilot training.
Three.
The sound of calm breaths from video filled the air. The ground rushed closer as the jet blitzed toward fifteen hundred feet.
“Pull