Destined for Power by Kathleen Brooks Page A

forced himself to walk out of the room.
     
    Mallory waited. She knew Elle’s boardroom voice and knew she wanted privacy to talk. As soon as the nurse arrived with the scrubs, Aiden gave her some last minute instructions and her discharge papers. He left with a wink to the two of them. Elle waited a full ten seconds to get to the point.
    “What happened between you and Reid?”
    “What are you talking about?” Mallory asked as she turned her back and stepped into the scrubs.
    “You know exactly what I am talking about. Right before college, something happened, and it hasn’t been the same between you two since. In fact, it took me getting married before the two of you were even in the same room together. Now we come in here and he’s ready to deck the sleazebag you thought you were going to marry. Add that to the fact he decked Finn’s friend for talking about you . . .”
    Mallory didn’t turn around as she slowly worked the shirt over her burns. Reid had punched someone for her? But, Reid hated her . . . right? “I didn’t know about any of that. I don’t know why Reid would punch someone. It’s my understanding he doesn’t like me very much. To spare you having to walk a tightrope between us, we kind of came to an understanding that we would stay apart.”
    “What a bunch of malarkey. You’ve done a lot of things in your life you haven’t told me about. But when did you start lying to me too?” Elle snapped.
    Mallory spun around. “About sixteen years ago. There, are you happy?” Mallory stepped into her shoes. When she straightened up, Elle was glaring at her with hurt in her eyes. “What?” Mallory asked briskly.
    “I have a right to know. Reid is my brother.”
    “Then ask him. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a crash site to get to. Unless you want to fire me too?” Mallory suddenly felt bad as Elle seemed to deflate.
    “No, of course not. I’m just worried about you.”
    “I’m sorry,” Mallory said softly as she walked passed Elle. “I’m fine, Elle, I promise. Just let me do my job.”
    Mallory plastered on her fake smile and headed to the lobby. She made her excuses to the Simpson family and felt a sharp pain in her heart when she got into a cab. She wasn’t their family. As Elle pointed out, Reid was her brother. For all they called each other sisters, they weren’t. It was time for her to leave. It was time for her to give herself a chance to find her own happiness. As soon as this case was solved, she was out of here.
     
    * * *
     
    Reid fumed as he drove the truck back to the resort. A bush still hung from the grill, but as soon as he found out Mallory had already left, he didn’t bother taking the time to pry it off. The conversation he overheard kept playing in his mind as he took the far entrance to the resort and drove toward the airfield.
    Flashing lights and emergency vehicles filled the airstrip. The NTSB, FBI, and local authorities were all working the scene. Reid stopped the truck and stared dumbstruck at the remains of the plane. Troy was still in surgery. His mother was at the hospital waiting for news. How he’d even survived this long was a miracle.
    He spotted Mallory instantly. She was on her hands and knees with a man who looked to be from the NTSB. She was crawling along the remains of the fuselage examining tiny bits of debris. Reid saw her point something out at the far end of the plane, and when the official looked away from her, she snapped some pictures on her cell phone.
    “I’m sorry, sir, but this is a restricted area,” a uniformed deputy told him.
    “I’m Reid Simpson. I own this plane and resort. It’s my pilot and friend in the hospital, so I would really like to know what’s going on.”
    “Mr. Simpson.” Agent Hectoria stepped from the crowd. She had helped his sister Allegra with her stalker. Actually, it was Mallory who had saved her life. And now it was Mallory who was trying to find out what had happened to his plane. It was