Taking Flight: Departure: Taking Flight, #1

By Donna Faye

Stella di Imbrogliado has always made the most of bad situations – but when her life takes a major detour and her loved-ones betray her, she reroutes her journey altogether. With nothing left to lose, she departs her old life by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.

In this bizarre new world where orders are shouted, showers are a social event, and sweat is the ultimate beauty aid, she taps her unimagined strength and begins to see that her worst day may have been the biggest blessing of her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna Faye
• Release date: Oct 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370439317

Book preview

Chapter 1: Charlie Foxtrot

– A cluster fuck, from the NATO phonetic alphabet; used in semi-polite conversation to describe a disastrous situation that results from the cumulative errors of several people or groups.

Stella di Imbrogliado groaned and banged her forehead against the steering wheel of her car as she rolled her eyes and silently cursed the unrelenting traffic during her morning commute.

Eight in the morning and already this day sucks, she muttered toward the sea of red tail lights.

All lanes had stopped dead thanks to some sort of accident.

"Shake it off...it could always be worse. I could be the reason traffic was stopped. And quit talking to yourself."

She rolled her eyes at herself, grinning at her silliness. But her mind immediately returned to her nagging worry. Why hadn’t Fabian come home last night, and why hadn’t he replied to her calls and texts? Perhaps work had kept him at the hospital – again. Weren’t those days supposedly behind them with his residency finished and him finally working at the family practice? This was supposed to be their time, so, where was he?

The sun chose that moment to make its presence known. Though it provided a welcome reprieve from the bleakness of the typical March weather around Chicago, the rays were harsh on her eyes as she idled in her car. She dug through her purse and donned some shades.

The sun’s warmth felt divine on her face. Lately, the sky had been gray and accompanied the murky mix of slush and old snow that covered the ground. City snow always lost its beauty and novelty with the hassle of removal and the pollutants that turned it into ugly sludge.

Whenever the sun made an appearance, even briefly, the glow spread down to her bones and a feeling of peace settled into Stella’s mind. She loved winter, but by the time March had rolled around, she’d reached her limit. In truth, Stella usually had her fill of the season by the end of January – the persistent cold and windy weather always wore down her spirits.

Lethargy hovered everywhere like smog in the air, leeching everyone’s energy and good mood. The ongoing suffering reinforced her theory that humans were actually solar-powered. It was especially apparent in those who suffered from cabin fever. It’d be nice if the sun stuck around to melt the remaining ugly snow and warm their moods as well.

Stuck there in the gridlock, Stella adjusted her rear-view mirror to double check her appearance and take a moment to apply some makeup. She’d woken late and Fabian’s absence had disrupted her usual routine with her tapping out texts and making calls that immediately cut to voice mail.

Though she’d dressed in minutes, her appearance was neat and put together. She’d tamed her wily strawberry-blond curls with leave-in conditioner and the French braid that nearly reached her waist. She touched up her eyebrows, added mascara and eyeliner, then a bit of lip gloss. There – she looked nice, but not overly done.

She nibbled at the bagel she’d brought along, and sipped coffee from her giant commuter mug as she waited for traffic to clear. It must’ve been a nasty accident to stop all lanes completely.

Fifteen minutes later, she rejoiced as traffic on the Ike began moving. She might still make it on time, but it’d be close. As she passed the accident scene, which had been moved onto the shoulder, she spotted the tow trucks loading twisted wreckage onto their flatbeds. Stella’s heart gave a squeeze. One of them was just like hers.

Oh, how she hated that car – well not the car, necessarily – she liked that it was built nearby. But her daily commute had taken its toll, and she felt vulnerable in the tiny thing, swimming in a sea of giant vehicles – but it was reliable. Seeing first-hand how that one mangled in a collision drove home her longing for the time when she and her husband could move forward in living their plans.

Just thinking about it gave her a spark of hope. Soon they’d be able to buy a larger vehicle since Fabian was finally working in his field. His years of med school and residency had made for a very long six years, not that she was complaining.

It’d been her idea to take turns going to school to keep their debt lower. She’d dropped out after her sophomore year of college to support them. She couldn’t wait to return to campus. Though she wasn’t fond of her job as an administrative assistant, it paid the bills and allowed them some creature comforts, like her car – even if it was a tiny thing. Despite being old, it got decent gas mileage and did its job.

As she drove on, thoughts about what she’d like to study in school drifted through her mind. She’d enjoyed the little bit of public relations experience she got through her job. It would seem she was fairly decent at it, considering the company’s successful use of her ideas. Mostly, she looked forward to having a job she could enjoy and getting to spend more time with Fabian.

If all went according to their plan, she’d return to school in the fall. Although, perhaps this would be the right time to have a baby or two. After all, her schooling could wait a little longer. She was twenty-six and didn’t want to be an older mom. She smiled as she thought about how sweet it would be to have a baby, hopefully, one with Fabian’s dark hair and her pale blue eyes.

Fabian wasn’t getting any younger, either. He’d turn thirty in the spring, not that she thought that was old. It just seemed like a nice age for becoming a dad.

What kind of father would Fabian be? Having grown up without one, she hoped he’d play an active role with their kids. When she was young, she’d watched her friends with their dads. Those men had coached their teams, and cheered them on all the way, attending every sporting event and dance recital. Stella had spent many nights longing for a daddy of her own to tuck her into bed and treat her like a princess.

Her best friend’s dad, George Tobias, was one of those guys with his children. When he’d noticed that Stella never had anyone at their games or school events, he’d sort of adopted her as a second daughter.

Despite the traffic, delays, and current upset surrounding the mystery of her missing husband, she felt a smile stretch across her face as affection for her father figure welled in her heart. George had been wonderful to her through the years, joyfully attending daddy-daughter dances with both girls, and he even walked Stella down the aisle the day she married Fabian. Yes, she definitely longed for her husband to be that kind of dad.

Fabian was affectionate with her, although their time together always seemed to be limited, even after they’d been married – especially then – with him constantly studying or working. When his schedule slowed down, they would finally spend real time together. At that sweet thought, that thrill of anticipation returned with gusto as it spread through her, filling the rest of her commute with pleasant thoughts of their future together.

When Stella finally rolled into work, she arrived in the nick of time, though worry for her husband still lingered. He hadn’t replied yet, and he usually did so when he was stuck at work, or, at the very least, sent a text. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. Work beckoned.

When she stepped off the elevator, she could tell something was rotten in Denmark. Her office was virtually empty despite it being 9 a.m. As she approached her desk, Mrs. Birona, her boss’s boss, called out for Stella to join her in her boss’s office.

Good morning, Mrs. Birona, Stella said. Her tummy bubbled with nervousness as this was an unprecedented occurrence. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d interacted directly with the woman. Is there something I can do for you?

Nah, come on, sit down. She gestured toward the chair in front of the desk.

Stella shifted uncomfortably before seating herself. She wracked her brain trying to think of what she might’ve done to warrant this kind of attention.

Shall we skip the niceties and get down to business? Mrs. Birona asked.

Stella gulped and nodded.

I want you to know, you’ve been an exemplary employee, Stella, so this situation is in no way a reflection on you or your work. Stella nodded again, dread pooling in her gut as Mrs. Birona continued. With the economy the way it is, we’ve been forced to eliminate a few positions and your supervisor’s role was deemed redundant. So, the position has been cut, along with your administrative role. Unfortunately, we’re making cuts in all departments, which means there isn’t another position to offer.

Anger spread through Stella’s veins like liquid fire. Pissed off didn’t begin to describe what she felt. She’d put so much of herself into that job and helped them build the company. And this was how they treated her after six years of working for them? It was infuriating!

I’ve written a formal letter of recommendation for you and will gladly give you a glowing reference. You’ve been a great employee, and if times were better you’d have earned a promotion instead of getting laid off.  

With much cursing inside her head, Stella almost told her where to shove that severance package. Instead, she took the manila envelope the woman offered and managed a polite smile that probably looked more like a grimace. She choked out a thank you and, with shaking hands, packed up her things before leaving the office for good.

As she stomped down to her car, Stella seethed over the injustice of the situation. Taking a moment to think, she pondered her options. The severance package hadn’t been large by any means. But no one could stretch a dime like Stella. She’d perfected the art over the years as she worked to support Fabian and herself. The word frugal didn’t begin to cover her budgeting prowess. And with Fabian working now, they could still make it without this job. Perhaps, unknowingly, the company had just set her life’s next phase in motion.

Suddenly, a certain lightness enveloped her. She hated that job anyway. It was time to work on her own goals for a change. Fabian would be pleased – she was sure of it.

When Stella arrived home forty minutes later, the smile slipped from her face. Why was her mother’s car parked on the street in front of their little weather-beaten rental home? It was especially odd considering the woman knew the couple worked during the day. She sighed as she thought of her mother, Calista Toussant. That woman was a real piece of work, forever thinking only of herself and her own needs before those of her daughter. Stella had quit trusting her mother with anything a long time ago – especially with something as important as a key to her home. Yet, the car sat empty.

Curious, Stella parked in front of the garage, then trudged in the back door and set her purse on the kitchen table. She wandered through the house and didn’t find anything out of place. Where was she? Stella walked as she pulled her phone from her pocket, intending to call Fabian, again, eager to make sure he was okay and to find out what’d kept him out the night before.

But the sound of his voice floated from their bedroom and stopped her from dialing. Instead, she stepped through the short hallway toward their bedroom.

As she opened the door to share her news, Stella met with a shocking site. Stuck in a frozen stupor, cold sweat wove down her back, and every atom within her shook so hard she felt as if she might just fly apart. Nausea at the sight and smell of sex clawed its way up her throat, and a spiky ball of anger and hurt tore