Maybe it's just me but that chapter seemed a bit short or maybe I just breezed through it quickly as I hung on every word. Very well written so it seems you got through the writer's block just fine.
Dying to know what happened with the plane so please don't take another month for the next chapter!
As for the Oaks/Carla storyline, I could see him as an ally for Max and company at some point, unless he gets killed with this stupid scam.