Turbulent Intrigue (Billionaire Aviators Book 4) Read online

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  ALSO BY MELODY ANNE The Billionaire Aviators series Turbulent Intentions Turbulent Desires Turbulent Waters

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Melody Anne All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781542046206 ISBN-10: 1542046203 Cover design by Eileen Carey Cover photography by Regina Wamba of MaeIDesign.com

  I want to dedicate this book to Emmy McCormack. You have changed my life in all the best ways. You make me realize the person inside me has always been there, wanting to come out. I’m stronger, happier, and ready to say, “I can” instead of “I failed.” I love you!

  CONTENTS NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR This book was so fun for me to write. I truly enjoyed both Ace and Dakota. I’ve never made a heroine quite like her, and she mimics very strong women I have so much respect for. Something that will be fun for readers is to look for all the places she gets common sayings wrong. I made sure to change them just enough to make it fun in both her internal thoughts and when she’s talking to people. The more flustered she gets, the more she will slay a common saying. Send me messages and let me know when you find them.

  PROLOGUE The house was in utter disarray, with the doors hanging on their hinges, the floors scattered with blood and soot, the walls torn to pieces, priceless paintings broken, vases shattered. Nestor walked through the rubbish, his face blank, the men around him uneasily looking around as they carried weapons in their tense fingers. Slowly, the group advanced, walking through the hallways, practically hearing the cries for help. It was over. The fight was over, but the blood splatter told the story of a vicious battle. War had been waged, and someone would pay the price. They moved to the kitchen, where the walls had been blown apart, where it was impossible to tell the blood from the ash. Nestor stopped. His men were silent. Maybe it was seconds, and maybe time didn’t matter. But finally he looked up, his eyes filled with hatred, his body trembling. “Find out who is responsible for this,” he said, his voice cold. “They will pay.” Those were the last words spoken in this broken house

  CHAPTER ONE ONE DAY EARLIER His adrenaline pumping, Ace Armstrong watched as the final pieces went into place in the huge house he was using as a front to draw in the heavy players in this drug cartel. There was one person he was after in particular—Anton Pavlov. He was the worst of the worst in this twisted family, having killed hundreds of people with his own hands and thousands of others through his command. But he couldn’t just go after Anton. He had to take down the entire gang. If he didn’t, there would be loose ends—there would be too many people seeking revenge. When this was over, Ace wanted it to be absolutely over. He wanted to be able to go home without putting his family in danger. When he had walked away from those he loved so many years before, at the reading of his father’s will, when the old man had listed the provisions to earning their inheritances, he’d been angry. Over time, that anger had faded, but then he’d stumbled into a man who had recruited him for the CIA.

  CHAPTER TWO Dakota Forbes wasn’t a meek woman—not by any means. And when she wanted something, she had no problem going for it. Yes, sometimes she was impulsive, and yes, that could certainly get her into trouble—once in a while. But without a little danger, life was too dang boring. She smiled as she sat back at the small airport—in the cool zone, the place only those with a special badge got to be. She didn’t know why that made her feel haughty, but maybe it was because she was somewhere the average person couldn’t access. She watched small aircraft lift off into the sky and then land again. It was utterly mesmerizing. Yes, this might be another impulsive decision, but the joy in her heart, and the itchiness in her body, told her it was the right one. She stood up and moved inside the hangar, where Sherman was speaking to a young teenage boy with hair too long and eyes filled with excitement. She probably wore the exact same expression he did. “Okay, you go out and chop some of that

  CHAPTER THREE Pulling from what could only be described as a deep sleep, the first thought Ace had was how he’d never thought about how loud silence could be. Tuning in, he heard the ticking of machines and the quiet breathing of people around him, and he knew for sure that silence was louder than screams. He wasn’t alone, which automatically made him tense as he tried to remember where he’d last been. He chose not to open his eyes, giving him time to assess the situation. He had to figure out exactly where he was and who was with him. His head was throbbing—his body aching in unbearable ways—but he couldn’t focus on that right now. First, he had to understand his surroundings. He had to figure out if he was safe or in danger. There always had to be an escape plan in motion. “Is he waking?” Ace tensed. He tried not to, but he knew that voice—knew it well. It was his uncle Sherman. Oddly, he felt a strange stinging sensation in his eyes. Irritation flooded him. Ace Armstrong didn’t cry—

  CHAPTER FOUR Ace adjusted the ridiculous bow tie that was trying to strangle him as he looked around the crowded ballroom. Only for his brother would he be willing to slip into a monkey suit and dance for the masses. He’d been in the field for so long pretending to be someone else that he wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore. It wasn’t a feeling he liked at all. On top of all that, to be thrust into a regular life with the force of a hurricane wasn’t helping. He was on leave from the CIA, had managed to find a tiny apartment in the city of Seattle, and was finding it more difficult to reintegrate into normal society than to dodge a bullet. Why was it so much easier to live a lie than real life? He wasn’t sure. He leaned against the wall, desperately wanting to sneak out of the room and smoke a fine cigar. But he’d promised Nick he’d stay for the entire wedding and at least part of the reception. He wasn’t sure how long he’d actually last, though. “Ace, time to take a walk down the aisl

  CHAPTER FIVE Dakota couldn’t help but smile as she watched the incredible view of Ace Armstrong walking away from her. She’d heard a lot of stories about the rebel brother of the family, and she had to say they hadn’t done the man justice. His old photos hadn’t done him justice, either. He’d most certainly grown from a boy to one hell of a hot man. Her heart was thundering, and she actually felt her skin tingling from nothing more than simply being in his presence. He was a dangerous man—and Dakota had a serious problem with hazardous males. He was something she didn’t want a cure for. She also had a thing with wanting to meddle in people’s lives—she could see the restlessness in the man’s otherwise confident eyes and wanted to ease his pain. He’d been away from his family for a long time, and he looked like a lost and frightene
d animal who’d been dragged home. That brought every meddlesome instinct alive for Dakota. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was delve inside the ar

  CHAPTER SIX Ace wasn’t a man to sweat a difficult situation, but he felt nerves skittering through him as he and the incredibly sexy Dakota Forbes stepped up to his brother’s hotel room door. He wouldn’t admit it, but his fingers shook slightly as he swept the key down the lock and saw the green light telling him it was okay to push the door open. “I think you have it from here,” Dakota told him. “Are you afraid I’m going to bite you?” he asked, sending her a challenging look. Her shoulders stiffened, and she stepped forward. He hadn’t known this woman long, but already he was learning what made her tick. She didn’t like to be considered weak, and all it took was a challenge and he had her doing exactly what he wanted. There was power in that knowledge. He liked it. The sound of the door closing behind them was louder than a gunshot at close range. Damn, Ace wanted to push this woman up against a wall and make her scream. But he had to tell himself that anticipation was part of the fun

  CHAPTER SEVEN Dakota was off balance as she walked back into the room filled with hundreds of people all laughing and drinking and having a great time. They had no idea what had just taken place on the highest floor of the hotel, but Dakota felt as if it was written all over her cheeks. She was flushed and hot, and her body was feeling things she hadn’t imagined ever being able to feel. She’d barely been able to keep it together as Ace’s hands had roamed across her body, as his mouth had masterfully worked her lips. Never before had she been as turned on as she’d been with that man worshipping her body. Dakota was used to men giving her attention. She was a flirt, was confident in herself, and felt as if she had nothing to prove. But being with Ace was like being on another planet. She had never felt such an immediate and intense attraction to another person. It might be foolish of her to make the man her pet project. But she’d already made a decision, and she wasn’t one to turn away f

  CHAPTER EIGHT Slow music played, and Dakota fit in Ace’s arms as if she’d been made just for him. Normally Ace avoided slow songs like they were the plague, but as Dakota melted against him, he knew it was the ultimate in healing after being analyzed like a bug on a slide since he’d returned. He could get lost in this woman—in the magic she seemed to bring with her very presence. Yes, he knew he was potentially putting her in danger, and yes, he knew he was leaving again soon and shouldn’t make these connections, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself, and he was getting really tired of the internal battle. It was just a dance, he silently muttered. He wished he could let go of the edge of danger he constantly felt, but too much had happened to him while he was away with the CIA. He understood his family wanting to know about it, wanting to understand why he’d been gone. They probably thought it had been easy on him. They were wrong. But Ace didn’t articulate that too well, so they looke

  CHAPTER NINE Two days after the wedding, Ace still hadn’t thought of anything other than the beautiful brunette who’d so easily slipped beneath his defenses and caught his attention. After leaving Nick and Chloe’s wedding and saying a very disappointed good-bye to Dakota, he’d told himself his feelings had been caused by the atmosphere of the event and the amount of liquor he’d consumed. If that were truly the case, then why was he still thinking about her? Why did he want to find out exactly where she lived so he could go stand before her house with a boom box in hand, vowing his loyalty to her? Because he was an idiot, he decided. Even while sitting in Cooper’s house with his family, getting ready to go to a game, he still couldn’t focus on what was going on around him. Dakota filled his thoughts during the day, and she certainly filled his dreams with erotic visions that woke him up hard and unsatisfied. “Are you ready for some football!” Mav yelled, breaking Ace from his brooding.

  CHAPTER TEN Dakota had been cheering for the Seahawks for three years, and never had she had such an intense game as the one she’d just participated in. It was even worse than the first time she’d taken the field, hoping and praying she wouldn’t fall on her ass in front of the tens of thousands of people in the stands, along with the millions of people viewing her from the comfort of their living rooms. But with Ace’s eyes on her the entire time—and she had felt his gaze burning into her—she’d had to concentrate even harder than normal on not messing up. The man was messing with her in far more ways than she felt she was messing with him. It wasn’t something she was used to, and she was more determined now than ever to get the hell over it. Stepping inside the limo, she didn’t even give herself a choice of what to do. She swiftly moved through the large seating area and plopped herself down right next to Ace. She felt his body tense beside her, and that gave her a bit of her confidence

  CHAPTER ELEVEN Ace was leaning against the small four-seater Cessna 400 he’d chosen for Dakota’s flying lesson. Yeah, he knew this wasn’t a plane most students would fly for the first time, but Dakota wasn’t just any student. She could handle the sexy plane and would appreciate its composite construction and lack of lumpy rivets. He also wanted to impress her. Besides that, Sherman had assured him she was ready for a powerful plane. Ace had a clear view of the door, and he was highly anticipating the moment she walked into the room. In his life, Ace had done a lot of jobs, had been to many places. Never had he thought he’d so look forward to teaching someone how to fly. But he was more amped up about this job than any other he had ever had. The thought of the two of them being side by side for hours high up in the sky was unbelievably appealing to him. He was closing in on making her his. And his conquest couldn’t come soon enough. He feared the consequences of making Dakota his own, b

  CHAPTER TWELVE Dakota paced her house as she fanned her hot cheeks. She couldn’t quit smiling. She’d had such an exciting first flying lesson, not to mention being pressed close against Ace’s side all afternoon. It had been a thrill in so many ways. This man was getting under her skin unlike any man before him, and she wasn’t in the least bit afraid anymore. It had scared her a little bit at first, but she’d gone beyond that to now being excited for her next visit with him. She could tell herself all day long that it only had to do with her wanting to help him, that her instincts had kicked in and she knew he needed the kind of therapy she was known for giving, but her connection to him went way beyond that. She was attracted to Ace in the most basic of ways. Her instincts were to follow through on that attraction. When he’d invited her to spend some private time with him, she’d been more than willing to say yes in a big, bold, exclamation-mark kind of way. But part of the fun was the

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN Ace had never been one to kick himself. He didn’t believe in wrong decisions, or regrets. Everything happened for a reason. But what he couldn’t figure out as he drove away from Dakota’s place was how he couldn’t have known how innocent she truly was. He felt as if he’d taken advantage of her, and he really didn’t like the feeling. He wasn’t a man who slept with women who didn’t know the score. Sex was as natural to the body as food and water. He didn’t like going too long without it. But that’s why he was always with women who believed that as much as he did. He’d never have guessed Dakota hadn’t been with a man before. And while he felt shame at having taken her so fast and hard, he also felt an immense sense of possession over her, which was making his brow furrow. She was now his—only his! Ace wanted to push those feelings away, wanted to think of her as nothing more than a good time, but no matter how hard he tried to reset his mind, he couldn’t do it. He cared ab

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN Standing in her doorway, Dakota looked at the two stoic men in suits. A sliver of fear ran down her spine, and she didn’t know why, but she did know it was better if she didn’t ignore the feeling. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice slightly shaky, irritating her. Everything inside her told her she was in danger, though the men didn’t look particularly menacing. She forced a smile, knowing what she was feeling was utterly ridiculous. They looked more like Bible salesmen than muggers. Sti
ll, she didn’t move from her doorway, somehow trying to block their entrance, even if they weren’t attempting to push through. Her body was pulsing with a need to protect herself, but she didn’t understand why. She was in that in-between of not knowing if she should just slam her door shut and lock it or if she should find out why these strangers were at her home so late at night. They said nothing, and that was only making her more nervous. Why were they just staring at her? But jus

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN Ace didn’t know what was going on with him, but he knew for sure that he was in some serious trouble where this woman was concerned. He looked over at Dakota as she snoozed restlessly in the seat beside him. He also knew he was a sick bastard for noticing the sleek curve of her thigh as her robe bunched up around her. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been the one to put her in danger. Yet he was still lusting after her. The best thing he could do for her would be to put her in a safe house and stay the hell away from her. But the thought of doing that had him feeling . . . panic. That was an emotion Ace didn’t feel—didn’t allow himself to feel. What was this woman doing to him? He didn’t know, but no matter how much he wanted to fight the emotion, he couldn’t. He cared about this spitfire of a woman, and he didn’t want her out of his sight. Not only because he knew he could protect her better than anyone else could, but also because he couldn’t seem to let her go

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN Never in Dakota’s life had she been so relieved to see a group of people as she was when they pulled up in front of Cooper’s front door and she saw Ace’s three brothers and their wives anxiously standing by waiting for them. The vehicle didn’t even have a chance to get put into park before they were swarmed by Ace’s family, all of them wearing looks of concern as they yanked open both the driver’s and passenger doors. “You took longer to get here than you said. We were growing concerned,” Cooper said as he leaned down and looked inside. “Is that blood?” Maverick asked, instantly doing a visual of the yard, searching for danger before his eyes focused back on Ace. “What in the hell is going on?” Nick piped in as he assisted Dakota from the car. Cooper and Maverick tried to help Ace out, but he brushed away their hands, grumbled about being perfectly capable of getting out of the car on his own, and then wobbled on his feet as he stood. Dakota rushed around the vehicle to