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  ACE

  A Fighter Pilot Romance

  Sophia Summers

  Contents

  Look for all books in the Top Flight Fighter Pilot Romances

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

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  About the Author

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  Ace

  Bear

  Flyboy

  Mustang

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  Falling for Centerfield

  Charming the Shortstop

  Snatching the Catcher

  Flirting with First

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  Chapter 1

  Dex stood on a gravel road just outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He was on the other end, the civilian side, of a short runway. Tall chain-link fences and hefty security stood between him and the planes. If he’d wanted, he could have entered the base. He didn’t want. The pilots were doing practice runs today, and he needed to clear his head before his Top Flight meeting a little later.

  The power of the engines, the sound as they circled and lined up for takeoff calmed the thoughts that raced through his brain. And then, as they revved up and tore off straight at him before lifting into the air, his blood started pumping with happy adrenaline-filled memories. His grin grew. The final plane shot past, ruffling his hair. He saluted their group out of habit, already dots in the sky, and then hopped back in his car.

  His car raced over back roads, making his way to the old warehouse. Nondescript and not on base. He parked, typed in his code, and entered the building they were leasing for the time being. The owner didn’t even ask why they’d wanted to install the various security measures.

  At his desk, Dex pulled out his laptop and opened the file for the first guy he needed to screen this morning. A retired naval pilot. He’d gone through Topgun. He had high marks. Then he’d married, had children, and now he was hoping to join Dex’s team. Dex would probably send him an invitation. But first, a video interview. He dialed him up. The man’s face filled the screen with a young woman in the background ushering toddlers out of the room. Dex smiled.

  As soon as he saw Dex, he saluted. “Major Callison. Good to see you, sir.”

  Dex shook his head. “No need for saluting, although I appreciate it now and again. We aren’t an organization built on rank.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dex smiled. “You’re at the top of my list, Sean. I want to see you on my team at Top Flight. Do you know why that is?”

  “No, sir.”

  “You graduated top of your class at Topgun. You are an accomplished pilot. You have an impeccable record, but none of those things are why I pulled your application for an interview.”

  Sean’s eyebrows rose.

  “I called you in because of that one stunt you pulled your first year.”

  His face went white, or maybe Dex imagined it. “Did you think it was erased from your record?”

  “I was told… Let me be clear, are we discussing…”

  “The Marshmallow.”

  He groaned. “That was a name the guys picked…”

  Dex held up his hands. “You don’t need to be nervous. Like I said, that move alone was why I called you for an interview. It took nerve. And others might argue against this, but I felt like it was needed in the moment. In a hostile situation, that move could save lives.” He coughed and couldn’t stop his smile. “Arguably.”

  “Are you being serious?” Sean’s own smile began to grow.

  “I’m totally serious. We are hired to teach military forces all over the world to do what it takes, to respect the planes, and to use them to their maximum capacity. They know the handbook. What they need are pilots who can show them the potential.”

  He nodded.

  Dex talked to him for about fifteen minutes and then offered him a job.

  Sean would sign some paperwork and be ready for a call to his first team, his first assignment to train other pilots.

  As Dex closed the drawer, he put his twentieth pilot’s file in with the other new recruits.

  They were starting with pilots, but Top Flight could grow to other armed forces, other military skills. Turns out, military training was marketable. On an international scale.

  After a few hours interviewing potential hires through video conferencing, Dex took a call from an old Air Force commander. He thought it would be a relaxing social catch up on the man’s family, but after just a moment, he knew he was going to regret the whole conversation.

  “You’re drawing attention…”

  After a call he wished had ended twenty minutes earlier, Dex slammed down his office phone. He missed the cradle, so he had to pick it up again and place it more carefully on the box. His old commander probably heard all of that.

  The man’s warning itched at Dex’s peace of mind. He lifted his arms above his head, stretching against the black t-shirt he wore. The commander’s words echoed in his brain. You’re interfering with our work in the Pacific Islands.

  Dex knew full well what the US commander wasn’t doing in the Pacific Islands, and that’s why he and his team had been called in. Top Flight could train the newly formed Pacific Oceanic Alliance fighter pilots to defend their own airspace since no one else would. But the commander also said, General West has expressed his concern.

  That statement caught Dex’s attention.

  General West had stepped in and helped Top Flight get started. It had been his support that had encouraged other countries to trust Dex and bring Top Flight on in the first place. He wanted to keep the general happy for those reasons, not to mention that he’d grown up down the street from him. Their families were tied together in more ways than one.

  He tried to keep Gianna’s face from interfering with his concentration, but he could hardly separate her from her father. She was his best friend growing up, then girlfriend, then fellow squadron member, and now she was almost a stranger to him. If you judged their relationship by how often they conversed, which was never, then they had no relationship, which perhaps was just how she wanted things to go.

  He moved to the pull-up bar he’d hung in the corner of the office. While he did his repetitions, feeling the power in his arms, he put Gianna out of his mind, put General West out of his mind, and he began to focus on his next job. He had some loose ties in a small nation within the Pacific Alliance, and when the PA had requested a Top Flight training academy, he’d agreed to their terms immediately.

  The Pacific Alliance. They were in almost desperate need for some help. With large nations on their borders trying to stake a claim on their islands and territories, if they didn’t increase their own defense, they would have no recourse except to beg the assistance of larger nations like the United States.

  He didn’t expect the US military to appreciate Top Flight’s training operations, but then again, there was nothing his former peers could do about it. Top Flight was legal, above reproach, and highly sought after all over the world. In the six months since they’d started their private training and consulting program, they’d been requested by over thirty countries. Once General West had given his approval, everyone else flocked to join or backed down.

  The door buzzer sounded; Flyboy’s grinning face on the security camera lifted the corner of Dex’s mouth, and he pushed his intercom. ”Get your big mug in here.”

  Top Flight worked in a warehouse for now. With no real center for operations, they planned to set up shop wherever they were needed. And that’s what Dex was about to bring up to the guys…and woman. Amanda. He rubbed his face. They couldn’t run this team without her.

  Colton, AKA Flyboy, poked his head in. “Ace, how’s it going?”

  Dex stood. “Flyboy.” He man-hugged his friend. They’d gone through Air Force Academy together. He was the fastest pilot Dex had seen in the air. He loved to fly; he loved
the planes, but he was here just to make some money. Which was fine with Dex. From the looks of things, they’d be making plenty.

  “Commander Finch left his direst warning against our team trying to interfere in their operation.”

  “What operations? They’re doing something?”

  “Exactly. No, they’re not. So I thanked him for his time.”

  “You did not.”

  “Okay. No gratitude was expressed. I should have been more polite. But either way, I sent him off.”

  “Duly noted. We’ve pissed off the US government.”

  Ridley, AKA Bear, stepped into Dex’s office. “I thought we did that last month.”

  “And the month before.“ Amanda, the final member of their management team, slipped a large duffle off her shoulder and let it drop to the ground.

  “Mustang, good to see you. Bear, you too.” Dex waved for them to sit. “How’s your little girl?”

  “She’s great. Not so little any more.”

  “Happy to hear it.” Dex thought the world of Ridley. He was one call act and trying to raise a daughter on his own at the same time.

  “Right. Let’s get this meeting going.” He pulled a file out of his desk drawer. “Our next job.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Panau, the Pacific Alliance specifically.”

  They studied him for a full ten seconds before anyone said anything. He had a history there. They all knew it.

  “So, you’re taking this one.” Colton waved his hand.

  “Yeah. I’m taking point. I’ll gather a team.” He pulled out three other folders. “And here are the top three other requests we’ve received so far. Take a look and fight amongst yourselves for who gets what.”

  They settled into their chairs while Dex went through the agenda. He tried not to think about his last mission in Panau. He had been out on assignment with a small team, one of the last things he’d done as an active Air Force pilot. The kids they’d left behind never left his mind. He closed his eyes.

  “Hey, you okay man?” Ridley studied his face.

  “Yeah. Just distracted.”

  “You sure you’re the man for the Panau mission?” Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Things might get personal.”

  “They’re personal. But I don’t see that as a bad thing.”

  She pressed her lips together. “We’re not going to tell you what mission to take.”

  He studied her. And then looked at the others. “I’ve got this.”

  “Of course you do. We’re with you. Just call if we need to talk you down.” Colton winked, and Dex knew he thought himself the king of comedy. But at the moment Dex wasn’t as amused as usual.

  Things were getting under his skin. He’d gotten a weird Facebook memory reminder this morning. A picture of him and Gianna. He’d been off-center all day because of it. The planes this morning were meant to get his head back in the right place. But it was still bothering him. He hadn’t heard from her in a couple years. Last he knew, she was travelling to different countries to set up orphanages and safe houses for children.

  “Time to pick our teams.” He clicked a remote and the lights dimmed when he clicked play on the slideshow.

  The first guy popped up on the screen. “Omar Santori. These are in order of my preference for this training team. We need the best of the best. He’s twenty-two, a hot head, but one hundred percent on board. If I tell him to do something, he does it.”

  “Yeah, unless he’s mad about something else.” Ridley pointed to his bio underneath. “His emotional rating is highly inconsistent.”

  “True. I want him on my team because”—he clicked to the next guy—“I want to bring this guy, Jed Sanchez. He’s a huge sloth. The most accurate fighter ever, but he just can’t get moving unless someone lights a fire under him. I want these two to work together teaching dogfighting.”

  Ridley nodded. “Nice.”

  He pulled up the next one. “Ivy Hatfield. Graduated top of her class. High marks in everything. Precise, obedient, driven. This woman is out for blood.”

  “And she’s a woman. Let’s talk again about why we need to hire more women.” Amanda smiled. “If you don’t take her, I will. I’ve seen her charts. She’s amazing.”

  “I was thinking I’d give her a go. It will be her first mission.” He looked to Clinton, who hadn’t said much. “Flyboy?”

  Whenever anyone used their call signs, they snapped to attention.

  “What? Oh, sure. She’s great.”

  “Have you met her?”

  “Oh. No. Not yet. I just mean she looks great, on paper, or whatever.” He glanced at Amanda.

  Ace pulled up a few more guys, and the team okayed them all. They did the same for each of their missions and then wrapped things up. Before they left, he stood to shake hands. “This is working. We’re going places. We’ve got the best group of pilots I’ve ever heard of to choose from, and we keep getting more every day. Thanks for being here.”

  “Yup.” Clinton shoulder-hugged him.

  The other three filed out, between the four of them they made up the executive board. Top Flight was about to have four more successful training programs and a heap more money in the bank. He sat back at his desk, proud of what they’d started. The Homeland Security people took outside consulting jobs all the time. The other branches of government found ways to keep making money from their military skills after retirement. He figured it was high time pilots did the same. And when he’d sent out feelers, it turned out much of the world agreed with him. Pilot training and mission training were in high demand all over the globe. And he and his team were happy to oblige, for a price, a hefty one.

  Once he’d picked the members of his team and sent them a message, he headed home to Virginia. Senator Callison had requested his presence stat. Dex could have ignored him, not because he didn’t respect the office, but because this particular senator was his father. But he got the impression it was important. So he’d arranged for a day in Virginia. He could do that since he flew his own jet. He smiled as he left the hangar, pitying every other human who ever flew commercial.

  He pulled into his father’s large drive through towering trees. The beautiful Virginia spring flowers were out everywhere he looked. And his mother had planted more azaleas. The pillars along the front of the house, the strong neat lines, made him smile and reminded him very much of his father. He parked his Infiniti in the circular drive, slung his rucksack over his shoulder, and made his way to the front door.

  The door slipped open and Chester tore out, nearly knocking Dex down with his front paws. Before Dex could stop him, the enormous Newfoundland licked his face. He laughed. “Whoa, Chester, down boy.” He rubbed the dog’s ears like crazy and ran his hands up and down his back. “Should we go inside? Let’s go see Dad!”

  His mother stood at the door watching, her eyes misty. He reached out his arms. “Mom! So good to see you.”

  She squeezed him tightly, but her strength was less than last time. He looked her over. She seemed healthy. Her smile just kept on growing. “You look well. You eating?”

  “Yes, I’m eating. But nothing I ever eat out there is half as good as what you make right here at home. How are you?”

  “I’m good, son.” Her eyes twinkled.

  “You look great too.” He kissed her cheek.

  “This new business suits you.”

  “We’re successful. Turns out much of the world wants to talk to us.”

  She nodded. “As they should. Now come on in before your father starts calling your phone.”

  “Oh boy. How’s everything?”

  “We’re doing great. He’s got enough votes lined up to pass his next initiative.”

  “I meant, how are things with you both, as people?” He laughed. “But I suppose the answer might be the same.”