Into the Blue (A Wild Aces Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

reasons I hadn’t wanted to give up my career to follow Eric around the world still remained. Except there were moments . . . moments when I cuddled Dylan in my arms and wondered if I’d made a mistake going with my head over my heart. I was thirty-oneand my most serious relationship to date had ended when I was barely legal to drink. It was hard not to feel like I was going backward in some ways, even as I advanced in my career.
    “So why do you think he friend requested you?”
    “He could have been trying to be friendly. Or maybe he was curious.”
    “Or maybe he saw how fabulous you looked on Saturday night and regretted his decision to let you go.”
    This was why everyone needed a best friend like Lizzie—she made you feel good even though you’d made an ass of yourself in front of your ex.
    “Highly doubtful.” I sighed. “What should I do? Do I accept the request, or is that just opening me up to a world of hurt?”
    “At this point, could it get worse?”
    “Probably.”
    “Then do you want my advice?”
    “God, yes.”
    “Sit on it. Take a few days and think about whether or not you want him back in your life, even in a limited way. He wasn’t just some guy, wasn’t just some ex. It’s going to be hard to let him in, even peripherally. So take the time.”
    I
really
loved Lizzie.
    “Has anyone told you that you give amazing advice?”
    She laughed. “Just tell my son that the next time he tries to stick something up his nose. Yesterday it was Play-Doh.”
    “Let me know when I can take over babysitting duty. I’m happy to help.”
    “I will definitely take you up on that. I just want to go to a movie with my husband and make out in a dark theater.”
    “Done. Name the time and day, and I’m there.”
    We talked for a few more minutes and then I hung up thephone, deleting the e-mail, already feeling better. Maybe time did heal all wounds. Or maybe I was just delaying a date with destiny. Either way, I had a three o’clock deposition and bigger things to do than worry about Eric.
    I almost believed it myself.

THOR
    The night sky was inky black as I stared out the canopy at my surroundings.
    Lightning flashed, static filling the radio from the electricity of the thunderstorm.
    My hand gripped the stick, heart pounding.
    I’d never minded flying at night before, had always loved the calm and peace of the dark sky. Until the night Joker died . . .
    I was doing a FLUG ride at the range, serving as an instructor for Brick, one of the younger wingmen in the squadron who was trying to get certified as a flight lead for his night close air support sortie. He was a solid lead, but we were strafing at night, and the weather was shit, not helping the nerves ramming through my body.
    I kept my eyes on Brick, my night vision goggles giving me a good view of his jet, five nautical miles from the target area. We were in a right-hand turn, two miles apart from each other, his covert strobe flashing on my NVGs.
    The joint terminal air controller on the ground called in and requested a strafing pass over the radio, passing us a nine-line over the frequency.
    “Nine-line Charlie. This next attack will be a Type II bomb on target. Attack. Lines one through three NA. Linefour three hundred and fifty feet. Line five enemy personnel in the open . . .”
    He went through the remaining four lines, giving us our targeting instructions, adding in the remarks and restrictions.
    Brick read back the lines and gave his brief.
    More lightning flashed at my three. More static filled the radio. I gripped the stick even harder, my mask suddenly feeling too tight, my chest growing heavy.
    The JTAC gave the clearance.
    “Cleared hot.”
    We went in for the attack, my eyes on Brick off to my right, banking and rolling into a twenty-five-degree dive. A green explosion of fire flashed on my NVGs as Brick employed his gun.
    Green fire.
    Just like Joker. The same fucking image burned into my brain.
    My hand shook on the