Turbulent Fires (Billionaire Aviators #5)

Prologue

Wolf

I could sit on this deck and gaze out at the painted sky with streaks of orange, crimson, and deep violet bleeding across the horizon all evening. Tragically it lasts for such a short time before the colors seem to drip straight into the calm sea below. How can anyone live in a world without seeing something this spectacular? How sad for them.

I don’t think there’s a better view in all of the land than this one right here on the deck of our family home that sits high on the hills of Avalon on Catalina Island. No matter how many times I see this view, I never tire of it. That’s saying a lot since I’m a pilot and have flown all around the world. Catalina Island always calls me home no matter where I am. It always will. There isn’t much in life that can pull me in, but this island sure can.

“This place smells like home and heartbreak at the same time,” I say as I lean back in my favorite Adirondack chair my father built before... well, before the beautiful sea took him and my mother. How can something so serene become deadly in an instant? I will never have a satisfactory answer.

My fingers curl around the neck of a cold beer, the condensation dripping like sweat in the thick summer heat. The gentle ocean breeze offers enough relief that it feels good instead of oppressive.

My brother Jayden stands beside the grill, a spatula resting comfortably in his hand, his brows drawn tight. “You’re waxing poetic,” he says before flipping a steak. “Are you trying to inspire girly emotions?” He winks at me. My brothers and I have never been good at talking about feelings, which used to drive our mother crazy. She loved all three of us, but I know if she could’ve been guaranteed a girl, she would’ve tried one more time just to have a bit more estrogen in the room.

My other brother, Drake, snorts as he launches a tortilla chip at Jayden’s head from across the large deck. “Wolf doesn’t do poetry. He does, however, wax drunken philosophy when the sun sets just right.”

The three of us are close in age. I’m the oldest at 38, with Drake right behind me at 36, and Jayden, the baby who was quite spoiled when Mom was still here, sitting at 35. I think she thought if they moved up the timetable just a tad with the last child, she might trick her body into giving her a girl. She was clearly wrong. I’m sure if we’d had a little sister, I’d love her to pieces, but I can’t imagine this world without my brothers. We’re very close.

I raise my beer in the air and grin. “Guilty,” I call out.

The reality is, though, that I’m trying to hold on to the moment. I love the three of us being on this island together, which happens less and less with our busy lives. We always say we’re going to take more downtime, but we thrive on high adrenaline and need constant adventure to keep us motivated.

Still, on the island, with fishing poles drying on the side of the house and the scent of grilled meat filling the air, is about as close to heaven as it gets. When you add in the fresh sea air clinging to our clothes, and the wind brushing against us like a whisper from the past, it’s the cherry on top of the sundae.

“What do you think Mom and Dad would think about us today?” I ask. This question quiets both of them. We don’t talk about our parents too often. It hurts. They should be sitting here with us, enjoying life and looking forward to many more years to come. At least they went out the way they’d want, together and at sea, their favorite place to be.

Jayden moves over and sits beside me, setting his beer on the table between us. He gives me a crooked grin that’s melted the hearts of many females. “I think they’d be shocked we’re still alive, wondering when one of us will kill the other.” When things get too emotional for any of us, we try to fill the void with humor. It works more often than not.

Drake shakes his head. “I think they’d be damn proud of what we’re doing in our lives. We might make mistakes, and we’re taking a hell of a long time to grow up, but they’d even be proud of Jay, the grumpy author who thinks a good time is playing with metaphors and drinking whisky alone in his study.”

“This is coming from a man-child who wears board shorts while running a global company like it’s a lemonade stand?” Jayden mocks.

“That company happens to make a lot of money, and who in the hell invented the rule that you had to look like a damn penguin to do your job? I much prefer comfort over style,” Drake unapologetically states.

“I have to agree with you on that. The only thing I hate about flying is the damn uniform I have to wear,” I tell him.

We all chuckle as I let the conversation roll through me, finding comfort in the sound of my brothers’ voices. Catalina Island always brings this out in us, taking away our stress, and letting us feel free. This place, these men, and this life is what it’s all about.

I glance at the cliffs overlooking Avalon Bay. Our family has owned property here for decades, long before the resorts, the ferry lines, the overpriced cocktails... and long before our parent’s boat slammed into the rocks on a foggy night, ripping our world apart. It wasn’t the island’s fault, but we were all angry for a while. Nothing could keep us from this place, though, especially knowing how much joy it always brought our parents. We feel closer to them when we’re here.

“I’m missing them more than usual today,” I admit. They both nod, not knowing what to say. We all miss them, feeling the hole of their absence on a daily basis. Some days truly are harder than others.

A minute of silence passes before Drake launches to his feet. “Okay, enough of this. We’re going to eat these quality steaks we’ve grilled to perfection, then we’re grabbing the poker chips and our wallets and heading to the Marlin.”

I grin, ready to stop the melancholy. “Are you sure you want to lose more money?” I taunt.

“Not going to happen.” His grin grows wider. “I’m simply sick of hanging with you two. I want to flirt with some pretty girls while you guys pout in the corner ’cause you’re too ugly to attract the opposite sex.”

Considering we all look like brothers and no one would call any of us ugly... each standing over six feet with piercing green eyes, dark hair, and pretty defined bodies, not to brag or anything... there’s never a shortage of females vying for all of our attention. Drake is quite smooth, though, and known for leaving women with a smile even when he walks away, which he always does. To be honest, all three of us are terrified of the word commitment. A shudder runs through me even thinking the word.

“I’m surprised you want us there since we’ll attract all the attention,” I taunt.

“You’ve lost some of your moves in your old age. I’m pretty confident,” Drake says. He’s not wrong. I’ve been less flirty than normal. I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m in a funk.

I’ve always been a no-more-than-two-dates rule type of man. That way I won’t get attached. Life’s too short to tie myself down to a woman who will demand all of my time, get ticked if I’m out too late, and try to tell me what to wear and what to eat. No thank you. I want adrenaline, adventure, and short-term flings that don’t ask for anything more of me than a great night or two of sex. That I can handle.

Knowing this about myself, I can’t figure out what this strange, restless ache I’ve been feeling is about. It can’t be that I want normalcy. I’ve always been firm in my convictions that normal is boring.

Maybe the fact that Jayden’s been talking more about the future is messing with my head. Maybe it’s how Drake goes oddly quiet when he thinks no one’s watching him. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s me turning 38 and realizing I’ve climbed every mountain I’ve wanted to climb, flown every plane I’ve wanted to fly, kissed every kind of woman I’ve wanted to kiss... and yet I’m feeling like something is still unfinished. What in the hell is wrong with me?

We quickly finish dinner, which is delicious even though I barely taste most of it, then walk down the hill to town. We have golf carts at the house, but prefer to walk. There’s never any trouble getting exercise on the island since the town’s built on a hill, so there are a lot of ups and downs and more stairs than a person can count. I love it.

We arrive at The Marlin Club within ten minutes, and I smile. The place hasn’t changed in years, with dim lights, sticky floors, great music playing, and summer tourists crowding the small space. Both locals and tourists enjoy this friendly place.

“Hey, Mario,” I greet as he stands at the swinging half-doors. He’s the bouncer, though I don’t think he ever needs to bounce anyone. Another great thing about this island, crime is almost nonexistent. The criminals have nowhere to run if they try anything, so for the most part, people behave.

I look around, seeing a lot of faces I don’t recognize, and a few I do. Cindy is sitting next to Eddie, each with a guitar on their lap as they strum along to the eighties rock song that’s playing over the speakers, while she flirts with the love-struck tourists most likely buying her drinks and hoping to take her home...which won’t happen.

Josh and Ziad are in the corner playing foosball with some unlucky tourists who are going to lose. They take the game far too seriously and love smoking the tourists. Laurie’s on the stool at the bar talking to Janet as they shoot looks Josh’s way. That’s a romance gone wrong, but they keep being drawn back to each other. Now, it’s gotten more complicated as Josh and Cindy seem to be sneaking off together every once in a while. If a person wants drama all they need to do is come to this island. There’s more than enough to go around.

Will walks up to Laurie and whispers something, making her glare at Josh. This makes me chuckle. He doesn’t mind getting his buddy into trouble, and if that means stirring up some drama so he can sit back and watch, he’s more than willing to do it.

Mary, one of the siblings who owns the Glenmore Plaza Hotel, the second oldest hotel in California, is sitting in the corner laughing with a group of men vying for her attention as she throws back her long black hair.

This is why I love coming back here over and over again. I love the people, and love that most are always excited to see us. It’s a place we can be ourselves, with the troubles of the world fading away the second we land on the island.

Drake makes a beeline for the music station while Jayden grabs the last available table in the place. I head over to the pool table, which shockingly is available. In the tight space, the shots aren’t easy to make, but it’s always a great time. I put in my coins and rack the balls.

“Fancy meeting you here,” a deep voice says. I look up, and a grin breaks out on my lips.

“Well, if it isn’t Cooper Armstrong. What in the hell are you doing here?” I ask as I lean in and give him a handshake. Cooper and I have flown many jets together, but it’s been well over a year since I’ve seen him. We’ve both been busy and neither of us are flying commercially too often.

“My wife hasn’t been to the island before, so we rented a place and came for the weekend,” he says. She’s with her sisters-in-law for a girls-only dinner, so I headed down for a drink. Good timing,” Cooper says.

“Well, my brothers are taking their sweet time, so let’s have a drink while I kick your ass at a game of pool,” I tell him.

He throws his head back and laughs before nodding. He moves to the bar, grabs some beer, then comes back in time to see me make a perfect break.

It doesn’t take long for my brothers to make their way over to us, then we’re all chatting about piloting, life, chaos, and more. All of us live on the edge, so it’s not hard to share a conversation that has others listening in, wishing they had even a quarter of the adventures we do.

“Life without brothers would be boring,” Cooper says with a laugh.

“Yep. We can sure fight like hell, but nothing will ever come between us,” I say.

“I know what you mean. The older I get, the more I realize how important family is,” Cooper responds.

Cooper lost his father at far too young of an age, and it sent him and his brothers off a steep cliff like it did with me and my brothers, but they pulled it together just like we did. The difference is they had their Uncle Sherman. It would’ve been nice for us to have another family member step up. We’ve managed to find our way, though, and have done quite well in spite of the devestation.

“I think I keep flying because it’s the only thing that keeps me sane most of the time. I can get into the skies and outrun my grief,” I admit.

“I’ve been there more times than I can count,” he says.

“It doesn’t always work, but the view is much better from the sky.”

“Amen to that, brother.”

We finish our first game, which he wins... with luck. We rack up to play again with him wearing a smirk that I’m about to wipe from his face.

“You settle down yet, Wolf?” he asks.

I shoot him a glare. He’s trying to throw me off my game.

“Not interested in that,” I tell him as he makes a beautiful break. It’s okay. I’ll still take him.

“Why not?”

“I like being free,” I casually say.

“Or maybe it’s cause you’re afraid if you commit, you might crash and burn,” he says with too much cockiness.

“Just because you’re married with kids now doesn’t mean you’re a relationship expert,” I tell him, then miss my shot. Dammit, maybe he is getting in my head.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” he says before perfectly sinking his shot. I let out a low growl.

“Maybe you spend too much time with shrinks,” I suggest.

“Nope, just wildly in love. I want it for everyone.”

“That’s the problem with friends who fall in love. They think everyone needs the same.”

“I think we all need someone special in our lives,” he says. “But I do like single friends, because they’re always available.”

I grumble at him again as I miss my next shot. He’s gotten into my head, but there’s no way in hell I’ll admit it. He wins the next game, and I decide I’m done for the evening. We sit with my brothers for a while before Cooper has to leave.

It doesn’t take long before my brothers and I leave as well. The bar is getting far too crowded for us. As much as we were talking about flirting, none of us seems to be in the mood for it at the moment.

We start back home as the noise of the crowd dies away behind us. The wind has picked up in the couple of hours we spent at the bar, and I look up to see clouds quickly filling the night sky.

Drake launches into a story about skinny-dipping and us nearly getting arrested. Jayden laughs at the memory, and I let out a forced chuckle. My mind’s somewhere else right now. As much as I don’t want to let Coop’s words into my head, they’re there to stay. I’m still restless and still don’t know why.

I look up at the rapidly disappearing stars and wonder what tomorrow will bring. Maybe Cooper was right. Maybe I am afraid of the crash. I shake my head. Nope. It’s not that at all. It’s the storm blowing in that’s messing with my head. I have no clue, however, that the storm isn’t just here on the island...