Unlocking Dreams (Special Forces: Operation Alpha): A Flipping Love Story, Book 1

by Linzi Baxter

  “Let’s get my woman back,” he growled to the surrounding men.

  “Hooyah,” they answered.

  Ian lowered his night-vision goggles. Wolf’s voice came over the comm. Ian gripped his gun in his right hand and nodded. Abe and Cookie headed around to the back of the house. Ethan and Max stayed in the vehicle and watched surveillance. Wolf and Cole flanked Ian.

  Tex had been able to get a blueprint of the house. They figured the kidnappers held her in the back-right side of the building. The room had no windows and no way to escape. It would be the best room for holding a prisoner.

  Cookie’s voice came over the comm. “Two tangos down.”

  Ian stood behind the third tango and wrapped his arm around the man's throat. After a few seconds, the man dropped. Cole worked to tie his hands and feet together. Ian tied a cloth around his mouth. Their goal was to get Bella back, not kill members of organized crime.

  Wolf took the last tango down with a punch. The enemy never saw it coming. Wolf moved with the speed of light.

  “All tangos have been cleared,” Tex said over the comm. He was watching from a satellite.

  The front door was locked. Abe and Cookie were in place at the back of the house. They waited for Ian’s cue to enter. Ian worked a camera under the seal of the door. The four-inch monitor in his hands lit up with a picture of the entryway. He used the joystick attached to the monitor to view the rest of the area. Nobody stood guard behind the door. Ian stepped back and put the camera in his backpack, and Cole used his toolkit to unlock the door.

  Once inside, Ian worked his way left, followed by Cole and Wolf. Abe and Cookie entered at the back and headed upstairs to clear the area. Ian could hear voices toward the back of the house.

  When he and Cole reached the door to the room with no windows, Ian could hear someone speaking. He leaned close to the door to listen. He didn’t want to go in unprepared, but when a gunshot sounded inside the room, he didn’t wait any longer. He busted through the door. Wolf tried to stop him, but Ian was already on his way into the room. Bella was his first concern.

  Bella felt drained from the numerous injections she had received. Ryan kept asking the same question, “What is the password?” She hadn’t known the password ten minutes before. Why would she know it now? And even if she did know it, she wouldn’t tell those two spoiled brats.

  Then Bella spotted a scary man dressed in a thousand-dollar suit. He was sitting in a tall-back chair. If she hadn’t seen him, the stench of his cigar would have given him away.

  The man hadn’t said a word to her. He answered a phone call and spoke in perfect Italian. She was screwed. Not only did her ex-boss’s kids want something from her, but she also had the fucking mob after her. The situation kept getting worse. She didn’t even know what day it was or how long she’d been out. The damn drugs they’d pumped into her system had messed with her sense of time.

  “Why don’t you ask your dad how to access the accounts? I’m telling you, I have nothing to do with them,” Bella pleaded.

  Tina tapped her manicured hand on the wood desk. “How do you expect us to ask our father when he is in jail and they monitor his calls, you dumb bitch?”

  Bella didn’t see the hand coming until it was too late. Ryan had attached her hands to the chair, and he’d also tied her feet together. There was no way she could have dodged the blow even if she’d tried. Tina’s hand hit Bella’s face with so much force that it made blood trickle from her nose. Luckily, the drugs still coursed through her body, and she felt numb. The first hit didn’t hurt too badly, but when Tina came down with the second hit, Bella felt it to the core. Her head bobbed to the side, and black crept into her eyes.

  She took a few calm breaths to get her emotions in check. Her vision came back. When she looked up, Tina’s arm was in a downward trajectory again. Bella squeezed her eyes and waited for impact, but it didn’t come. She opened her eyes to see the scary man in the expensive suit. He had Tina’s arm in his hand. He’d already looked intimidating when he was in the chair. Now he oozed danger as his six-foot-five frame stood in front of her. The perfectly tailored suit accented his well-defined body. If Bella hadn’t already fallen in love with an ex-Navy SEAL house-flipping sex god, she might have gone for the angry, dangerous mob lord—though she didn’t know how she would make it in the crime family.

  If she hadn’t already figured out that the man was part of the Mafia, it became obvious when he spoke. “Go sit, Tina.” His heavy Italian accent made it hard to understand him.

  “Sir, please let me go. I don’t know what they told you, but I don’t know where any money is. Their father screwed me over like he scr—”

  “Shut up.” He lowered himself in front of her. “My tech guys say the password is your childhood animal’s name. Now, tell me the name.” He reached out and held her hand. His touch sent goose bumps through her body—and not the good kind. They formed out of pure terror of the man in front of her.

  Bella took a second to figure out how to answer. Would Mr. Ainsworth really use her childhood pet’s name? She couldn’t chance it. If she told them the name, they would get what they wanted and kill her. If she continued to stall, someone might show up and save her. The likelihood of anyone knowing her location was slim. She hadn’t left Ian on good terms. He probably wanted nothing to do with her after she stormed out and didn’t give him a chance.

  It was too bad. As Bella stared death in the face, she wished she’d told Ian she loved him, even if it was too early for that. You never knew when you might die. Now she wouldn’t be able to tell the only man she’d ever loved how she felt. But one thing was for sure: she wouldn’t tell these fuckers her childhood pet’s name.

  “Buffy.”

  Scary Italian guy stared into her eyes. He cocked his head to the side. “Lie.” Before she had a chance to figure out his next move, he pulled her finger back until it snapped. The pain that jolted through her body was enough to make her scream bloody murder. The fucker had broken her finger with a flick of his hand. He hadn’t even flinched.

  “Put something in her mouth. I don’t need to listen to her scream.”

  Ryan looked around the room until he found a handkerchief and shoved it in her mouth. He had to try a couple of times because his hands shook. He seemed as shocked as she was by the crazy fucker’s action. Tina didn’t look surprised. She looked down at her manicured nails and ignored the incident in front of her.

  Tears streamed down Bella’s face. A sob broke from her, but the towel muffled her screams.

  “Now, let’s try this again. What is your childhood pet’s name?”

  Bella didn’t know what to do. How had the man in front of her known she was lying? Was that a test before he asked the real question? She didn’t know how much torture she could take, but she couldn’t give in.

  “Mol—” Bella didn’t even get the full word out before he grabbed her middle finger and pushed it back as far as it could go. The pain so intense that her world went dark.

  They put smelling salts under her nose, and she woke up and wanted to vomit from the smell. They kept the handkerchief in her mouth. The tears in her eyes made it hard to see, and the handkerchief made it hard to breathe. Blood and snot streamed from her nose.

  “Last time. What is your pet’s name?” The crazy Italian removed the handkerchief from her mouth.

  Bella felt defeated. “Scarlett.”

  He nodded, reached for her first dislocated finger, and snapped it into place. Bella let out a scream, and before she knew what he was doing, he’d snapped her second finger back into place. The pain was as bad as when he’d dislocated them—maybe even worse.

  Ryan looked as if he wanted to vomit. Bella didn’t blame him. If she had to watch a crazy person torture someone, she would look green too. An idea formed in her mind. If she could get him alone, she might have a chance to get away. He didn’t look happy with the way his sister and the crazy Italian were treating her.

  “Water,” Bella
croaked out. This will get one person out of the room.

  The crazy guy looked at Tina. “Go get her water.”

  Tina rolled her eyes and exited to the right. Fuck. The room had an attached bathroom. Bella couldn’t get a break.

  Ryan took a few steps in Bella’s direction. “Don’t you think this is a little overboard?”

  The crazy Italian took his attention away from Bella. “Do you have money to pay for your sister’s drug habit? Tina promised me fifty percent of the money in the account if I could get the info from her.”

  “Hey, man, that’s my money too, and I promised nothing like that.”

  Tina walked out of the bathroom, raised her gun, and pressed the trigger. She shot her brother without even blinking. For the first time, Bella saw shock in the crazy Italian’s eyes. He hadn’t expected her to take out her own brother.

  Bella hadn’t had time to contemplate what happened when the doors of the study burst open. She had to blink the tears away to see who came through. She couldn’t believe her eyes—her knight in shining armor had arrived. He’d come for her even though she’d thrown a fit the day before and hadn’t listened to a word he’d said.

  Danger still loomed around them. Bella’s heart leaped. She didn’t want Ian or his friends to get hurt. Tina raised her gun to shoot Ian, and Bella screamed. She heard two shots. Ian jumped to the side and dodged a bullet. Tina’s body slumped to the ground.

  The crazy Italian raised his gun but stopped when one of Ian’s men shoved a gun in his back. “Pull that trigger, and you will die.”

  When the Italian dropped his gun, Ian’s friend put his hands in zip ties.

  Ian rushed to Bella’s side and worked on her bindings. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

  Silly man. She’d forgiven him hours before, and he had bonus points because he’d come to her rescue.

  He ran a cold rag over her face and wiped the blood away. After making sure she was somewhat okay, he gave his attention to his friends. “Wolf, you and your team need to leave. I’m going to call the paramedics.” When it looked as though they would protest, Ian said, “Man, it will be a pain in the butt to explain you and your team. Cole and I came after my girlfriend.” He got up and gave each man a one-armed hug, and they disappeared in a flash. Bella hoped she would get to meet the people who’d helped save her life. There was no mistaking that she would have died if it weren’t for Ian and his friends.

  Ian had his work cut out explaining to the cops how he and one other guy had taken down five guards and rescued Bella. But the crazy Italian had been on the cops’ radar for months. Their search warrants had been turned down. They finally had something to bring him in on, and they were happy to believe Ian’s story in the end.

  Chapter 14

  Two weeks had passed since Bella had been kidnapped and taken across the country. She was happy to be back in Texas, though every sound still made her jump, and the splint on her hand annoyed her. The doctor said she could remove it in another week. The swelling had gone down, and in its place, her hand turned black and blue.

  Ava’s heels clicked across the hardwood floor. She wrapped Bella in a hug and handed her a glass of wine. “Congrats. We sold it for ten thousand over asking, and all cash. Ten-day closing, and you can start your next flip.”

  Excitement coursed through Bella’s veins. She had sat down with Cole and Ian and decided to go into business with them. This last flip had almost been the death of her. First, Jake would have killed her if Ian hadn’t shown up when he had. Then she’d had to deal with the crazy brother and sister.

  Tina had survived the gunshot and was serving time for attempted murder. The Italian, Vezio Astor, was the head of the Astor crime family. She hadn’t recognized him at the house, but later, when they said his name, she knew who he was. The FBI had tried to arrest Vezio many times, but he had a high-ranking judge in his pocket.

  Vezio wouldn’t be able to escape prison this time. Because he’d used his house to kidnap and hold Bella against her will, the FBI was able to search the house, and they’d found documentation of his drug deals.

  Tex had turned over all the information on the offshore accounts to the FBI. They were able to funnel money back to families, and the FBI had increased Mr. Ainsworth’s sentence. Bella no longer had to deal with her past. In the back of her mind, she felt bad for Ryan. He’d been an ass to kidnap her, but she’d never wanted anyone to die.

  Ava handed her the contract.

  “It doesn’t seem real yet.” Bella couldn’t believe the house was sold.

  Ava leaned against the gray wall. “You did an amazing job with this house. It was one of the easiest sales I’ve had. But next time, don’t open the door for anyone trying to buy the house. I’ll let you know if someone is coming. I thought we’d lost you, Bella.” Tears formed in Ava’s eyes.

  Bella’s eyes started to tear up as well. She sniffled. “I didn’t mean to get kidnapped.”

  Ava laughed. “I don’t think most people try to get kidnapped. I’m happy you’re going to start to work with Ian and Cole on your next projects. You both should come over next weekend, and have Cole come too. I think we need to set him up with someone.”

  “I’ll ask Ian.” Bella leaned in and was about to give her friend a hug goodbye when a knock on the front door made her heart rate skyrocket. She still was afraid when people came to the door. Ian hadn’t left her side until that day, when he’d gone to the courthouse with Cole to purchase their next flip.

  As soon as she was done with Ava, Bella wanted to head over to the house that Ian and Cole planned to purchase at the auction that day. She pulled from Ava’s embrace, walked toward the door, and gripped the pink switchblade Ian had given her when they got back to Texas. She opened the door.

  Ian stood on the steps with a bouquet. He swept her into a hug. “Congratulations. I wanted to bring you flowers.”

  Ava slid by her on the way out the door and gave her a thumbs-up.

  “Why aren’t you with Cole?” she asked. “Did we not get the house?”

  Ian captured her lips with a kiss. She was so lost in his touch that she forgot all about her questions until he pulled back with a smirk on his face. “Of course we got the house. Cole went over to check it out. You and I are heading west to spend the next ten days in a cabin on the river.”

  Bella liked the idea of getting away.

  Ian couldn’t wait to strip Bella down the second they walked through the doors of the cabin. She squeaked when he picked her up and pressed her back against the wall. During the two-hour drive, he’d watched her dress ride up her legs.

  She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist and clawed at his belt. He guided her dress over her head. The second he had her stripped down, he pressed his lips to hers. Pure need coursed through his body. Ever since she’d been taken from him, he constantly needed her touch.

  “You need to move in with me,” Ian said between kisses.

  Bella’s hooded eyes opened. “Last time I checked, you are supposed to ask the woman to move in with you, not demand it.”

  “I don’t want there to be a chance for you to say no.” Ian ran his hands through her velvety folds. She was ready for him. He couldn’t hold back any longer. Ian pushed into her hard and fast. The need to possess her was overwhelming.

  Bella threw her head back against the door and let out a moan. Her channel clenched against his dick, causing him to move faster. She grabbed his hair and pulled him in. The kiss was raw and full of passion.

  When he reached between them and pinched her nub, Bella screamed his name, and he felt her tighten around him. Ian couldn’t hold on much longer. He gripped her ass with both hands and thrust into her. With one final thrust, he came. They were both panting from the intense passion. Ian leaned his head against her. He didn’t want to pull out and lose the connection.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You’ll move in with me?” Ian wanted to come home every night and have Bella in his
arms. He knew it was too early to ask her to marry him, but if it were up to him, he would take her to the courthouse right then and make her his.

  “I want a ring one day.”

  Ian stopped stroking her back. He walked over to the couch with Bella in his arms. The cabin out in the woods would be the perfect way to spend the weekend. Bella agreed to live with him, and she wanted a ring.

  Ian dragged his hands along the curve of her breast. “You will be my wife one day, Bella. I didn’t want to ask this soon and scare you off.”

  “When you’re ready to ask, I’ll say yes.”

  “Good. So you’ll move in when we get back.” He kissed her on the forehead. “And shortly, I will ask you to marry me.”

  Ian wouldn’t wait long to ask Bella to marry him. A plan started to formulate in his mind. Bella had been upset that she hadn’t gotten to meet Wolf and his team. They’d vacated Vezio’s house before Ian had called the cops. Cole and Ian would have loved to stay in San Diego for a few more days, but the longer Cole kept the plane, the more he would owe his family. If Cole hadn’t gotten the jet to take them to San Diego, they wouldn’t have made it in time, and Bella would be dead. Ian vowed to help Cole with any favor his family demanded.

  In a couple of months, Ian planned to take Bella back to San Diego so she could meet the men who’d helped save her. He also planned to make her his wife on the beach.

  “Bella, I love you.”

  Tears formed in Bella’s eyes, and Ian panicked that he said something wrong.

  “I love you too, Ian,” Bella whispered.

  Ian wiped the tear from her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”

  “I’m happy.”

  “Me too, love.”

  Epilogue

  Cole Walker reached for his phone in his front pocket. They wouldn’t stop the calls until he answered. When he’d promised to do anything his family wanted, he’d been in a panic because he hadn’t wanted anything to happen to Bella.