Page 27 of Ace

“What do you have in mind?”

She grabbed hold of the throttle. And right before he turned, she knew what he would do. They dove, dipped, then soared. A full circle later, she was laughing and gripping her stomach. “Okay, my turn.”

She banked hard to the left and flipped them in a sideways spiral.

“Oh wow. I wasn’t ready for that.”

“Not getting an old stomach on me, are you?”

“No way.” He took them straight up, let them drop about twenty feet, then picked up the controls to a wide turn and got back on course.

“I miss this. You. All of it.”

“Me too.” She watched him through the monitor for a few moments.

Then the radio crackled.

“Ace, do you copy?” A woman’s voice sounded over the air. “This is Tenderfoot.”

Dex laughed. “Have we not changed your call sign yet?”

“Not yet. Are you close?”

“Look out your window.” He dipped the nose, and Gianna felt the familiar landing sensation.

She wondered again about this woman. Ivy. She had spunk; Dex liked spunk.

They landed. Dex and Gianna walked into the hangar, side by side, helmets on their hips. She breathed in the plane fuel, the oil smells of a hangar and grinned. “Oh, it’s good to be back.”

A door slammed open on the upper level, and a group of people joined a woman with long, sleek reddish-blond hair, standing at the railing.

Dex lifted a hand. “We’re on our way up.”

“Good, there’s been a development.”

“Another one?”

“Several.” Ivy turned and went back through the door.

“Omar Santori, Jed Sanchez. This is Gianna West.”

Jed grinned. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Omar nodded.

They both entered after the woman.

Gianna looked around. “So this is what you do.”

“Yep. This is what we do in the Pacific Oceanic Alliance. We get hired all over the world to train air squadrons, among other things.”

She nodded and followed him into the room.

One wall was filled with screens, the other seemed to serve as a control tower, with controls beneath a wall of windows. The woman came forward and held out her hand. “Gianna West? I’m Ivy Hatfield. It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve long admired what you’re doing here in the Pacific, and your father’s work on the global initiatives for peace is nothing short of inspiring. What he did in Vietnam alone should be in every textbook on diplomacy. His speech—”

Dex cleared his throat.

Ivy glanced in his direction, and her cheeks colored. “Yes. Let me give you an update.”

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