Turbulent Waters (Billionaire Aviators 3)

The party was over. Chloe had to explain what had happened. Nick stayed by her side, her father having been physically removed from the party. People stood back, giving them room, but Chloe was mortified.

When it was all over, she was told she’d have to make an official statement, that she could file charges of assault against the man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to take it that far. At least she didn’t have to decide that night.

She and Nick left the party, and he didn’t make her discuss it any further. She was grateful for that. She didn’t think she had it within her.

That night, Nick took her to bed and pulled her into his arms. She waited for him to strip her bare and take her, but he didn’t. He simply held her. It was only then that she finally let herself go and cried until she fell asleep, all while he rubbed her back and told her it would be okay. It would all be okay.

Chloe wasn’t sure if it ever was going to be fine. But for this one moment, she really did believe him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Nick walked into his attorney’s office with a broad smile on his face. The man looked up at him as if he might be slightly insane. How wrong Paul was. Nick was normally a happy man. His depressed behavior after the accident wasn’t at all usual, but he’d suffered the loss of friends, and his career had been put on hold. He’d decided from the very beginning he wasn’t going to give into the injuries, but at the same time, he had been downcast about how long the recovery was going to take.

Nick wasn’t exactly a patient man. He didn’t like limitationsâ??and a shattered kneecap certainly had limited him. But after the past few days of incredible lovemaking with his impossibly beautiful physical therapist, Nick was back to feeling like his old self. Maybe his brothers had been right in saying he’d just needed to get laid.

The thought made Nick smile even brighter. He knew the sex was certainly helping his attitude, but at the same time it was more than the sex. He really liked Chloe. She was sexy as hell, but she was strong and capable and didn’t take any crap from him. Nick realized he thought of her as an equal. That wasn’t something he could say about too many people.

It wasn’t that he thought he was above others—he just held himself to a high standard and didn’t allow himself to fail. Not too many were willing to do the same. Nick had no doubt Chloe would go the distance with him. That thought made his smile even bigger.

“What in the hell do you have to be smiling about?” Paul asked when Nick sat down in the chair across from him.

“My leg is feeling great, my arm’s almost fully back to top strength, and I have a beautiful woman at my place I plan on enjoying the rest of the day with. There’s a lot to smile about,” Nick told him.

Paul’s lips pressed together as a concerned pucker appeared between his brows. Nick wasn’t going to let the man’s pessimism affect him. He was in too good a mood. Sure, someone was saying he’d been drinking before the flight. But he wasn’t worried about that either. He had friends in the medical industry, and they assured him there would have been something in his system when he’d been rushed to the hospital after the rescue if he’d been drinking. Of course there’d been nothing there.

“Nick, this case is far from an easy victory,” Paul told him.

“Haven’t you spoken with the staff who treated me after the accident?” Nick asked. Nope. Still not worried, he thought.

“Yes, but it took six hours to find you, another hour before you were in the hospital. You lost a lot of blood, were dehydrated, and severely injured. The other attorney is saying alcohol could have easily been out of your system at that point.”

“Paul, my friend, I’m innocent. I was hurt and upset when this all began, upset that someone would accuse me of ever putting my team at risk, but I think I will be cleared of all wrongdoing,” Nick said.

Paul’s frown deepened.

“Nick, you aren’t a stupid man, so pull your head out of your ass,” Paul snapped. His words took Nick slightly aback and his smile dimmed.

“It’s not that I don’t realize how serious this all is,” Nick assured him. “It’s just that I know when it comes down to it, my commanders, my peers, my friends, and my family will all testify to my ethics. There is one person saying they saw me drinking. I can bring in a thousand who will say that would never happen.”

Paul sighed. “The judge has it out for you,” he said.

That stopped what Nick had been about to say. He frowned at Paul as he searched his mind for a possible enemy working in the JAG system. He had no clue.

“What’s his name?” Nick asked.

“Judge Robert Williams.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t recognize the name,” Nick said.

“From what I’ve found, he has a vendetta against your family. I have also been toldâ??but can’t prove thisâ??that he does whatever he’s told by Mitch Reynolds.”

That stopped Nick in his tracks. The name was too much of a coincidence. “Reynolds?” Nick questioned.

“Yes, and from what I’ve heard, neither of them like you,” Paul said.

“Why?” Nick asked. None of this made sense.

“I don’t know what the vendetta is about. Maybe you can speak to your family about this and figure it out, but when we met last week, Judge Williams made it abundantly clear to me that this would go to trial, that your name wasn’t going to get you out of this one,” Paul said. arty was over. Chloe had to explain what had happened. Nick stayed by her side, her father having been physically removed from the party. People stood back, giving them room, but Chloe was mortified.

When it was all over, she was told she’d have to make an official statement, that she could file charges of assault against the man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to take it that far. At least she didn’t have to decide that night.

She and Nick left the party, and he didn’t make her discuss it any further. She was grateful for that. She didn’t think she had it within her.

That night, Nick took her to bed and pulled her into his arms. She waited for him to strip her bare and take her, but he didn’t. He simply held her. It was only then that she finally let herself go and cried until she fell asleep, all while he rubbed her back and told her it would be okay. It would all be okay.

Chloe wasn’t sure if it ever was going to be fine. But for this one moment, she really did believe him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Nick walked into his attorney’s office with a broad smile on his face. The man looked up at him as if he might be slightly insane. How wrong Paul was. Nick was normally a happy man. His depressed behavior after the accident wasn’t at all usual, but he’d suffered the loss of friends, and his career had been put on hold. He’d decided from the very beginning he wasn’t going to give into the injuries, but at the same time, he had been downcast about how long the recovery was going to take.

Nick wasn’t exactly a patient man. He didn’t like limitationsâ??and a shattered kneecap certainly had limited him. But after the past few days of incredible lovemaking with his impossibly beautiful physical therapist, Nick was back to feeling like his old self. Maybe his brothers had been right in saying he’d just needed to get laid.

The thought made Nick smile even brighter. He knew the sex was certainly helping his attitude, but at the same time it was more than the sex. He really liked Chloe. She was sexy as hell, but she was strong and capable and didn’t take any crap from him. Nick realized he thought of her as an equal. That wasn’t something he could say about too many people.

It wasn’t that he thought he was above others—he just held himself to a high standard and didn’t allow himself to fail. Not too many were willing to do the same. Nick had no doubt Chloe would go the distance with him. That thought made his smile even bigger.

“What in the hell do you have to be smiling about?” Paul asked when Nick sat down in the chair across from him.

“My leg is feeling great, my arm’s almost fully back to top strength, and I have a beautiful woman at my place I plan on enjoying the rest of the day with. There’s a lot to smile about,” Nick told him.

Paul’s lips pressed together as a concerned pucker appeared between his brows. Nick wasn’t going to let the man’s pessimism affect him. He was in too good a mood. Sure, someone was saying he’d been drinking before the flight. But he wasn’t worried about that either. He had friends in the medical industry, and they assured him there would have been something in his system when he’d been rushed to the hospital after the rescue if he’d been drinking. Of course there’d been nothing there.

“Nick, this case is far from an easy victory,” Paul told him.

“Haven’t you spoken with the staff who treated me after the accident?” Nick asked. Nope. Still not worried, he thought.

“Yes, but it took six hours to find you, another hour before you were in the hospital. You lost a lot of blood, were dehydrated, and severely injured. The other attorney is saying alcohol could have easily been out of your system at that point.”

“Paul, my friend, I’m innocent. I was hurt and upset when this all began, upset that someone would accuse me of ever putting my team at risk, but I think I will be cleared of all wrongdoing,” Nick said.

Paul’s frown deepened.

“Nick, you aren’t a stupid man, so pull your head out of your ass,” Paul snapped. His words took Nick slightly aback and his smile dimmed.

“It’s not that I don’t realize how serious this all is,” Nick assured him. “It’s just that I know when it comes down to it, my commanders, my peers, my friends, and my family will all testify to my ethics. There is one person saying they saw me drinking. I can bring in a thousand who will say that would never happen.”

Paul sighed. “The judge has it out for you,” he said.

That stopped what Nick had been about to say. He frowned at Paul as he searched his mind for a possible enemy working in the JAG system. He had no clue.

“What’s his name?” Nick asked.

“Judge Robert Williams.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t recognize the name,” Nick said.

“From what I’ve found, he has a vendetta against your family. I have also been toldâ??but can’t prove thisâ??that he does whatever he’s told by Mitch Reynolds.”

That stopped Nick in his tracks. The name was too much of a coincidence. “Reynolds?” Nick questioned.

“Yes, and from what I’ve heard, neither of them like you,” Paul said.

“Why?” Nick asked. None of this made sense.

“I don’t know what the vendetta is about. Maybe you can speak to your family about this and figure it out, but when we met last week, Judge Williams made it abundantly clear to me that this would go to trial, that your name wasn’t going to get you out of this one,” Paul said.