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

  Unlocking Dreams (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

  A Flipping Love Story, Book 1

  Linzi Baxter

  Contents

  Foreword

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Grayson’s Angel Blurb

  Hacker Exposed Blurb

  LINZI BAXTER’S VIP CLUB

  About Author

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2018 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Special Forces: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  About the book

  A dream house. A dream man. And a nightmare that could destroy everything.

  Six years after Isabella Harper’s unscrupulous boss destroyed her real estate career, her house-flipping business is on the brink of success—or it would be, if her main competition, sexy ex-SEAL Ian Parker, wasn’t outbidding her on every promising flip in town.

  Finally, she lands a neglected Victorian home that will fix her ruined reputation. Except a persistent vandal threatens to derail her tight schedule and even tighter budget. Plus, Ian inexplicably starts showing up, offering to help. And making her heart hammer with desire.

  It’s not just profits that drives Ian to keep plenty of flippable houses his reno pipeline. Working himself to exhaustion keeps his deployment nightmares at bay. But letting Bella win that house is worth the smile she aims at him…and now he can’t get enough of it. Or her.

  As they work side by side, Ian dares to hope he’s close to bidding his heart goodbye. But when Bella suddenly disappears, his nightmare takes on a new face. Hers…if he doesn’t reach her in time to save her from a threat no one saw coming.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who saw me through this book. My editor, who did an amazing job and worked hard to help me craft a better story. Cassy, for doing an astounding job with the cover art. My husband and family, for always being there to support me. This book couldn’t have happened without Susan Stoker allowing me to write in her world!

  Thank you to all you amazing readers who are going on this journey alongside me. I hope Unlocking Dreams is all that you hoped for and more!

  Dedication

  Jean and Michelle for always listening to my ideas.

  Chapter 1

  Isabella Harper analyzed the growing crowd around her. She recognized most of the bidders gathered at the bottom of the Bexar County Courthouse steps. That day, Bexar County would auction off one house. Isabella was determined to win the bid—she wouldn’t let another house slip from her grasp. She needed this house to propel her new real estate company, Bella Estates.

  She gritted her teeth in frustration when she spotted Ian Parker, her biggest competitor at the auction. The ex-Navy SEAL seemed to have an endless bank account. Even though he angered her by buying up all the available houses, it was hard to peel her eyes away from his body. He towered over her five-foot-two, vertically challenged height. His muscles strained against his black T-shirt. Her gaze slowly worked its way up his body until her eyes reached his. He had a knowing smirk.

  No matter how sexy the competition was, she needed to concentrate on the auction.

  Six months earlier, everything Bella had worked for had tumbled down around her. She was with the top real estate investor in San Antonio, Alton Ainsworth. He’d shown her how to get the best deals, and she’d become his apprentice. He included Bella when he negotiated new deals. When she wasn’t in the office, learning from her mentor, she was at a job site. Mr. Ainsworth planned to retire and hand the business over to Bella.

  The only part of the business he hadn’t shown her was the company’s books. She constantly asked about the accounting side of the business, and Mr. Ainsworth came up with a different excuse each time. Bella understood why when the FBI showed up one Tuesday morning and seized the office's computers. She sat in her office in the executive wing of Ainsworth Real Estate. The glass wall gave her a front-row view of the FBI agents as they escorted her boss out of the building in handcuffs.

  The FBI interviewed everyone in the office, and the employees of Ainsworth Real Estate were cleared, but Mr. Ainsworth got sentenced to thirty years in jail for embezzlement and wire fraud. Bella was shocked that she hadn’t seen what her mentor had done. Because she’d been his second-in-command, her name had been tarnished in the real estate business.

  After the FBI cleared her, she decided to flip her first house with what little savings she had. If she could get her hands on the house on auction that day, it would set her up for the rest of the year. Bella planned to try to buy it for less than $200,000. She would make a $100,000 profit when she sold the house. Ian was the only person in the way of her dream.

  The double doors to the courthouse swung open. Benny, the county auctioneer, walked down the stairs. He was in his late fifties. His white button-down shirt strained against his beer belly. The top of his head was beaded with sweat from the Texas sun.

  Bella glanced to where Ian Parker stood. Next to him was an equally sexy man, but something about Ian held her attention. She took the extra second to memorize his features while he spoke to his friend. He must have felt her gaze because he looked up and winked. His cocky demeanor made her want to win the bid even more.

  Benny cleared his throat. “We have one house up for auction today: 103 Fairlane Road. The lender has set the opening bid at one hundred fifty thousand dollars. The bidding will start in five-thousand-dollar increments. Okay, the auction’
s on. What would you give for it? The bid is one hundred fifty thousand. Now, give a hundred fifty-five.”

  The Lang brothers bid $155. They normally went after duplexes, so it surprised her to see them at the auction.

  “Now, will you give one sixty-five? Do I have one sixty… going once… going twi—”

  Ian shouted, “One seventy.”

  Before the auctioneer had time to confirm the bid, a man standing behind Ian said, “Two hundred.” He wore a blue hoody. Bella had never seen him before.

  The crowd groaned. The newcomer’s bid hike caused a few of the locals to leave. The Lang brothers were the first to head toward the parking garage.

  “One seventy… now two hundred… do I have two hundred five? Two hundred five… going once… going twice…”

  Ian nodded, taking the bid.

  Bella needed this house. It was time to make her move. “Two ten.”

  “I have two ten. Anyone else give two fifteen…? Would you give two fifteen?”

  The man with the blue hoody motioned for the two fifteen bid.

  The bidding war made Bella’s adrenaline spike. She shouted, “Two twenty-five.”

  Blue-hoody man said something she couldn’t hear and stormed off toward the parking lot. Ian watched Bella. She hoped with all her heart that he would let her have this house. He’d taken the last six houses that were up for auction.

  In the background, the auctioneer continued his chant. “…Bids at two hundred twenty-five dollars… do I hear two thirty? Would you go for two thirty?”

  Bella shut her eyes and hoped all the bidders would keep their traps closed. When the auction hit $200,000, a majority of the bidders left. They wouldn’t stand out in the Texas heat any longer than necessary. Most of them had large renovation crews and needed to have a certain price to make a profit. Bella planned to do most of the work herself. This would be her ticket back into the real estate world. She would fix her name. She vowed to never work with another company again. Alton Ainsworth had burned her too badly.

  Bella had no clue about how bad the Victorian home was inside, but she hoped she could salvage most of it so she could make a profit. The house had great curb appeal. The outside didn’t concern her—the inside was what she was nervous about.

  She heard Benny shout, “Going once… going twice… going thrice. Sold to this lady.”

  Her dream had come true. Ian's eyes were narrowed in her direction. She couldn't figure out what he wanted, but at the moment, she didn’t care. The house was hers. This called for a celebration. She sent her friend Ava a text to see if she could meet her at the diner across the street.

  Bella paid for the house with a cashier’s check and filled out paperwork. An hour later, she walked out of the courthouse, the new owner of a Victorian house.

  “Was he there?” Ava asked Bella.

  “Who?”

  Bella leaned back in the booth at Joe’s Diner and held back her smile. Ava had become one of her closest friends. Mr. Ainsworth had used the company Ava worked for to sell homes. After a few meetings, they’d become friends. After the FBI arrested Bella’s boss, Ava was the only person in the real estate industry to call and ask how she was. Ava was tall and slender, and she loved spending time at home with her fiancé. Like her, Bella loved to spend time at home, but with a book, not a boyfriend.

  “You know who I’m talking about. The former Navy SEAL who buys all the houses from under you. Each time you complain about him, you get a far-off look in your eyes.”

  “He was there,” Bella grumbled. She wouldn't deny that she fantasized about the man. “Ian showed up with one of his friends and bid the house up, but not as high as he normally does. It would be so much easier to hate the man if he wasn’t so damn hot.”

  “Instead of spending hours fantasizing about him, why don’t you ask him out? Can you imagine the team you would make or the mini-humans you could produce? They would have your eye for design and his endless pocketbook.”

  Bella choked on her water. After Ava had fallen head over heels in love with her hunky FBI Agent, Ethan Riker, she’d tried to set Bella up on a few blind dates. Bella was able to dodge each of them. Now Ava wanted her to hook up with the enemy.

  “Ava, I asked you to lunch to celebrate my new project. I don’t have time for a man in my life. I’m still in the process of picking up the pieces from six months ago. I want to talk about the house.”

  “Fine. When are you going to start on the house?” Ava asked before she bit into her burger.

  Bella pulled the keys out and jingled them. “They gave me the keys at the auction. I plan to head over to the house after our lunch. The lumberyard will be my next stop. The house needs to be back on the market in three weeks.”

  Ava’s phone buzzed with a new message. When she glanced down at it, her eyes twinkled with love, and Bella knew her fiancé had texted her. Ava replied to the message and put her phone back in her pocket. “Three weeks is a tight schedule. Are you hiring subs to help you hit the timeline?”

  Bella sighed. “I'm hiring a couple of contractors, but I plan to do most of the work myself. This is my only job for the next three weeks. If I spend every waking hour at the site, I should be able to finish in three weeks.”

  “I know I won't be able to talk you out of your crazy schedule. How about I come over on Sunday and help for a few hours?” Ava held up her hand and stopped Bella from interrupting. “Ethan has to work this weekend, and I don’t have any showings on Sunday. I hate sitting at home alone, so let me help you.”

  “I would love the help.” Bella took a sip of water. “But please don’t feel you have to.”

  “I want to help. Then you can flip the house quickly and see your sexy SEAL.” Ava wagged her eyebrows.

  Bella shook her head. Ava wouldn’t drop it until she dated someone. She hadn’t tried since the incident with her boss. The FBI had cleared her name, but not before the media had dragged it through the mud along with her mentor’s. High-powered people who were angry at her ex-boss shifted their anger to her when they could no longer reach him. She was scared to date again.

  “Stop thinking about your old boss.” Ava could always read her mind.

  “It’s hard. He cheated so many people out of money. How did I not see this?”

  “How long was he in business?”

  They’d had this argument before. “Thirty years.”

  Ava pointed at her. “He did millions in transactions. You aren’t the only person he fooled. Let it be in the past, and move forward.”

  “You’re right.” Bella sighed.

  Ava’s phone buzzed. “I have a meeting with a new client in a half hour. I’ll see you on Sunday. Do you need me to bring anything?”

  “Nope. Come hungry. I’ll have lunch for us.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  Bella let out a laugh. “You can’t wait to do manual labor?”

  “I always see the houses once they’re complete. It will be fun to be part of the process of fixing the house.”

  Bella and Ava exited the booth and hugged. “Thank you for helping me,” Bella said. “I swear I will give you an easy job.”

  “I offered to help, so don’t give me busy work.” Ava pulled her purse strap over her shoulder.

  Bella held up her hands. “I promise: no busy work.”

  “Good.”

  Outside the diner, they hugged again. “See you Sunday,” Bella said. “If something comes up, please don’t worry about canceling.”

  “I’ll be there. Be careful.”

  “Always am. Bye.”

  Excitement coursed through Bella’s veins the closer she got to her new Victorian home. She hoped she’d made the right decision. This flip could make or break her future.

  Chapter 2

  Ian Parker parked in front of the yellow Victorian home and turned off his engine. He’d wanted this house—it would have been a great flip. The curb appeal alone was enough to sell the house. The white wrap-around balcony accented t
he yellow siding. A pebbled sidewalk led up to the teal steps. The home was just under three thousand square feet. It would have been a nice addition to the houses he’d already flipped.

  The neighborhood was quaint and quiet and screamed old money. He was surprised that the house had sold for so low a price. Isabella would get a nice profit off the flip.

  Cole Walker, his business partner, had been surprised when Ian had stopped bidding on the house, but Ian couldn’t help but want to give Bella the bid. Her husky voice had gone straight to his groin. She’d worn a navy-blue suit that accented her curves. The pants bunched at the bottom even with her wearing high heels. Bella had to be almost a foot shorter than his six-foot-four frame. After making the bid of $225,000, she closed her eyes and bit her lip, and he knew she needed this house. People in the crowd whispered about her old boss. They all believed she’d been in on his scheme. Ian never paid close attention to the gossip, but something had tugged at his heartstrings, and he let her have the house. Her eyes had lit up with joy when the auctioneer said, “Sold.”

  Losing one house would not send Ian into a downward spiral. He’d sent Cole out to find him another one. Cole and Ian had met in the Navy. They’d both been part of SEAL Team Five and stationed in Korea. Ian was medically discharged, and Cole left a few months later when he had the option to leave or reenlist. After that, they used their savings and flipped houses. Cole did it for the money. Ian did it to help with his PTSD. The demolition of the houses helped wear him down so that he could sleep at night without having nightmares.