29 Spiraling #2
“Two guards, east hallway,” Noah cuts in.
“Luca, flank. Jace, team branch west,” I relay, seeing the guards that Noah spotted.
“On it,” Jace says, then gives Felix and Kellan exact positions, routes, and angles.
A soft, muffled grunt comes through the comms.
“Everyone good?” Noah asks.
“Caught a wild one,” Luca pants. I can even hear the smirk in his voice.
Jace spits, “Don't get cocky, that's when mistakes are made.”
“I'm not cocky,” Luca replies, smooth and teasing. “I just like showing off while my girl is watching.”
“Stop flirting and focus,” Jace snaps.
Maeve gives me a look and I mute myself.
“Did he just say 'my girl'?” Maeve all but squeals.
“Shut up.” I hit the button to unmute.
“Moving forward,” Noah says, “Target's in sight— loading dock, marked crates.”
“Copy,” Felix and Kellan say in unison.
I watch as they split off.
“East side, two more,” I call out.
“Got it.” Luca effortlessly takes the right angle. A soft thud, a muffled groan and the guards are down.
“West side clear,” Jace reports. “Loading dock secure. Planting devices now.”
I watch as they work efficiently.
“Isobel, the team needs an extraction route,” Jace says.
“Back alley north, then loop east,” I respond.
“Copy.”
“Movement, east corridor,” Felix calls out.
“Copy. Luca, east angle. Jace, cover.”
“On it.”
“West side, two more.” Noah's voice is tight.
“Felix, Kellan, intercept. Do not let them flank us.”
“Copy.”
I watch as Luca slinks along the wall. Silent but deadly. His hands are precise, efficient, striking pressure points, twisting arms, immobilizing people left and right.
A sudden shout as one of the guards manages to struggle free.
“Luca!” Jace barks. “Stop showing off!”
“I'm not showing off.” Luca replies, calm as ever, “I’m saving your ass, as usual.”
I swear I hear Jace growl. Jace snaps his orders faster and sharper. His obvious frustration bleeds through every word. Luca's low, confident tones counter it, almost mocking.
“Team, extraction in five,” Jace barks.
“You heard him. Move,” I repeat.
They move, and I watch as each person leaves the warehouse.
“Charges set,” Luca says. “Everyone clear?”
“Clear.” Jace's tone is flat. “Moving to the extraction point.”
“East exit secured,” Felix confirms. “Kellan, flank west.”
“Copy.”
My chest loosens just a bit, the end of the mission is coming. So close.
“Firing in three…two…one…”
The warehouse explodes in a controlled detonation, smoke and chaos filling the air.
“Extraction route clear,” Noah reports.
“Luca, cover Jace's six!” Felix shouts.
A guard bursts from a side door, knife raised. Before anyone can react, Luca's on him, a blur of motion. Hands and legs in perfect coordination.
“You could at least thank me,” Luca says to Jace.
“Don't pretend like you're the hero here,” Jace murmurs.
“Jealousy isn't a good look on you, Ravencourt.” Luca's voice is low and teasing.
“I'm not jealous,” Jace snaps back.
“You're just mad cause I got to blow shit up.” Luca dances away from him.
“Fucking clown,” Jace growls.
They make it back to the van and I hear the door close.
“Good work, everyone.” I sigh, sitting back.
“Teamwork makes the dreamwork.” Luca chuckles.
After the debrief, we're in the car back to Ashthorne Hall. Noah drives with Maeve up front, and I'm sandwiched between Jace and Luca.
“I quite like having you in my ear watching me during missions.” Luca throws his arm over my shoulders. “I don't get that when you're out in the field.”
“I didn't love it,” I mumble.
“She was so antsy. Couldn't sit still,” Maeve teases.
“Rude.” I cross my arms as Luca laughs.
“I'm glad it was successful, though,” Noah says.
“Me too.” I nod.
“I got to save Jace's ass again, too. It's like the cherry on top,” Luca teases.
Jace's jaw tightens. “I didn't need—”
“I know you didn’t.” Luca leans back, fire in his eyes, “But you still had to control everything. Classic Jace.”
“Someone was too busy flirting and showing off.” Jace glares at him.
“I think someone’s ego is bigger than the actual danger.” Luca shrugs, tone casual but with an edge.
“Enough!” I take a deep breath. “Stop it, both of you.”
They both freeze and stare. For a moment, only the hum of the van fills the space.
“You both need to figure your shit out. Let it go. The tension is too much.”
“I’m not letting this go, not until he knows you're mine. And I mean mine in every sense that matters.”
“Luca—”
“No,” he interrupts gently. “I'm not trying to start something with you while you're still figuring out Jace. I just want to make it known where I stand. I'm not stepping aside just because he thinks he still has some sort of claim over you after everything he put you through.”
Jace's head snaps towards Luca, eyes flashing. “You don't get to claim anything, Luca. She's not a prize to be won. And she's not yours to protect.”
The tension thickens and the car feels like it’s shrinking.
“Someone has to,” Luca says. “I'm here for as long as she wants me here.”
Jace’s jaw works while he chews over Luca's words.
“Both of you stop talking about me like I’m not right here,” I snap, sharper than I intend. My pulse is thudding in my ears, the confined space squeezing around me. “I don’t belong to either of you.”
Luca’s arm falls from behind me. Jace goes still, staring straight ahead.
“No one is claiming you,” Jace says quietly, “I’m saying he doesn’t get to pretend he suddenly cares more than the rest of us.”
Luca lets out a humorless laugh. “Pretend? I’ve been here. I’ve shown up. I didn’t vanish into the shadows to play double agent with zero communication. I didn’t let her—”
“Don’t,” I warn, voice cracking. “Do not finish that sentence.”
Silence slams into the car. Noah’s knuckles tighten on the wheel. Maeve stares straight ahead, jaw clenched.
Jace inhales, slow and controlled, but his fists are clenched so tightly on his thighs that the tendons stand out. “You think I don’t hate every second of what she went through?” His voice shakes, just barely. “You think I don’t replay it every night?”
“Regretting isn’t the same as protecting,” Luca fires back, low and dangerous.
“Neither is pretending you suddenly want her now that she’s hurting,” Jace snaps.
My breath hitches. Luca pivots his head, eyes narrowing.
“You think that’s what this is?” He leans forward, gaze burning into Jace.
“I wanted her before you ever did. I liked her before you ever looked twice. I stepped back because I thought you’d treat her right.
Turns out that was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. ”
“That’s enough,” I say, voice trembling. “Please.”
The car falls silent again.
I stare down at my hands, twisting them together, mind spinning. “I can’t do this,” I whisper. “Not like this. I’m barely holding myself together. I can’t be the rope in some tug-of-war between you two.”
Luca’s expression softens instantly. “Isobel—”
“I get that you both care,” I continue, swallowing hard. “I do. But I’m trying to heal. I’m trying to breathe. And your fighting doesn’t help. It just makes everything hurt worse.”
Jace’s head turns toward me just slightly—just enough that I can see the regret etched into every line of his face. “I’m not trying to fight with him,” he says, voice low. “I’m trying to fix what I broke.”
“And I’m trying to protect who I care about,” Luca mutters.
“Well, right now,” I whisper, leaning back against the seat, “I need both of you to give me space. Just… let me figure out what I want. Who I want to be. Who I can trust.”
Neither of them moves, but something shifts—like the air finally loosens around my lungs.
“Okay,” Luca says first, softer than I expect. “Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”
Jace doesn’t speak for a long moment, jaw tight. Then, quietly: “So will I.”
Noah exhales a shaky breath, tension easing as he turns into the Ashthorne gates.
Maeve glances back at me, giving my knee a gentle squeeze.
And for the first time since the warehouse, I let myself breathe.
But somewhere between Luca’s vow and Jace’s silence, I can already tell— space won’t stop this from spiraling.