Chapter 51 Jase
Jase
The jet is already waiting.
Engines humming low, steady, like it’s just as ready to move as we are.
Rain beads across the sleek black surface, reflecting the flashing lights from the convoy that brought us in. No markings. No identifiers.
Just power.
Just purpose.
Typical.
“Wheels up in two,” Ethan calls as we approach.
Delta Five moves like clockwork—gear loaded, weapons secured, no wasted motion. Everyone knows what’s coming next.
Zurich.
No one says it.
We don’t have to.
I step up into the jet, the familiar scent of leather, metal, and fuel hitting me instantly. Controlled. Contained.
Safe.
For now.
Mila comes in right behind me.
Close.
Always close.
Good.
I take a seat along the side, stretching my leg out slightly, testing the pull in my ribs.
Still there.
Still sharp.
Still not enough to slow me down.
Mila notices anyway.
Of course she does.
She drops into the seat across from me, arms crossed, eyes scanning me like I’m one of her systems checks.
“You’re not fine,” she says.
I lean back slightly. “Didn’t say I was.”
“You’re bleeding again.”
I glance down.
Yeah.
Okay.
Maybe a little.
“I’ve had worse.”
Her eyes narrow.
“That’s not reassuring.”
“It’s not supposed to be.”
“How is your side?” I ask.
She exhales, shaking her head slightly, but she’s already moving—grabbing a med kit from under the seat like she knew exactly where it would be.
Probably did.
“My side is fine. I told you it was a graze,” she says.
She kneels in front of me.
Right there in the narrow space between my legs.
Close enough that I can feel her breath when she leans in.
Yeah.
This is dangerous for entirely different reasons.
“Hold still,” she mutters.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She gives me a look.
I almost smile.
Her fingers press lightly against my side as she checks the wound, and I suck in a breath despite myself.
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “That’s what I thought.”
“Told you,” I murmur.
“You didn’t tell me anything useful.”
“Still didn’t.”
She rolls her eyes—but her touch softens just slightly as she cleans the blood away, rewrapping the bandage with careful precision.
Outside, the engines begin to rise.
The jet shifts.
We’re moving.
Inside—
It’s just us.
Again.
Even with the rest of the team here.
It always comes back to this.
To her.
“You keep pushing like this,” she says quietly, not looking up, “you’re going to crash.”
I lean forward slightly.
Careful.
Deliberate.
“Then don’t let me.”
Her hands pause for half a second.
Just enough.
Then continue.
“You’re impossible,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “But you’re still here.”
She finishes wrapping the bandage, her fingers lingering for just a second longer than necessary.
Then—
She looks up.
And just like that—
Everything else fades again.
Jet roaring.
Team moving.
Mission ahead.
None of it matters in that moment.
Just her.
Just us.
“You don’t get to die on me,” she says.
It’s quiet.
But it hits harder than anything else she could’ve said.
I reach out, my hand closing gently around her wrist.
“Not planning on it.”
“You don’t plan half the things you do.”
Fair.
I shift forward just a little more, closing the distance.
“You worried about me?” I murmur.
Her eyes flick to mine.
Sharp.
Then softer.
“Always.”
That does something to me.
Something deep.
Something I don’t have time to unpack.
So instead—
I tug her just slightly closer.
Not enough to pull her off balance.
Just enough to bring her within reach.
“Might be a problem,” I say.
Her breath catches.
Just a little.
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m starting to think I don’t go anywhere without you.”
Yeah.
I said it.
No taking that back.
Her lips part slightly.
Surprised.
Not pulling away.
Never pulling away.
“Good,” she whispers.
And yeah—
That’s all I need.
I lean in.
Kiss her again.
Slower this time.
Deeper.
Not the chaos from before.
Something steadier.
Something that lingers.
Her hand slides up to my jaw, holding me there like she doesn’t want the moment to end.
I don’t either.
But—
“Alright, lovebirds,” Jonah’s voice cuts in from across the jet, “as much as I hate to interrupt this very intense situation—”
Mila pulls back just slightly.
I don’t.
Not right away.
“Timing’s terrible,” I mutter.
“Always is,” she murmurs, echoing before.
Yeah.
Definitely not done.
Jonah grins. “We’re crossing into international airspace. Thought you’d want to know before things get… complicated.”
Ethen steps forward then, all business.
“Listen up,” he says. “Once we land, we move fast. No delays. No mistakes.”
Ronan leans against the wall, arms crossed, watching everything.
Daniel stands near the cockpit door.
Quiet.
Focused.
Part of us now.
Whether we like it or not.
“Zurich’s going to be hot,” Ethan continues. “We’re walking into a secured facility with limited intel and zero margin for error.”
“Perfect,” I mutter.
Mila smirks slightly as she moves back into her seat.
“Just the way you like it.”
I glance at her.
“Only if you’re there.”
Her eyes meet mine.
And yeah—
She will be.
Outside, the clouds break just slightly as we climb higher.
Storm left behind.
For now.
Ahead—
A whole new war is waiting.
And this time—
We’re going straight for the heart of it.