Page 26 of Provoke You

“The sooner we leave, the better,” I called after him.

“You got it, Boss.” He punched the air without looking back.

I rounded on Chase. He put up his hands, grinning as he walked back toward the plane. “You know where I’ll be if you need anything.”

Okay. That wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. These guys had known me since I was a boot. A minute change in my disposition stood out like a sore thumb to them. Ela put me on edge, and I couldn’t understand why. Putting aside the differences in the worlds we lived in, I never thought I’d ever care about anyone again. I couldn’t help it. I cared what happened to her. I cared that her feelings were so fragile, so easily hurt.

I ducked my head to clear the threshold to the main cabin of the plane. Ela sat by the window, legs stretched out on the bench and a dazzling smile on her face. Dammit, I shouldn’t have kissed her again last night. That seemed to be turning into a habit for me.

“Morning,” my brother Tyler said from the other side of the plane.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Ela shifted her weight in her seat to face the both of us, thoroughly amused to have my brother on board. “Your brother’s looking for you. He was in the cockpit.”

“Mom sent me.” He shrugged.

“I told him he could join us. You know, given how this is your family’s jet.”

I had hoped she wouldn’t notice we weren’t flying LeBlanc Air. “After last night, I thought it would be safer.”

“It’s always all about the mission, isn’t it?” Tyler stood, ignoring Ela’s gaze on him. “Can I talk to you in private?” He pointed toward the front of the plane.

“Don’t mind me.” Ela waved a hand in dismissal, still smiling. “I’ll just be over here behaving.”

I leaned down to speak only to her. Tyler didn’t need to know what we were up to. “My guys are still outside. Don’t try anything.”

“Are we still headed for New York?” she whispered, mocking me.

“Yes.” I brought my hands up to my hips.

“Then I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Tyler slapped my arm. Brother talk for “now, asshole.” I followed him into the cockpit. When he closed the door behind him, he pulled me into a tight hug. Last time we saw each other, he’d come to get our asses out of Maracaibo. That day we didn’t know if we would see each other again.

“It’s good to see you, brother.”

“Me too. What are you doing here? I thought we said no contact for a while.”

“It’s been a while.” He plopped himself down on the captain’s chair. “I would’ve come to you sooner, but I got held up.”

“Fuck. What happened?”

“Oh, nothing like that. We’re good. Just a new assignment I totally screwed up.”

“I doubt that.”

Tyler was the best pilot out there. He was the cavalry that came and saved me and our brother Wes a few months back when we got in deep with the Venezuelan cartel. Our heroics that night got us honorably discharged from the corps. Thanks to Tyler, we were still alive.

“What did you do?”

“I kind of slept with my prime suspect.” He hit the back of the seat with his head.

I glanced over my shoulder toward Ela. “What the hell? You know that’s suicide.”

“Of course, I know that. I didn’t know who she was. I thought she was the fucking bartender looking for a quick hookup.”

“Is that why you’re here? You’re hiding?” Now that I got a good look at him, he looked like hell.

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