Page 52 of Ace

Gianna couldn’t speak to Dex yet. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to open up anything between them again. She hadn’t eavesdropped the night before, but by his actions, she knew what he was planning. She watched and waited to see if he would come talk to her about it, but when he’d left the note, a pathetically short note, she knew their chance at being together was over. How could they try to work on a relationship when he felt he could just leave without consulting her.

So, she’d taken matters into her own hands. And, she told herself, she wasn’t there for him. She was there for her people on Panau. She would not desert them. If Dex was going to be on the front lines of information about their situation and in a position to help, then she was with Dex. For now.

Their landing gear was down, and she watched Tandora on their approach, once again landing on that island. She’d left messages with Tony and her team. She’d be back in DC soon. Once she’d been in their warehouse and seen everything from the nonprofit control room, she knew there was more she could do administratively. She planned to take a year or so off of actual travel to the orphanages and build up the infrastructure at home.

She nodded to Dex when they stood to exit the plane.

And to his credit, he only nodded back. Now was not the time to hash through it all, for either of them.

A car met them, and before long, she was once again entering the hangar.

“Gianna West. You’re back.” Ivy’s tight-lipped smile told Gianna exactly how happy the woman was to see her back

“I won’t interfere. But I needed to be back in the Pacific myself.”

“She’s an asset. Gi, if you have a minute, we could use your expertise with these pilots.” Dex nodded at her.

She felt like they were back in JAG together. The business-professional relationship was the only one they allowed. Until nighttime. But she didn’t let herself think too much on that part of their past.

“I’d be happy to help in any way I can, as long as I’m not interfering.”

Ivy nodded and then stepped up to Dex’s side. “The team is coming in about twenty minutes for their in-classroom training.”

He nodded. “I’ll take the classes that I was originally scheduled.” He glanced through the clipboard and then followed Ivy to the control room in the hangar.

Gianna walked more slowly, and before climbing the stairs after them, she wandered over by the planes. A hangar full of fighter jets. They looked like they’d seen a fight or two. None were bright and shiny like the ones she’d flown in her own fighter pilot training. To clear her mind, she went through a form of a preflight plane inspection.

As she circled the jet, her hands trailing on the side, a flood of memories from her own training came back into her mind. Dex was involved in many of them. One time, during their inflight procedures, she and Dex had been flying side by side. Their instructor in the class was the last bogie left to lock in, and no one had been able to grab him yet. She smiled as she remembered dipping low and turning hard to the right to outfly Dex. Their instructor, her father, had then taken his plane high, higher than was recommended. She chased after him. Dex right behind her.

She remembered Dex in her ear. “It’s not worth it. Back off, Blaze.”

She had ignored him to the point of risk to herself and ultimately to him. But she’d locked her dad in her sights. Then she dropped and flew back down to safer elevations. Dex had stayed close, right at her side, all the way back until they landed.

They had been a good team. Sometimes she should have listened to him, and sometimes he should have listened to her. Was there ever a time they’d just simply worked together? Listened to the other?

During their time on Panau. At the gala. She shook her head.

A buzzer sounded, and she knew it meant that pilots were about to take off. She ran out onto the tarmac. She loved to be out there when planes were taking off. The sound, the power, it rumbled through her chest as the smoke billowed up in the air. It brought her back, and she knew that she wanted to be back up. She wanted to be up with Dex.

But she was mad at Dex. With good reason.

One of the guys on Dex’s team approached, helmet in hand. “Omar.”

“Ah, yes. Gianna.”

“You’re with Dex.”

She pressed her lips together.

He held his hands up. “I’ll rephrase. You arrived here with Dex.”

“Yes.” Then she smiled. “Sorry. I just don’t know how to answer that right now.”

“Understandable.” He pointed to the planes ready to take off. “I love this. Every time.”

“Me too.”

“Have you ever been up in a control tower on radios with all of them during a dogfight?”

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