Page 65 of Ace

“Thank you, son.”

Dex hung up. And called for a code red meeting.

Then he ran out of the room. “Gi!” He didn’t see her. He ran to a window. Her lone and resolute figure walking through the parking lot had him running after. When he finally caught up, he breathed heavily. “What are you doing?”

“Leaving.”

“But I need you in there.”

“You’re going to talk yourselves to death, and every member of your team is going to tell you not to interfere. They’re going to tell you that if you blow up the weapons facility yourself, you’re going to cause a war.”

“They wouldn’t be wrong.”

“But if it’s gone, it’s gone. Mantuk can back out. Give up. The US won’t have a reason to bomb Panau.”

“So that’s your plan? Drop down to Panau and blow up a warehouse?”

She looked away. “I don’t know. But I’m not going to sit in some control tower talking about it.” She started walking, fast. He had to pick up his pace to keep up with her. “What do you want me to do here, Gi?”

She whipped around to face him, and he almost ran into her. As is, their faces were inches apart. The pull of attraction between them raged, amping up everything else he was feeling.

But her eyes filled with sorrow and hope, an equal mix. “I need you to be my co.” She waited. The air thickened between them. Her forehead wrinkled, her mouth puckered, her eyes… He had to look away from her eyes. What he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and try to make everything around them go away, but he knew he could not. And he knew his duty. “I have to follow due process, at least somewhat, with the Alliance, with my team…”

“And our team? Me?”

“Just wait.” He put his hands on her shoulders and ran them down to her hands. “Please? Let me do this, and then it’s you and me. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

She studied him, and he knew she didn’t believe a word he’d said. He regretted his swift attempt to leave Virginia with only a note left behind, regretted it now more than ever. But she nodded. And then she turned with a hand over her shoulder. “Bye, Dex.”

He watched her leave. Her steps slower this time but still resolute. He thought she would wait. But he couldn’t count on it. Luckily, he was the surest and fastest way off this island. She’d stick around if only for the ride.

The Pacific Alliance was in agreement as a body. They wanted Mantuk out of their space, off their islands. They wanted war. And they wanted help from their allies. The board—he, Amanda, Ridley, and Colton—wanted to wait, be diplomatic. Nothing on the record, and nothing officially from their team. But Colton had sent a whole heap of texts privately.I know you’re going down. What do you want me to do?His local team of Ivy, Jed, and Omar wanted to help the Pacific Alliance as they’d agreed to do. Train their pilots the best they could, but stay out of the rest of the mess as far away as possible.

So, Dex was on his own. Colton was far away again, working on his own team and training.

They wrapped up the last meeting, and Ivy called out, “You have to see this.”

The back screen started playing a press conference. Secretary of Defense West was speaking, his face serious. “We cannot accept the rising hostile behavior in the Pacific. We cannot sit by while innocent lives are endangered, nor while our allies are consumed by an evil power. We have firm evidence of weapons facilities. If Mantuk doesn’t begin an immediate evacuation and removal of all troops and weapons, we will take action to ensure peace in that region. We cannot let our allies, the newly formed Pacific Oceanic Alliance, handle this alone.”

The Alliance members broke into cheers. His team grew quiet, and Dex felt sick.

Chapter 23

Gianna drove out of the parking lot. She rented a low flying crop duster and made her way to the closest island to her beloved Panau. Then she travelled by boat with a group of fisherman. She was able to blend in with the islanders and convinced them to drop her at the northern tip of the island. As she waded through the shallow water with her rucksack on her back, she worried. They needed a person on the ground. They needed someone who was obviously a village advocate, not military personnel, not someone from a pilot training program. She knew she was the perfect option. And she couldn’t stand just waiting around while committees and boards talked circles around each other. And selfishly, she couldn’t stand not knowing how her friends were.

But she hadn’t made the wisest move.

Dex was going to kill her. Probably before her father could do the same. Senator Callison might as well. If the Mantukese didn’t do it first.

So, with those cheerful thoughts rumbling around in her brain, she pushed through the water. As soon as she was close enough to make out some people in her village, a group of children noticed her and shouted, “Gianna!” They came running and splashing through the water.

She dipped, keeping her rucksack from getting wet, and hugged as many as she could. “Oh, my friends! How are you today?”

“We are good. Fishing.” He pointed to shore.

“Ah, you’ve been busy.” They’d dug more canals inland. “Does it work?”

“Yes! We catch fish.”

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