Page 41 of The Best Worst Mistake
Jesus Christ.
“No,” I exclaim, pulling it the rest of the way up myself.
“Ready?” Jett asks, blinking happily.
“No,” I tell him, realizing that I just zipped my suit back up when what I really wanted to do was take the whole thing off and run out of the hangar.
I try to get the zipper to go down again but now it’s stuck up at my neckline.
Silas grins, then bites his bottom lip.
“Come on, Jules. What did you think we were going to fly up in? A space ship? Just trust me on this.”
“Why?”
“Because you used to,” he says, as if it’s the most simple answer in the whole world.
I swallow, not really expecting that.
“Key words beingused to,” I remind him. I try to jerk the zipper back down again while I go on, but it isn’t budging. “Tell me why I should trust youandthat toy plane, Si.”
He laughs, hardly bothered, before grabbing my shoulders, giving me a gentle shake. Then he releases me and walks backward toward the plane with his arms outstretched, drawing out the distance between us.
“Because I would never take a chance with your life, babe.”
I scoff.Babe? Before I get a chance to protest, he goes on.
“But just to put your mind at ease, I’ll give you a little shake down of how I’ve got you covered. Even if you hate hearing about this shit, but only because you asked. Before we even got here, I flew my own personal mechanic out to go through the safety mechanisms of this plane, and to test out all the gear himself. He spent a week out here observing and checking everythingabout this top-notch operation. Then he was out again early this morning going over the entire safety checkpoint list with the crew, making sure it was in perfect condition. And I had these guys here,” he goes on, pointing to Jett and Ethan, “train with an extra seventy dives this year alone, on top of their regular strict certifications, just to prep for this one and only dive with us today. Besides that, the parachute packs are mine. Jett and Ethan have the most up-to-date certifications which includes the special mechanisms used in these packs, which just so happen to be the best that money can buy.”
My mouth is slightly ajar by the time Silas is done.
Is he joking?
I shift my eyes to Jett, who’s smiling broadly, then Ethan, who’s nodding. The rest of the crew is all watching me now, waiting for me to get into the tiny plane after all that.
Fucking hell.
“However, to be fair, it’s not just me that you have to trust today,” Silas calls out, smirking happily, knowing he just schooled me. He flicks his eyes over to the two tandem bros now standing by the door of the plane before looking back at me. His smile grows a bit more wild while they all watch me.
“I don’t know if I can trust them either,” I whisper loudly, wishing Jett and Ethan couldn’t hear me right now.
“And the pilot is the most experienced pilot in the entire country of Switzerland. Jules, you’re doing it. Period. I’m not doing this alone. You’re going to be fine. Cross my heart and hope to—”
“Don’t say it!” I shriek, clasping a hand over my mouth like it might stop the final words from coming out of his.
“—notdie,” he finishes, drawing a big X across his heart while an even bigger smile spreads across his face.
I fold my arms over my chest, breathing heavily, so not impressed.
Okay, I’m alittleimpressed. Silas somehow thought of every possible safety precaution before we arrived.
“Time to board,” Ethan announces, pulling the sliding door open on the side of the plane.
I don’t move. It’s like my feet are cemented to the floor.
Without warning, Silas switches directions and marches right back in front of me until he’s a mere six inches from my face. Then he takes another step, bending down until his nose is practically touching mine. The heat of his body courses out of his jumpsuit and pours into mine. His stance is intimidating, but his eyes are unrelenting, like he understands my hesitancy without being willing to let me off the hook.
“Get in the plane, Jules.”
