ETHAN

I move back to my seat, my face hot. Even though I was weary about finally establishing that Vanessa and I are more than friends, more than just a fling, I did it.

My heart is in fascinating knots.

She has no earthly idea of how difficult it was for me to admit my feelings to her. All the other feelings we discussed the other day don't compare to this.

This is serious stuff. Like, stuff I've never ventured into. Hearts and gushy stuff.

My nerves are singing with excitement and my lungs are tight with anticipation. I really wanted to kiss her lips then, but I wanted more to save it for later.

If we really are going to move forward with whatever we are, we might as well take it slow. Especially if she's a part of the team now. I wouldn't want her to get bored.

Right. It's only a matter of time 'till we're fucking kidnapped again.

My heart twists. I wish I could protect her from that shit. But I can't.

And she knows it. And she's still here, going on missions, risking it all.

My heart skips a beat.

I never imagined I'd meet someone who would do that. Who would stay after everything that has happened.

I close my eyes and lean my head back. I'm so fucking scared. I don't want her to leave. I don't want to hurt her. I just want her to stay, to be okay. Is that too much to ask?

"Hey." Amelia whispers.

I look over to my right, where she stands in the aisle. There's three rows of seats, and I sit in the middle row that rests in between two aisles. For her to get to me, she'd have to either go up to the front of the airplane and swoop around, or she'd have to...

Amelia pushes through the row of people. She bumps into them as she mutters, "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry." It's quite funny to watch this unfold, and I'm not sure if I should laugh or facepalm with embarrassment.

She climbs all the way over a few people's laps, including mine, until she is in the aisle next to me. She lets out an exhausted breath as she crouches beside me. "What a workout."

"Was that necessary?" I smile at her, wishing she would need our assistance on her missions more often.

She nods, deciding to turn back and smile at Vanessa instead of meeting my gaze. She giggles. "What just happened with you and Vanessa?"

I stare blankly at her. How on earth could she have known something just happened? She can't see us, for Christ's sake. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you guys talking." Her grin is maddening. "She's your girl now?"

How on earth could she hear that? Every time I see Amelia, she has gotten more crazy skills. "Yeah. She is."

"I heard her heart racing." Amelia nods. "I think you might've turned her on."

I roll my eyes at her. "I would expect one of the boys to say that, but not you." Then, it hits me. "Wait, you heard her heartbeat?"

With her chin held high she says, "You two better not be planning to do anything tonight. I'll hear everything."

My jaw is stuck as it hangs wide open. "You've got, like, superhero powers or something."

"Super senses." She corrects me as she places her hands on her hips. "But one thing I can't sense is details. Like, what size cup is she?"

My mouth shuts as I shake my head. "Why do you need to know that?"

"I'm just curious about what you're working with." She knows she is getting under my skin. Her smirk is growing.

"It's not like that." I say to her. "I know that in the past I've dated women for those reasons and all, but that's because of my job. I wanted to have fun and to keep my work separate. But, she's a part of my work life. I'll probably see her all the time now, and I wouldn't date her just for her looks. She's such a good person. She deserves better than me, but for some reason she likes me."

"For some reason." My sister repeats, sounding confused. "I'm actually not sure either as to why she likes you. But... since she does... and your relationship isn't like that, don't let her go."

"Gotcha." I take a deep breath in, looking her in her distant green eyes. "I'm trying not to. That's why I talked to her and called her my girl."

Amelia snickers. "Well, if you're thinking about keeping her, you might want to kiss her on the lips next time."

I stare at her in awe as she walks away toward the front of the plane.

I ignore the fact that she is now a freakin' superhero and think about the kiss. Next time, I will definitely kiss her on the lips.

**

"Alright. What is the plan?" I ask my sister as the team gathers in Ajax's and Felix's bedroom in the motel. It's a small place--probably the cheapest place in town. The wallpaper on the walls is ripped in places, the orange comforters on the beds look like they're supposed to be yellow, and the carpet has stains in random places. There is barely any furniture either, so everyone dumps their gear on the two beds in the room.

The team begins strapping up in weapons and technology, Vanessa sitting atop one bed with a sole box in her hand. Apparently, Felix made a few gadgets for her and bought her a bunch of medical supplies and drugs. She's set.

"Well, I know we need to know the plan, but can I ask what the mission is first?" Vanessa queries.

"Sure thing." Amelia says as she tucks knives in her belt. They're camouflaged black to blend in with her attire. "You see, my job is to hunt down the CIA's most wanted. I'm kind of like a bounty hunter, but only for the CIA and paid by them as well."

"Sounds difficult." Vanessa replies shorty.

"Extremely." Amelia says. She is in the middle of pulling her short, wavy hair into a bun. "At the moment my mission is to hunt down Jamie Courson. She is highly dangerous and has committed her fair share of crimes. However, I'm nowhere near locking in on her location. Fortunately, though, I recovered one of her aliases and found out that she used to live a couple blocks from this location."

Everyone is listening intently. "We all have to wear masks tonight for this job because there's no telling what is in that house. She might be in there, even though online it says the house is for sale. In other words, we're going in blind."

The air becomes tight before I ask, "What're we stealing, then?"

"Well, every criminal I've known has a stash where they keep a lot of important things. I'm hoping she has one in that house." She tells us. "And all of you here with me tonight will help make the search a lot quicker and safer."

My heart drops, and I can tell my team's does, too. A little bit of anger flushes through my veins. "Amelia, you're grasping at straws."

Amelia faces me, her green eyes blank though the rest of her expression tight with frustration. Desperation filters in her voice. "Trust me, this is really important."

"What if the whole place is bare?" I say, trying not to allow myself to get too angered. I know my sister. She wouldn't drag my team and I all the way out here on a random goose chase. Right? Because that's what it sounds like we're doing. "What if someone new already lives there?"

"It hasn't been sold, yet." She growls under her voice.

"But, it's being sold. Why would this woman hold her most precious possessions in a place that she might not have access to later?" I ask for myself and my team. I know none of them would butt in. They know when to back off.

Amelia throws her hands up, her voice shaking. "You know what? I'm not sure, Ethan. It's the only lead I've had in years. I got close to getting her a few times, but I've failed. I just... I just don't want to fail again."

My heart tightens. "What happened?"

"What?" Amelia's chest stops rising and falling.

"You heard me." I say, moving toward her. We're feet away, and I swear she gazes into my eyes, but I know that's impossible. "There's more to this story, isn't there?"

Amelia goes silent for a minute, and I open my mouth to say more, but Vanessa's voice fills the room. In a really quiet voice, she says, "Nobody is angry, Amelia. We're just a little frustrated with the idea that we might've traveled all this way and spent all this money for a dead end."

Amelia faces Vanessa, and for a second I think she might jump her, but then she sits down on the bed and buries her face in her hands, grumbling. "Shit, I know. I know. I'm sorry. I knew if I said I needed your guys' help, you guys would do it without question. I abused that trust and I apologize. I just really want to catch this bitch, and I know you guys are my best bet."

"Why is catching her so important?" I ask, causing Amelia to sit up and rest her hands on her knees.

She says, "Because Jamie Courson killed the last CIA agent who went after her."

The room falls into silence. The walls seem smaller and although it's bright outside, the room dims. I ask the question that's on everyone's mind. "Did you know her?"

"Yeah." Amelia replies shortly, rising. "Her name was Livvy Elnora, and she was my best friend."

The pain that laces her voice has me doing a double take. Tony moves toward Amelia and gives her a hug, saying, "Shit, Amelia. Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I don't know. It didn't come up." Amelia replies softly, her voice wavering.

"And hey," Tony pulls away, still gently gripping Amelia's shoulders. "I thought I was your best friend."

"You are." Amelia lightly chuckles. "But, she was too. I really have to catch this bitch for her because that's exactly what she'd want me to do. I know it."

"Okay." Drake's voice is thick. "Let's do this."

I'm still a little frustrated with Amelia for not telling me sooner about our reason for coming here and that this is about something different than a mission--it's about revenge. But no matter how disappointed I am, my empathy for my sister outweighs everything. I love her so much, and the thought of her losing someone close to her just drags a knife through every organ inside of my body.

The air goes quiet again, and I say, "Amelia, I love you so much, and I'm sorry about your friend."

Amelia's lips tuck into her mouth as she nods. "I'm sorry, too."

**

"Going in." I say aloud, knowing the contact in my eye will record my every word and every movement and relay the information to Ajax and Vanessa in the van. Ajax stayed in there to keep watch, Vanessa to be ready just in case something bad is to happen.

Tony is going in with us tonight, which is a little out of the norm, but Amelia insisted that we have all hands on deck.

We all blend into the night as we enter the house. We're mere shadows under the cloudy skies tonight, and once we are inside and hidden from all eyes, we get to work. Nobody takes their masks off, and as previously planned, we split up to cover more ground. Before long, I'm alone in what appears to be the dining room.

What's weird about the house is that it isn't empty. It's for sale, but the home is still filled to the brim with furniture. The room I am in right now has a modern glass-top table with white chairs scooted underneath it. Decorations hang on the walls, a camera in the corner of the room.

Ajax has those cameras cut off and won't turn them back on until we are all safely out of sight.

I move items around, checking behind every nook and cranny. I knock on the walls, gently stomp on the floors to check for hollow areas. After I find nothing, I place everything back with careful precision, making sure it looks like nothing has been touched.

Then, I move on to the next room. This house is a pretty decent size, floors filled with modern pieces of furniture that seem like they haven't been used before. It's strange, to say the least, but I keep my doubts to myself and continue to shuffle around.

Now, I'm in the garage. Felix was checking the hallway and I had to scoot past him to get to this part of the house.

The garage is empty. It doesn't even have a camera. Actually, there's absolutely nothing in the space but dust bunnies and dirt specks. The wooden walls are bare, the cement floor blank and cold. There's something about the room that makes my stomach roll.

I remain still as I try to pinpoint what bothers me about the room.

Why would the rest of the house be full of furniture and this place as bare as a desert?

I take a step in, and immediately, an alarm goes off, blaring louder than anything I have ever heard in my life. My ears almost explode, and I drop to the ground, my knees banging against the cement.

Shit. I close my eyes, squeezing them as tightly as I can. My blood boils like never before, every muscle in my body tense. A headache surges through my mind, causing me to cry out. I can't even hear my pitiful scream--the blaring alarm is worse than anything in the world.

I try to open my eyes, to get up, to block out the alarm, but I fail in all three attempts. It's like the ground is sucking me into it, the walls collapsing all around me. How pitiful is this? I'm brought to the ground by a sound.

And then, all at once, it shuts off.

At first, as I breathe hard, I think that I've gone death. There's no sound, none at all. But then, the sound of my heavy breathing reverberates throughout my body. And next, a ringing erupts in my ears and shakes my limbs.

I still can't open my eyes, so I don't as much see someone approach than feel. I can tell by the size of the hand that it's Drake. He is lifting me up and wrapping my arm around his shoulder. I try to help him the best that I can, but Jesus, my ears feel like they're bleeding.

When I can finally open my eyes, I only allow them to be that way for a few seconds before closing them again. The world is spinning, the walls upside down and the ground swaying. My stomach is churning, my throat burning with something distasteful.

I try to warn Drake with a slurred voice, but before I can, I barf. All over the ground. Fortunately, we are outside. How did we get here?

The vomit splashes into the grass, and Drake doesn't even pause. He keeps moving, his eyes trained on the van. The side door of the van is open, Ajax helping a staggering Felix inside. Tony is already climbing into the driver's seat, and Vanessa has her arms out, ready to help me. But--there's no Amelia.

"Amelia..." My voice trails off. I swear my brain has been fried. I clear my throat, attempting to correct my slurred words. "Where's Amelia?"

Vanessa and Drake prop me up against the wall of the van. Vanessa leans over, telling me not to touch my ears. Her voice sounds like it is even above a whisper, or maybe the sound of the ringing in my ears is covering it up. That, and the awful migraine in my head and ears.

"Where's Amelia?" My heart is in awful knots that twist all my nerves. "Where is she?"

"She's coming." Drake tells me, and he looks frustrated, as if this isn't the first time he has said these words. Maybe he did say this before. Did he?

"God, I'm sorry guys." I say aloud, wishing I could've at least gotten the hell out of that place to be useful. I'm such a weak ass. And, why? What the hell even happened?

I must've said that last apart aloud because Ajax says, "You tripped an alarm. It took me a minute to get into the system and shut it off. Sorry, man."

"It's not your fault." Why is it so hard to talk? It's not like my ears are connected to my throat? Shit.

"Got it!" I hear a proud exclamation, a slam of a door, and the squealing of wheels before I can finally lay my eyes on my sister. She is unharmed, and looking as beautiful as ever with a brilliant smile on her lips. She is holding a box in her hand, and as she opens it, I realize there are papers and pictures in it. It's exactly what Amelia was looking for.

Then, the grin drops from her face. "I found it in the garage you went in. There was a false wall. Thanks for that. You lead me to it."

"No problem." I say, knowing that I shouldn't be taking the credit for anything.

No matter how much pain I am in, the feeling of Vanessa's arm wrapping around me, holding me, makes me feel so much better. I wonder if everyone else can see this?

She holds me tight, and I can feel her heartbeat through her shirt as she leans against me. Was she scared?

Shit. I was.

With her free arm, she brings her hand to my face and caresses the side of it, right at my temple, one part of my head that is pulsing. Does she know I have a headache? Have I said that?

Holy crap. I blink. My world is so lopsided right now.

"I think I'll be able to pin her ass down with this information." Amelia's voice rings in my sore ears alongside the annoyingly consistent hum that I know resonates from my brain. Then, in a totally different tone, she asks Vanessa, "Are they going to be okay?"

"I'm fine." I hear Felix reply. "I mean, the alarm gave me a sucky headache, but I'm all good."

"I'm pretty sure Ethan has ruptured eardrums, but once the pain dies down, we will know for sure. It should start leaking then." She says, her fingers not stopping as the stroke my head. "And I bet the pain is unbearable."

I nod slightly, wanting to add to the conversation, but I know I won't make any sense. Instead, I lean against Vanessa and pray that she won't get up and let me fall over. And I also silently will her to never stop touching the side of my face. It's like her touch is an angel's.

"That didn't go as horribly as it could have." Amelia says, and I have to laugh.

"Speak for yourself." I mutter, all my words running together.