JASE – Susie McIver

Just for a second. “I’ve never been afraid like that,” I whisper. There it is. Not love. Not yet. But something just as powerful. A tear slips free before I can stop it. I don’t wipe it away. I don’t move. “You don’t get to leave me,” I say softly. Not angry. Not sharp. Just… honest. Jase (semi-conscious) Dark. Heat. Noise somewhere far away.

But then— her voice. Soft. Close. Real. “I stayed…” The words reach through the haze. Anchor. Pull. Fight. My fingers twitch slightly. Just enough to feel her. Just enough to— hold on. Mila I freeze. My head lifts instantly. “Jase?” Nothing. No response. No movement. Just…that tiny shift I’m not even sure was real. My heart pounds. Hope surges too fast. Too strong. “Hey…

hey, I’m here,” I say quickly, squeezing his hand. “You’re okay. You made it. You’re—” My voice breaks. I stop. Breathe. Try again. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” Silence. Again. But it feels different now. Like he’s closer. Like he’s— fighting. I lean back in the chair. Still holding his hand. Still not letting go. “I should probably let you rest,” I whisper.

But I don’t move. Don’t stand. Don’t leave. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” A promise. A quiet one. But real. And for a moment— everything feels… okay. The Knock A soft knock breaks the silence. I stiffen. Turn. The door opens slowly. One of the Delta Five operators steps inside. Expression tight. Serious.

Too serious. My stomach drops instantly. “We need to talk,” he says. I look back at Jase. At his hand still in mine. At the rise and fall of his chest. At the heat that hasn’t gone away. “…now?” I ask quietly. He nods once. “Now.” I don’t want to let go. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to leave him. Not like this. Not when he— But something in the man’s expression tells me: This isn’t optional.

I look back at Jase one last time. My chest tight. My hand tightening around his. Just for a second. “I’ll be right back,” I whisper. Soft. Certain. Like I believe it. Like it’s true. I gently place his hand back on the bed. Careful. Like he might feel it. Then I stand. Turn. And walk out the door. The moment it closes behind me— everything changes. OceanofPDF.com 2 5 Time: Night he road stretches out in front of me.

Endless. Dark. Unforgiving. Exactly how I like it. Exactly how I survive. Headlights off. Engine low. Breathing steady. I keep one hand on the wheel…

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission request, contact Susie McIver [email protected] The story all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production Are fictitious.

No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. Created with Vellum OceanofPDF.com T 1 J AS E LOCATION: ADRIATIC COAST — SOMEWHERE UNFRIENDLY Time: Night he boat is burning. That’s not a metaphor. That’s a very real, very expensive fire on very dark water. I crouch behind a half-shattered crate on a dock that doesn’t exist on any map and watch men with bad posture and worse intentions run in directions they didn’t plan on running.

Ronan’s voice cuts through my comm. “Convoy asset was transferred here. Then vanished.” “Yeah,” I mutter. “That tracks.” Gunfire cracks through the night. Someone screams. I rise just enough, sight, fire—two rounds straight into the engine block of a fleeing SUV. It jerks, stalls, smoke pouring out as it blocks half the exit. Chaos multiplies. “Any sign of her?” I ask. “Negative,” Ronan replies. “But this was the handoff point.” Of course it was. I scan the dock again—fast, precise, controlled.

And then I see her. Dark hair pulled back. Blood on her temple. Moving like she belongs in the middle of a firefight instead of running from one. Not panicked. Calculated. Beautiful. My chest tightens in a way I don’t have time to deal with. “Mila,” I breathe. A year ago—Prague. Ronan’s wedding. Too much alcohol. Not enough restraint. We danced like we were trying to start a war.

Hands where they shouldn’t be. Mouths closer than they had any right to be. And later— Yeah. That part I remember perfectly. Then morning came… And so did the reality that we couldn’t stand each other. Big mistake. She ducks behind a shipping container as two men break off and go after her. I don’t think. I move. The first one drops before he even knows I’m there. The second turns—fast, trained. Not fast enough. He never gets the shot off. I grab Mila’s arm and haul her behind cover.

She spins instantly—gun up, eyes sharp. She didn’t have that in Prague. We lock eyes. Electric. Familiar. Dangerous. Then she says, “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here.” I grin despite everything. “I get that a lot.” Footsteps pound closer. She swears—at least three languages, maybe four. “You brought friends,” she snaps. “Nope,” I say. “But you definitely did.” Bullets slam into the metal beside us.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: f719f9b3adf05d5c
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,578,631 bytes (2.459 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 396
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 241.05 minutes
• Total Words: 48,210
• Total Characters: 281,084
• Average Words per Page: 121.74
• Average Characters per Page: 709.81

Most Frequent Words

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