Chapter 33

33

Despite Mason’s chef-quality meal, dinner was not going well.

Correction. Jason stopped himself. The few minutes of the meal where the famished crews actually ate had gone fine. But now that they had to actually concoct a joint plan?

Not so great.

Jason felt the tension in the room ratchet up another notch as he locked eyes with Alex across the table. The remnants of Mason’s hearty meal lay forgotten between them, the earlier camaraderie gone.

Too bad Bridger headed home after the meal, though Jason couldn’t blame the man. Any minute away from Jane at this stage was too much. Still, Bridger had a knack for helping people join forces.

Alex’s team wasn’t well-versed in Seven-Five’s tactics. Their high-tech suggestions fell flat with his crowd. But his guys could be overconfident, putting too much reliance on the element of surprise, or sheer strength.

Basically, no one liked anyone else’s idea, which pretty much cut off the flow of discussion.

Gravy’s voice cut through the tension like a knife through butter. He waved his hands around, nearly knocking over his water glass. “Why don’t you SEAL types break into one of these Richie Rich’s mega mansions and just grab them? I mean, I know it didn’t go so well in Frisco, but hey, things happen. We could make it look like one of the other Seven-Five dudes kidnapped them. That’s a good way to start a fight.”

Jason blinked, momentarily thrown by the abrupt change in topic. Before he could respond, Cody shot the idea down.

“You don’t just bust into these dudes’ homes. They’ve got security teams—and resources—as good, or better than we are.” He shook his head, frustration evident in every line of his body. “Plus, we already tried that with Winthrop. And look how that turned out? This time, Seven-Five’s top execs will be expecting us.”

Liv glared at Cody. “So what’s your idea?”

The headache building behind Jason’s eyes ramped up in intensity from a suggestion of pain to a pulsing beacon. “At this point? No idea.”

He breathed deep, trying to center himself. They needed to find a way past this impasse, or Seven-Five would destroy them. But as he met Alex’s challenging gaze across the table, he wondered if some battles were simply unwinnable.

Mason hovered over Jason’s shoulder, scooping up used dishes. “You RAVEN guys are good at hiding people. We’re good at kicking down doors and taking names. Neither skillset’s going to help much here. This’ll never work.”

The defeated tone grated on Jason’s nerves. He opened his mouth to argue, but Alex spoke up. “I disagree, Mace. That’s exactly why this will work. We need to think like a team. Combine our resources instead of trying to one-up each other.”

Exactly. “What do you have in mind?”

Alex shrugged, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice. “I don’t have the details worked out yet, but I do know we should start with our strengths. The RAVEN team disappears people. Your group hunts people down. Or takes them out of play. Or rescues them.”

The energy in the room shifted.

He met Alex’s eyes across the table. For once, there was no challenge in her gaze, only a growing excitement that mirrored his own.

Paige’s eyes widened. “So we hunt down General Munsinger, and hide him. Then he’ll help us take Seven-Five down.”

The room erupted in a chorus of agreement.

As the teams began to brainstorm in earnest, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of ideas, Jason allowed himself a moment of quiet optimism. They were far from out of the woods, but for the first time since this whole mess started, he felt like they had a fighting chance.

And if that chance meant working side by side with Alex ... well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

As the excitement of their newfound direction began to wane, Jason noticed the fatigue settling over the group. Yawns were stifled, eyelids drooped, and even Gravy’s endless energy seemed to have finally run out.

“Alright, team,” he said, pushing back from the table. “We’ve made good progress. Let’s call it a night and pick this up in the morning. Fresh eyes might give us the edge we need.”

A chorus of tired agreements followed as chairs scraped against the floor. Jason watched as the two teams, no longer divided by suspicion, filed out of the room in a jumble of friendly chatter and shared exhaustion.

He was about to follow when Alex’s voice, softer than before, stopped him. “Jason, wait.”

He turned, finding her still seated, fingers tracing abstract patterns on the tabletop. The room suddenly felt too small, too intimate.

“I wanted to apologize,” she said, meeting his eyes. “For being so harsh earlier. I was out of line.”

Jason leaned against the doorframe, careful to maintain some distance. “It’s good to have dissent. Keeps us all sharp. No problem.”

Alex nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Still, I shouldn’t have?—”

“Really, Alex. It’s fine,” he interrupted, his tone gentle but firm.

A moment of silence stretched between them, filled with unspoken words and lingering tension. Jason felt the urge to reach out, to bridge the gap that had formed. But he held back, painfully aware that soon, they’d be going their separate ways again.

For the first time, the thought of watching Alex walk away left an ache in his chest he wasn’t quite ready to examine.

“We should get some rest,” he said finally, straightening up. “Big day tomorrow.”

Alex stood, smoothing down her shirt in a gesture that seemed more nervous than necessary. “Right. Of course. Goodnight, Jason.”

As she brushed past him, the faint scent of her perfume teasing his senses, Jason allowed himself one moment of weakness. He watched her retreating form, the graceful curve of her neck, the confident set of her shoulders.

“Goodnight, Alex,” he murmured, long after she’d disappeared down the hallway.

Shaking his head to clear the lingering thoughts, Jason turned off the lights and headed to his own room. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new dangers. But for now, in the quiet of the night, he allowed himself to admit one simple truth.

This time, he was really going to be sorry to see her walk away.