Chapter 25 - Flight to Paris
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The Gulfstream jet soared at forty thousand feet above the dark Atlantic Ocean.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was as tense as a war room. Lucas and Lena were sitting at the conference table, checking tactical gear and reviewing floor plans of the private clinic in the 16th Arrondissement of Paris.
I sat near the window, staring out at the endless black void, unable to touch the untouched meal sitting in front of me.
Ethan walked over, carrying a glass of scotch. He sat down across from me, his long legs brushing against mine in the narrow aisle.
"You should get some sleep, Ava," Ethan said quietly. "We land at Le Bourget in three hours."
"I can't sleep, Ethan," I murmured, turning to look at him. "Every time I think we've cut off his head, he grows two more. He's like a virus."
"A virus can be eradicated," Ethan replied, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Andrew thinks he's the smartest man in the room because he manipulated corrupt politicians and stole your research. But he doesn't understand how the real world operates."
"And how does it operate?" I asked.
"Power isn't about secret server rooms or blackmail, Ava," Ethan said, his dark eyes locking onto mine with hypnotic intensity. "Power is about loyalty. Andrew has no one. He's buying mercenaries with stolen money. I have people who would lay down their lives for me."
"I don't want anyone dying for me, Ethan!" I said fiercely, my voice cracking. "Not Lucas, not Lena... and especially not you!"
Ethan set his glass down and reached across the table, grabbing both of my hands, pulling them to his chest so I could feel the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart.
"No one is dying," Ethan promised, his voice low and fiercely absolute. "I survived my family's dark legacy, Ava. I survived Elizabeth's games. I am not going to lose to a disgraced scientist in a French alleyway."
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"Boss," Lucas called out from the front table, breaking our moment. "We just got a ping from French intelligence. Andrew just left the Paris clinic. He's heading south toward a private villa in Normandy."
Ethan stood up, his jaw set in iron. "Change our flight plan. We're landing in Deauville."
