Keeping Me (Spy Chronicles Book 2)(35)

“What do you think?” Sebastian asks.

“It's beautiful.”

“You didn't scream.”

“I don't think I could. I was too scared,” I say.

“But you're not scared now?”

“No. I like this. It's fun.”

And even though I can't see him right now, I know he's smiling.

“I knew you would,” he says.

“Can I answer your question now?”

“What question?”

“You asked me what is scarier than jumping out of an airplane,” I say.

“Oh,” he says. “What is scarier?”

“The thought of losing you,” I say. “I want to learn to fight to protect myself, but I want to be able to protect you, too.”

“You won't ever have to protect me,” Sebastian says. “In fact, I will protect you. Always.”

“What if you have to leave? Like Sander, Jax, and Hunter?”

“I won't leave,” he says. “I promise.”

“What if there is another mission that is more important?”

“Nothing is more important than you,” Sebastian says, making my heart race slightly. He’s told me that I’m just a job to him, but when he says that, I feel like I’m more. Maybe he’s just not ready to admit it yet.

“My dad told me we were friends when we were little,” I say.

“S, do you really want to talk about this when we're in the air?”

“I guess not,” I say.

“We’re about ready to land. Do you remember what to do?”

“Yeah.”

When we land, I am supposed to run. And I’m prepared. But when we hit the ground, the jarring nearly knocks me off my feet. The only thing that keeps me up is Sebastian. And even he doesn’t keep me standing for long. I hit the ground hard. And since we’re attached, Sebastian lands on top of me.

“Ow,” I say. Because that really hurt.

Sebastian quickly rolls over so that I’m on top. Only now, I’m looking up at the sky.

“Are you hurt?” Sebastian asks.

“I’m fine,” I say. “That was fun.”

He chuckles and then puts an arm around me. I’m wondering what he’s doing until all of a sudden, I am loosened from the restraints and I end up rolling off, hitting the ground again.

“It’s so weird to be on land again,” I say.

Sebastian gets up and holds out a hand to help me up. I nearly fall over again, but finally get my legs to work properly.

“You were awesome up there,” Bass says.

“Can we go again?” I ask.

“You want to?”

“Heck yes. That was so much fun,” I say.

“You are one crazy girl.”

“I am not sure if that is supposed to be a compliment or an insult,” I say.

He grins. “It’s a compliment. Trust me. But I just expected you to be freaking out. Or screaming the whole way down. Maybe even crying, I don’t know.”

“Should I cry to make you feel better?” I ask.

“No. I don’t want you to cry.”

“Good,” I say. “Now let’s do it again.”





Family.





That afternoon, after we jump five times, Dad has Sebastian, Gage, and Brett out doing some training. And I know exactly what that means. He wants to talk to me. Alone. My dad is a very unpredictable man, but I’ve learned that when it comes to me, he’s very predictable. Honestly, I just think he doesn’t know what to do with a teenage girl. It’s new for him.

“I always thought you were just like your mom,” Dad says. “Until today.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Your mom was terrified of heights. She hated the face-your-fears exercises,” Dad says. “She was smart and actually managed to get out of doing half the stuff. Today... you reminded me of myself.”

“But I was scared,” I say.

“Everybody is scared the first time,” he says. “And the ones who say they aren’t are liars. But Sebastian told me that you didn’t hesitate. He counted to three and you jumped. You didn’t scream, which means you handled your fear well. And before you even got to the ground, you were asking to do it again. It’s almost like you like the fear.”

“Maybe a little,” I say.

“That’s a good thing, because that is what makes a good spy,” Dad says. “You’re smart, driven, and a natural leader.”

“I’m not a leader,” I say. “I just do everything that everybody tells me to do.”

“Then you don’t see what I see,” he says. “Before you came, Sebastian Soto didn’t talk to anybody. Now, he’s made friends. And not just with you. I never thought I’d get that boy to team up with anybody, but he wants to team up with you and whoever you’re with. And when I met you in Florida, you had those six boys wrapped around your finger. You told them to move and they moved.”

“They just felt sorry for me,” I say, knowing that was all there was to it. I was the abused girl and they were trying to make me feel better.