Chapter 344

Cecilia’s pov

I noticed Tang’s body go still just as he reached for the cabin door.

It was the kind of stillness that made your instincts sit up and listen.

I squeezed Harper’s hand.

“Hmm?” she asked, assuming it was motion sickness.

I gave her that look. The one she always knew how to read.

She immediately straightened and turned her head, pretending to stretch while scanning the outside.

Her movements were casual, but I could feel the tension in her fingers. We were both on alert now.

We both looked over the edge of the helipad, trying to figure out what had caught Tang’s attention. Everything seemed normal p>

“Tang, we’re ready for takeoff,” the pilot called from the cockpit, impatience creeping into his voice.

Tang didn’t move. Instead, he crossed his arms.

“I forgot something important,” he said flatly.

“What?” the pilot asked.

“The security code p>

The pilot paused. “Security code p>

Tang raised an eyebrow. “Cassian didn’t mention it? No code, no flight p>

The pilot frowned. “That’s not what I was told. Cassian gave me clearance to fly you out. No mention of any code p>

Tang’s voice dropped. “I don’t make mistakes when it comes to protocol p>

A small blade slipped between his fingers. He spun it once, calm as ever, staring straight at the pilot.

“Maybe Cassian forgot to tell me,” the pilot said quickly, backpedaling.

“Then call and confirm,” Tang replied. Calm, but unshakable.

The pilot nodded, removed his helmet, and climbed out, heading toward a side door on the platform.

Harper and I looked at each other, confused.

He was ready to shut the door a second ago.

What changed?

My mind raced, trying to piece it together. Had Tang seen something we hadn’t? Or was he just bluffing? Either way, something was off.

“Tang Harper started, her voice cautious.

But he wasn’t listening.

His eyes stayed fixed on the helipad until the pilot was completely out of view. Then, without a word, he moved.

The moment the pilot disappeared, Tang shut the door with a bang, slid into the pilot’s seat, and pulled the helmet on.

I blinked. Once. Twice.

My jaw dropped.

Wait. Was he seriously flying this thing?

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. My brain was too busy screaming.

Before we had time to panic, the helicopter lifted off the ground, fast and smooth.

The floor vibrated under our feet, and the noise of the blades swallowed the silence in the cabin.

The original pilot came sprinting back onto the helipad, waving and yelling something we couldn’t hear.

From this height, he looked desperate. His arms flailed, his mouth moved fast, but the roar of the rotor washed him out completely.

From up here, he looked like a glitching NPC in a video game. Angry. Frantic. Totally out of the loop.

Like someone who’d been kicked out of the mission and had no idea why.

Inside the cabin, Harper and I clutched each other, frozen.

Neither of us moved. Neither of us breathed.

The noise of the rotors filled the space, but all I could hear was the pounding in my chest.

My entire body was buzzing with adrenaline.

It felt like my nerves had been plugged into a live wire. My fingers were cold, but my skin burned.

I finally found my voice.

It came out shaky, higher than I meant it to.

“Tang, what the hell is going on p>

Harper’s voice cracked as she added, “Please tell me you actually know how to fly this thing p>

Her grip on my arm tightened, like she was bracing for impact. Her eyes were wide, locked on the front of the cockpit, as if staring hard enough could change the outcome.

Tang’s voice came through the headset, calm as ever.

Too calm. Like this was just another Tuesday for him.

“The pilot was compromised. No chances taken p>

There was a pause.

Long enough for my stomach to twist.

Then, almost as an afterthought: “And yes, I can fly. We’ll survive the landing p>

Not exactly confidence-inspiring.

The helicopter suddenly lurched sideways.

It wasn’t violent, but it was enough to make my stomach drop and Harper gasp out loud.

I grabbed the edge of my seat with one hand and Harper’s wrist with the other.

For a moment, I genuinely thought we were going to roll.

Tang didn’t fly us straight to the original destination.

He wasn’t sure if the coordinates had been leaked, especially since Cassian hadn’t given them to him directly.

If the pilot had been compromised, then the landing site might have been too.

After about thirty minutes in the air, he spotted a clearing and brought us down.

The second the skids touched the ground, Harper and I almost cried from relief.

“I told you I can fly,” Tang said, sounding a little offended. “Professionally trained. Zero accidents p>

He hesitated.

“So far,” he added.

That “so far” didn’t exactly calm me down. Still, at least we weren’t on fire.

“I’ll make the next leg smoother,” he promised. “But first I need to check in with Cassian p>

Harper and I leaned in, listening as Tang made the call.

He explained everything, including the moment when he’d spotted the tip of a shoe sticking out from behind one of the helipad barriers.

“Cecilia and Harper were already inside,” he said. “No time to check it out, so I acted on instinct p>

Cassian’s voice came through, calm and approving.

“You made the right call. Good instincts p>

Then his tone shifted.

“That foot you saw? Belonged to someone my team had already dealt with. We were just a little late clearing the scene before you arrived p>

“We stayed out of sight so you wouldn’t panic. But seriously, spotting a shoe from that far? That’s sharp p>

“Either way, you did exactly what you should’ve. Fast thinking. Clean execution p>

Then another voice cut in, sharp and cold.

“Who are you talking to p>

Even through the static, I felt my spine straighten.

Sebastian.

Tang gave a lightning-fast summary, asked a few key questions, and ended the call almost immediately.

Even over the phone, Sebastian’s disapproval hit like a drop in air pressure.

You could feel it.

Because of the incident, Tang had no choice but to fly the rest of the way himself.

We lifted off again. Harper and I stayed tense, still half-convinced we were going to crash into a mountain.

But after an hour of smooth flight, the vibration of the cabin and the stress of the day finally wore us out. We both dozed off.

I don’t know how long I was out before Tang’s voice crackled through the headset.

“Cecilia, Harper, wake up. We’re here p>

Someone gently pulled off my headphones. I blinked awake, squinting out the window.

We’d landed on a mountaintop.