Berlin, Airport
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH05v8LOWJP
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WwrSuy3l7
After a quick stop to grab Bree's go-bag, they found themselves sitting in the stillness of the airport. The night's quiet blanketed the terminal, a stark contrast to the usual bustle Mathis had seen on previous trips. Only a handful of travelers moved about, their footsteps echoing in the nearly empty space.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNpQ1xaqsq
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoFxMRkqEJ
Bree approached with two coffees in hand, taking the seat beside him. Mathis glanced at her, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "You didn't find anything a little stronger?"
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyfRbdskYU
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qz9TpE9Fa
Bree chuckled, handing him the coffee. "Figured we'd save that for after the mission. For now, caffeine will have to do."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAHJl4n17W
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuMwmX25kj
Mathis took a sip, his eyes scanning the deserted terminal. "Fair enough," he said quietly, though his mind raced with the details of the mission. Every moment felt heavier now, the weight of what was coming closing in. Nine days. That was all they had before the meeting of top leaders, and before the Shadow Front unleashed chaos.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZBbVZHfwc
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjXdBaF1Wz
He turned to Bree. Her face was calm, but tension was etched around her eyes, the faintest crease of worry beneath her professional demeanor. She had been through so much with him, had seen his darkest moments, and yet here she was—by his side once more.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4miBCLm09B
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZM8Wrv4ax
Bree leaned back in her seat, exhaling softly as she sipped her coffee. "We'll get ahead of this. We always do," she reassured him, her tone calm but firm, though there was a softness to her voice that only he seemed to recognize.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYeyrRcyd3
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBXkR1df9I
Mathis leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his mind racing. But the tension he felt wasn't just about the mission. Bree's presence was a constant reminder of what he had been pushing away—what he had been afraid to face. His heart tightened as she leaned closer, her hand gently brushing his back in a soothing gesture. The warmth of her touch made it harder to maintain the distance he tried to impose between them.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgMY5G6S6J
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOACIt1nLLq
Their hands found each other, first by accident, then deliberately, fingers entwining with a familiarity that felt too natural to resist. He could feel her pulse through their touch—steady, reassuring, but with a hint of something more. That connection, once severed by his grief and anger, now returned with a force he hadn't expected. Bree's thumb stroked the back of his hand, and he let himself savor the sensation—if only for a moment.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gorkwehhF
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuCR4pwSDD
Mathis turned to face her fully, his heart thudding in his chest. Bree's eyes met his, her usual guarded expression softening. For the first time in what felt like years, he saw something raw there—vulnerability, affection, and maybe even hope. The space between them felt charged, as if the weight of everything unsaid was pressing down on them, waiting to spill over.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgemhfriWXV
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwJuX4PffK
"I've missed you," Mathis whispered, his voice barely audible, the words tumbling out before he could stop them.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVxU8lsRY7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KQhOHS1bB
Bree's lips parted in surprise, her breath catching. Her hand tightened slightly in his, and for a brief moment, the mission, the chaos, and the dangers awaiting them in Rome disappeared. It was just the two of them, suspended in that moment where everything felt possible.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP9yoRkNmm
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYk3ZOCCN1
"I've missed you too," she admitted softly, her voice almost trembling with the weight of the confession. Her gaze held his, and for a fleeting second, Mathis allowed himself to believe that maybe—just maybe—they could have more than this.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuNL4IyuUq
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTjL8BJuN8
But the world wasn't built for moments like this. Not for people like them.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy3hu7fSpU
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94NcLO8MGh
The crackle of the airport's intercom broke the silence, announcing the boarding of their flight. The spell between them shattered, and they both turned their heads toward the sound, the intensity of the moment dissolving as the reality of their mission crept back in.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBshxdPUX2v
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNeQgD2hEN
Mathis pulled his hand away, the cold air rushing back in as he cleared his throat, trying to mask the sudden shift. "We should get going," he said, his voice steadier than he felt inside.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs0yqHhaBS
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7XXlrqEEK
Bree nodded, standing up, though there was a lingering sadness in her eyes. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled faintly. "Yeah. Let's do this."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTbAPUISLR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfufBbBht3K
They gathered their things, walking toward the gate, side by side, but with a growing distance between them, as if the brief touch of intimacy had created more space than before. As they moved toward their flight, the weight of duty pressed down on them both, heavier than ever. Mathis could feel the tightness in his chest again, the conflict pulling at him from every direction. He wanted to protect Bree, to keep her close, but he knew their mission—and their separate loyalties—would always come first.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAV36LDFbF
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB4UoMEeRp
The flight to Rome would be long, but Mathis knew it wouldn't be long enough to shake the feelings swirling inside him.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcmx4IxMfB
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0jogEcVRd
Mathis was jolted awake by the gentle brush of fingers across his hair. Disoriented for a moment, he blinked against the soft light filtering through the plane's cabin. Bree's voice followed, low and soothing, "Welcome back. You slept like a rock. Has it been a while since you last slept well?"
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9fWWwU5zW
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dNZK0x5Xy
He glanced at her, his brow furrowing slightly. "How long have I been out?"
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh180WrTCHi
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAIupXI5Ut
"Nearly the whole flight." Bree smiled, but there was a hint of something deeper behind her eyes—relief, maybe. "We're about to land."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO2KvtP4UI
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVYhbAwNzg
He straightened up in his seat, feeling the tightness in his shoulders ease, if only slightly. For once, his body wasn't wound like a spring. He hadn't slept this soundly in what felt like years, but that only reminded him of how much he'd been running on fumes. He tried to push the thought away, but Bree's kindness—it unsettled him more than it should.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaRKqyeBy7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtScRqrqjE
The early morning sun streamed through the window, casting a golden hue on the horizon. Mathis stared out, gathering his bearings. Moments later, the plane began its descent, the wheels kissing the tarmac with a soft thud.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4CdIW1Cw9
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVgMoM6I7P
Bree glanced over as the heavy jet engines wound down. "I've got a contact waiting for us outside. He'll take us to a safe house."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntmlKdYYMO
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIfxYs1p5E
Mathis's gaze tightened, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You didn't mention anything about this before we left," he said, his tone sharper than intended.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tV8ehRlei
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHzfqlvQQl
Caught off guard by his sudden shift, Bree exhaled, keeping her voice calm but firm. "Relax. I made contact while you were asleep. He's reliable. The safe house is secure, off the grid, and he's arranged weapons and equipment for us. Low profile, just like you'd want."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1cS7q55xA
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnr8cCEHaqi
Mathis's jaw clenched, his mind racing. He trusted Bree's skills, but this wasn't the first time he'd been blindsided by last-minute decisions. He scanned her face for any cracks in her calm exterior but found none. Still, the nagging doubt lingered, a habit too ingrained to shake easily.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlh4S8pafR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqHhJ57wz0
"Try not to be so tense," Bree added, her voice softening. "We'll need clear heads for what's ahead."
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83GWJXnBuL
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUcMh4G7XK
Mathis didn't respond immediately. He knew she was right, but trust—especially now—was hard to come by. He nodded slowly, though the wariness in his eyes didn't fade.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1nJsLBINO
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHgBey4R8N
Mathis sat in silence, the hum of the descending plane filling the quiet between him and Bree. His body felt heavy from the rare sleep, but his mind was anything but rested. What was it about her? She had a way of slipping past the walls he'd built, even when he tried to reinforce them. Every time he let his guard down, even for a moment, she was right there, offering comfort in a way that made him both grateful and uneasy. The warmth of her touch lingered, and it scared him how easily he allowed it.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsDpi1YOlk
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xGUcApJiX
He glanced at Bree, her profile calm, composed. How does she do it? She could switch between the mission and... whatever this was between them, so effortlessly. As if the weight of the world didn't press on her shoulders the same way it did on his. But he knew better. He saw the tension in her eyes, the way she carried her own burdens quietly, never asking for help. Bree was strong, but that strength only made things more complicated.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqm6L7RzV7
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmDSOlmYn1
Mathis's hands curled into fists in his lap. He hated this feeling—this vulnerability. His job, his life, had been built on control. Knowing the enemy, anticipating their next move, staying one step ahead. Emotions had no place in the world he inhabited. But Bree... She was different. She wasn't just another operative; she wasn't just another variable to manage. She was the one person who'd seen him at his worst, who knew the darkness that lived inside him, and yet she stayed.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeCBa4sDxF
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl01Tw7orZS
And now look where that got us.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu00mzSJGo9
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1H6hiCHuUC
The mission had become personal long before they touched down in Rome. The Shadow Front had already taken so much from him, and now they were on the verge of plunging the world into chaos. Mathis told himself that his focus was on the stolen drone and stopping the assassination—those were all that mattered. But Bree's presence reminded him that there was more at stake than just revenge or duty. There was something between them—something raw and impossible to ignore, yet too dangerous to fully embrace.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTybhTiOZ1v
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWFIgo4On4
He flexed his hand, recalling how their fingers had intertwined at the airport. That moment of honesty, when he admitted that he missed her—it had felt like both a release and a mistake. He couldn't afford to be distracted by emotions. Not now. Not with the clock ticking and the stakes so high. And yet, every time he tried to push her away, she came closer.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMpO95Yu0X
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJod745Ubp
You're going to get her killed.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysby7wwgOi
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Rnw4xb5oq
The thought struck him harder than he expected. It was why he had kept his distance after his wife and child were murdered. He couldn't allow himself to care again, couldn't let anyone else become a target because of him. Yet here Bree was, walking into the same fire, willing to stand by his side. She should have left. She should have taken another assignment, stayed out of this mess. But she hadn't.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5rhIJPcCR
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG10YqcdWf
He swallowed hard as the lump in his throat returned, and that old grief resurfaced. It was always there, lurking beneath the surface—the weight of loss, the failure to protect his family. It drove him, pushed him forward, but it also crippled him in moments like this, when the fear of losing someone else clawed at his insides. I can't lose her too.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeh4Ntf21x
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEFxXgXk0s
But could he really keep Bree safe? Could he protect her from the storm that was coming when he barely had a handle on his own emotions?
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTPCA43oVX
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPWFMtavjC
His eyes narrowed as the plane touched down, his thoughts shifting back to the mission. Bree had said she'd made contact with someone on the ground, but she hadn't told him beforehand. That gnawed at him. He trusted her—of course, he did—but trust was fragile in their world. Too many moving parts, too many people with their own agendas. Every step forward felt like walking into quicksand, and it was getting harder to tell who was pulling the strings.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRADorLqVk
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIjgOPchVR
Was Bree keeping something from him? Was her contact truly reliable? Or was she shielding him from something he wasn't ready to hear? His mind churned with possibilities, none of them settling well.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaycBuouvId
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCOhrpbF4v
He glanced at her again. She was staring out the window, calm as ever, but he knew her too well. Beneath that exterior was the same uncertainty, the same tension. She was carrying her own burden, and maybe she hadn't told him everything to spare him or to keep them both on track. Either way, he couldn't afford to let doubt creep in. Not now.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygyNIuuFxa
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLPamvsQYr
Focus, Mathis. Get through the mission. Then, maybe, he could figure out what Bree really meant to him. But he doubted it. Life never worked that way for people like them.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm6EL0TVIa
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx7U1pqwsJ
Duty came first. Always.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWFHm9gy0g
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2P1EovtHY
And yet, as Bree's hand brushed his again—deliberately or not—he couldn't shake the feeling that duty and desire were about to collide in ways he wasn't prepared for.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4hH6G0oFc
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGgpSpLFbY
The plane taxied to a halt, the engine's roar fading to a low rumble. As the seatbelt sign flickered off, the cabin erupted into a frenzy. Passengers scrambled from their seats, eager to disembark, their movements frantic and disorganized. The aisles became a tangle of luggage and impatient travelers.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6pRLnuHgg
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo5H2mcdZC
Overhead bins were yanked open with a clatter, and people jostled one another, retrieving their bags. The air filled with murmurs of annoyance and tired sighs as a slow-moving line began to form at the exit. The airport, bathed in the soft glow of early morning, was already teeming with a fresh wave of arriving passengers. The once-quiet terminal was now alive with the cacophony of rolling suitcases, the distant hum of announcements, and occasional bursts of laughter or exasperated exclamations.
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jrU3XAhoQ
130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKc4yARtti
As Mathis stepped into the terminal, he was struck by the sheer scale of the crowd. The scene felt like orchestrated chaos, with people moving in every direction—some in a hurry, others lost in their own worlds. The hum of activity stood in stark contrast to the calm of the plane. Mathis braced himself for the day ahead, blending into the ebb and flow of the morning rush, with Bree at his side.
ns18.219.206.240da2
