Cooper found us twenty minutes later.
By then, we'd moved to the desk. I was perched on the edge and Chance stood between my legs. Our chest were still pressed against each other and his mouth was at the crook of my neck.
Upon hearing the creak of the door, we broke apart. Both of us were breathing heavy and my skin was hot to the touch. Even Chance looked flustered.
As Cooper entered the office, I buried my head in Chance's chest so that he wouldn't see my flaming cheeks.
I heard his footsteps stop and I didn't need to see his expression to know that he was surprised.
"I see you two have been busy," he commented. His words made me blush even harder.
"You're just jealous," Chance smirked.
Reluctantly, Chance let go of me and turned to face Cooper. In his arms were three two-go containers filled with food. My stomach growled as the aroma of pancakes wafted through the air.
"Shall we?" Cooper asked.
Five minutes later, I was stuffing my face with strawberry pancakes and greasy bacon. Cooper had already finished almost half of his meal and Chance was in the process of eating his french toast.
Unable to help myself, I laughed.
"What's so funny?" Cooper asked.
I just shook my head. "All of this. Everything is so fucked up. There is a drug dealer out there who's trying to kill us. New York's most prestigious Gala was attacked last night. Chance got shot. And, yet, here we are, sitting in a weapons factory and stuffing our faces with IHOP."
On top of that, my mom was in California battling cancer.I hadn't talked to her in over a week. I didn't know if she was doing well or if she was on the verge of death. Granted, she probably knew that I was well. After all the press at the Gala last night, she had to have seen me on TV or the news.
Thinking about my mom pained my heart. She used to be the only reason why I stuck with this internship. I merely did it just because Chance would pay for her medical bills.
But now, I was doing this for Chance too. Chance and I had something. I just wasn't sure what that something was yet.
"Then why don't you just get rid of Miguel? I just got a shipment of C4. Once we locate Miguel's hideouts, I can plant the suckers and blow him and all of his men off the planet," Chance interjected while chewing his food.
Blowing up Miguel seemed like a decent idea to me, but Chance had other ideas.
"It's not that simple."
"C4 is actually really easy to use if you know what you're doing," Cooper deadpanned.
"I wasn't talking about explosives, dumbass. What I meant is that there's no way we can just get rid of Miguel that easily. He has allies everywhere. If we were to take him out, then that would just put a bigger target on our heads."
"Then what do we do?" I asked.
"We need a plan. A damn good plan."
Chance stood up. I didn't miss the way his fingers flinched towards his side. He didn't show his pain though as he walked to the window and peered outside.
Even though his back was turned to us, I knew his face was a hard mask of concentration.
Cooper was still eating.
Moments later, Chance pivoted around. His eyes held a soft light that wasn't there before.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
Chance shrugged. "If we have any shot at formulating a decent plan, then we're going to need to do our research. We need to know Miguel's movements. We need to know how and where he operates. And, we need to know his weak spots."
Cooper swallowed his last pancake before asking, "We need to do recon on one of his bases."
Chance nodded. "Exactly."
"Where's Miguel's closest base?"
Cooper and Chance smirked simultaneously.
"Miami."
*********************************
By six o'clock we were boarding Burke Industries' private jet.
All it took was a call from Chance to his secretary, Judy.
Of course he had to explain to everyone that he was alright after last night's events. Apparently the media was worried that he'd been kidnapped or something because we weren't at the Gala when the police had shown up.
Chance lied and said that we had left early because he wasn't feeling well. It wasn't very believable, but Chance's publicity team handled everything.
Chance didn't tell Judy why he needed the jet. Neither did she ask for a reason. After all, Chance Burke always got what he wanted.
It was decided that Cooper would come with us to Miami. He had skills and expertise when it came to stake outs. And let's face it, a weapons specialist would always come in handy.
After breakfast, Cooper went out and got some clothes for us. They were nothing fancy, but they fit well and it was a relief to get out of my dress. The factory didn't have a shower. They had running water, though, and I was able to rinse all of my makeup off from yesterday.
I reemerged from the bathroom feeling like a new person. I was dressed in soft sweatpants and black v-neck. Chance had changed also, and now wore jeans and a grey shirt.
We took Cooper's Jeep to the private runway. We didn't bring any bags considering Chance and I had nothing and it wasn't safe to go back to our apartments.
The only thing in the back of Cooper's Jeep was a shit ton of gear and weapons. Some of the stuff I recognized but most of it was stuff I thought I'd only see in spy movies.
When we got to the runway, the sun was already low in the west. We wouldn't land in Miami until dark. The plan was to get a good night's sleep and spend the next day researching Miguel's base.
The private airport was deserted except for the multi-million dollar jet. Cooper drove right up next to it on the tarmac. The boys wasted no time exiting the car and started towards the plane.
"What about the luggage?"
"The crew will get it." Chance grabbed my hand and tugged me along. Sure enough, two men exited the plane and began to load up the gear.
I'd never been on a private jet. Nor did I ever think I would be, so I didn't know what to expect.
I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping as we entered the cabin. The jet was far too large and spacious for three people.
There were two leather chairs in the front and back. A couch was on one side and a bar on the other. Plush carpet covered the floor. Everything was spotlessly clean and looked brand new.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Cooper smiled.
I just nodded, unable to form words.
Chance looked right at home. He settled himself in a chair, and wasted no time buckling his seat belt. I sat next to him and Cooper took the couch.
"If you get tired there's a bed in the backroom. Bathroom's on the left," Chance said quietly as the plane engines started.
I didn't realize how tired I was until after the plane took off. We'd only been in the air for a couple of minutes until my eyes began to shut. I hadn't slept well last night, and I knew I'd pay for it tomorrow if I didn't get rest soon.
Chance noticed my predicament and gestured towards the back of the plane. "Get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow. I'll wake you before we land."
I nodded and shuffled to the bedroom. I passed Cooper on my way there. He seemed to be engrossed in some game on his phone.
The bedroom was small, but still nice. The bed looked way too inviting. In no time, I snuggled beneath the covers and fell asleep.
***************************
This chapter was just a filler. The real action is going to start when they arrive in Miami :) Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! please vote/comment!
Also, thank you!!!!!
Thanks to you, ASJ is #3 on the what's hot list! That is a huge achievement!
Next chapter should be up tomorrow or Friday!
-Katherine