Page 35 of The Team (The Milvus Files #3)

ACHERON ISLAND, QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

TWO WEEKS LATER

Jay loved this place.

The idea that anyone could own an entire island was insanity. Well, correction... the idea that someone could have enough money to own an island was an insanity.

But holy hell, Jay loved this place.

They had tropical waters, sunshine, and swaying palms for five days. Five glorious uninterrupted days with some of his favourite people.

They carried their bags up from the dock and were greeted by Yunho. He wore long linen pants, a flowy overshirt, and a welcoming smile. He was relaxed, happy, at peace.

“Welcome, darlings,” he said. “Please come. Take your bags upstairs; same room as last time. Freshen up, then join us by the pool. We’re lounging in this glorious sunshine.”

They did as they were bid, and Jay shook his head as he threw his duffle bag onto the bed. “Remember what you did to me last time we were here?”

Rhett snorted. “How can I forget?”

“I’ll take a repeat tonight,” Jay said.

“Is that an order?”

“Hell yes, it is. Two nights with my family was great and all, but you won’t fuck me in my mother’s house because you have standards or some such bullshit, and I have needs, Rhett.”

“I won’t fuck you in your mother’s house because you’re too loud.”

Jay grinned at him as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it at him. “Then find something to gag me with.”

Then he whipped off his shorts, stood there in all his naked glory, as he rifled through his bag. He held up a pair of tiny Speedos victoriously before squeezing into them.

“Those are obscene,” Rhett mumbled, drinking every inch of him in.

Jay turned a few angles to give him a proper view. “Well, yeah. That’s why I bought them.”

Rhett sighed and chose his much more sensible board shorts. Jay couldn’t help but ogle him, taking in his long, lean body, gorgeous muscles, his defined abs.

“God, you’re gonna fuck me so hard tonight,” Jay murmured. He pulled his sarong around his waist and tied it off. “I’d suggest we start right now and not surface for a day or two, but there’s someone I need to go see.”

Rhett chuckled. “We have five days here. I’m sure we’ll find time.” He readjusted his junk. “Sure hope the pool water is cold. You shouldn’t talk about sex like that.” He pretended to be mad as he plucked a shirt from his bag. “Let’s go downstairs.”

Rhett could pretend not to be excited all he liked, but Jay knew he was looking forward to this.

They made their way downstairs, through the beautiful house, to the pool area. It was, like the rest of the house, impeccable. Massive tiles, landscaped gardens, sunbeds in the shade, and a pool that could be in any of those design magazines.

But the people . . .

Lucas was on a sunbed, wearing white shorts, his shirt unbuttoned, reading something on his tablet. He wore his black eyepatch, and he had a cane beside him, but he looked healthy and happy.

Yunho was at a patio table next to him, laptop open, newspaper and coffee cup by his hand. Of course, he spotted them first. “Ah, come over. Jay, darling, you look fabulous.”

Jay grinned at him. “I know,” he said, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Jun-mei.

She stood up from her sunbed, her hand to her mouth. She wore a one-piece bathing suit and a long see-through overshirt. Her hair was now in a pixie cut, and she looked amazing.

Jay went to her and gave her a hug. “Look at you! Your hair is fabulous. You are gorgeous.”

She nodded, eyes glassy, but happy tears this time. “I am so happy,” she said. “I never dreamed of this. This place.” She gestured to the pool just as Yin was getting out.

Jun-mei and Jay both stared as he hoisted himself out of the water with ease, muscles bulging, water streaming down his naked torso. His black board shorts clinging to every bulge...

“And this man,” Jay murmured.

Rhett gave him a shove. “I heard that.”

Jay grinned without shame and Jun-mei giggled. Rhett went over to meet Yin, shaking his hand. “Looking relaxed,” Rhett said.

Yin laughed.

Actually freaking laughed.

“Happiness looks good on him,” Jay murmured to Jun-mei.

She smiled and, taking Jay’s hand, led him over to her sunbed. He sat with her and her grip on his hand tightened. “I have to thank you, and Captain Ouston,” she said. “I can never thank you enough.”

“We’re just glad you’re okay.”

She looked over to where Yin and Rhett were talking by the pool, and she shook her head in wonder. “Yunho and Lucas have been so kind and so generous. I cannot believe this is my life. Everyone here is...”

Jay laughed. “Queer?”

She giggled again but then shook her head, her eyes meeting Jay’s. “I have new papers, a new passport, as me, Jun-mei. An Australian passport. Can you believe that?”

He squeezed her hand. “You deserve it.”

“I know Tao can’t stay here,” she whispered, face falling. “He is Milvus now and will travel. And I’m happy that he’s happy. He feels he can make a difference now.”

“And you?” Jay asked. “What are your plans? You have a new life now.”

She smiled shyly, eyes darting to Yunho before landing back on Jay. “Yunho said I could stay here,” she said. “I could be their live-in help. Help Yunho in the office, help Lucas with whatever he needs.”

Jay gasped, and he gave her hand an excited squeeze. “Really? That’s great! You already know about Milvus, all the dark government ops and stuff. You speak how many languages? And you’re a nurse. It’s perfect, really.”

So freaking perfect.

Jay couldn’t be happier for her.

“And Tao knows I’m safe here,” she whispered. Then she got a little teary again. “And I can be me here.”

“And she makes the best pot of tea,” Lucas said without looking up. “Coming from an Englishman, that’s quite the compliment.”

Jun-mei smiled, radiant and shy, and Jay gave her a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

Before she could reply, there was a loud groan from the far side of the pool.

Jay turned to find Chen, wearing shorts that did his pale legs no favours, a gawdy Hawaiian print shirt, and a bucket hat.

He had his arms full of firewood, which he dropped near the fire pit at the end of the patio and dusted himself off.

“Ah, you are here,” he said with a grin.

He went over to shake Rhett’s hand, and he gave Jay a grin before he turned to Yunho.

“Yunho, why is fence down there. You expect intruders all this way?”

Yunho chuckled and closed his laptop. “No. That’s to keep the crocodiles out.”

Chen’s smile died instantly, and after he stared at Yunho for a long beat, he looked at Rhett, eyes wide.

“You know, when we first come here, I ask why not all Australians live in such beautiful place. Why have this pool when beautiful ocean is right there. Because of huge crocodiles and teeny tiny jellyfish that can kill a hundred men.” He threw his hands up.

“This is why not all Australians live here. Crocodile fence. Now I ask why does anyone live here?”

Everyone laughed.

Well, everyone except Chen. He came over and threw himself onto the sunbed next to Jay and Jun-mei.

“Love the shirt,” Jay said.

And just like that, sulky Chen was gone and grinning Chen was back. “Me too.”

Jay looked out then, seeing Rhett and Yin still talking by the pool.

He liked that Rhett had found a friend in Yin.

He didn’t have many friends. Sure, he had the whole team, and Sid in particular.

He had scores of men who would follow him into battle out of pure respect.

He had people who admired him, looked up to him, maybe even feared him a little.

But he didn’t have friends to hang out with.

He and Yin were a lot alike in a lot of ways, and to see them talking and laughing like friends… Well, it made Jay so freaking happy.

And Yin. Standing in the sunlight, shirtless, Jay could see the extent of his scars more clearly. His back was mottled where it had been shredded and was now jagged lines of healed scar tissue. Uneven, discoloured, welted. Even the back of his thigh and calf was scarred.

Jay could only imagine how much pain he’d gone through, what it took to survive that.

He had to remind himself not to stare. “Any word on Wong and his sister?” he asked.

Yunho looked at him then. “Both detained and assets seized.”

Jay was hardly surprised. That guy’s many millions of dollars was probably part of the reason why the government offered to help. A helluva payday. “And General Yuan?” Jay knew it could have gone one of two ways. He was either rotting in a jail cell or they gave him a commendation.

“Retired quietly,” Yunho said.

So basically a commendation. Motherfuckers.

“And all of Frankston’s files? The pathogen data and his manifesto on how to be a traitor and a giant piece of shit?”

Yunho chuckled. “We have it all.”

“Dead piece of shit now,” Rhett said, walking over.

“And Yin’s magic blood?” Jay asked. He looked up at Yin. “How many vials did they take? Leave you any?”

Jay understood they’d need his blood for tests, and that was fine. He just didn’t want the guy to become a lab rat.

“None,” Yin answered.

“None?”

Yunho sighed and closed his laptop. “The Chinese had been working on synthesising a cure, based on their test results from the explosion and what they took from him during his recovery.”

“I just assumed those blood tests were procedure,” Yin said with a shrug.

“It wasn’t in any of his medical records,” Jun-mei offered.

“No, it wasn’t,” Yunho agreed. “Not in his military records, anyway. I did find something in their hidden records though. The tests they’d run, the cure they’d found. Have you heard of the Warberg effect?”

Jay and Rhett both shook their heads .

“The long version involves cellular aerobic glycolysis in fighting cancers and mycotoxins.”

“What the scientists in Tehran were working on,” Jay said. “Doctor Azad Heydari.”

“Yes,” Yunho replied with a nod. “The shorter version of a long medical analogy is that Yin’s blood has anomalies with the BCL-2 protein, more specifically the BH3-only protein, and how it fights infection.”

What the hell?

Rhett side-eyed Yin. “Are you like superhuman or something?”

Everyone chuckled, but it was Yunho who answered.

“No. It’s not medically un common, but those without this anomaly are likely to succumb to the pathogen.

Like I said, the Chinese synthesised a cure based on Yin’s bloodwork.

” Then Yunho smiled and shrugged. “And I shared that data with our own medical team. And with every government affiliated with the Milvus Division. If everybody has the cure, the pathogen has no monetary value, at least.”

Jay grinned at him. Sneaky bastard.

“And Myles?” Rhett asked. “We saw him in London, in the special care ward. He was doing better. Talking, at least.”

“Much better,” Yunho said. “He’ll never be back to what he was, and his Milvus days are over.”

Jay wasn’t surprised. He sighed. “And Yixing is back in London, back at work. HQ is working on extra security and more transparency. Which is a good thing, I guess.”

“I’ll keep an eye on them, darling,” Yunho said with a smile.

“And so will I,” Lucas declared, gesturing to his one good eye .

It made Jay chuckle. “So,” he hedged, looking around. “I was hoping Harry and Asher would be here. Where is my favourite cranky tank?”

Yunho’s eyes twinkled. “They’re in Sydney, paying someone a visit.”

That sounded fun . . . and somewhat sinister.

“Really?” Rhett asked, eyebrow raised. “And who might that be?”

Yunho smiled. “We found a lot of information in the data we imparted from the Chinese. Information that has been and will be quite useful.”

Jay had assumed Yunho would gain access to whatever Chinese military data he could, and he wasn’t bothered.

Yunho had saved their asses several times, and at his own expense.

Payment in restricted data access was his reward, and in a way, Jay was glad.

He was glad his team now had more information.

There had been whispers of newly structured Chinese military divisions, focusing more on cybersecurity, satellite recon, and signal intelligence.

And now Yunho had all that information at his fingertips.

Yunho continued. “Information that is pertinent to the Parrish case and his involvement with a certain politician in Belarus and the Druzhba pipeline.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Are we . . . ?” Jay hedged.

“When do we leave?” Rhett said.

Yunho put his hand up and chuckled. “You have five days off, Captain Ouston. I suggest you enjoy them.”

“Great idea.” Jay laughed as he shot up off the sunbed. He took Rhett’s hand and pulled him toward the pool, undid his sarong, letting it fall to the tiles as they went into the water.

Milvus could wait.

Hell, the whole fucking world could wait.

As Rhett surfaced for air, Jay wrapped his legs around his waist and kissed him. “Five days, Ouston,” he murmured. “You better make them count.”

Fin