relaxed.
Maybe two minutes of silence had passed before Marz looked over his shoulder at her and said, “Beckett just takes a while to let anybody get close, ya know?”
“Derek,” Kat said, exasperated. “Why the heck are we talking about Beckett right now?”
He shrugged and turned back to the laptop. “Just sayin’.”
She glared at the back of his head. First Jeremy and now this. Question was, what the heck did Marz think he knew and how did he know it? Had Beckett said something to him about what’d happened between them? Because if he had, she was going to pull his tongue out of his mouth and tie it in a knot, cartoon style.
“This machine is kind of a mess,” he said. “Typical government piece of crap.” Marz turned and smiled at her. “Whenever our guns jammed in Afghanistan, we’d always remind each other that our weapons had been brought to us by the lowest bidder. Kind of a random memory . . .”
The musing look on his face made Kat smile. “Can’t imagine what it was like over there for you guys.”
He clicked through a few more windows. “Long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of intense, balls-to-the-wall crisis.”
“Oh, so, sorta like now, then?” She’d meant it as a joke, but there was a truth to the statement that wasn’t one bit funny. Not at all.
“Roger that,” Marz said. “You know what, before you do any more logging on, I want to clean this up and build in some new security features. That okay with you?”
Across the room, Emilie, Easy, and Jenna stepped through the door.
“Of course,” Kat said. “Just grab me when you’re ready.”
Marz winked. “Not sure how Nick would feel about me grabbing you, but I’ll definitely let you know.”
Kat rolled her eyes and hoped like hell that Marz didn’t notice the heat crawling into her cheeks—or read into it. Because she’d been grabbed pretty damn good today. And, no, Nick probably wouldn’t be too happy to know it. Not that he got a freaking vote about who did or didn’t grab her, for crap’s sake.
“You ready for me?” Emilie asked with a big smile as she approached the desk.
The grin Marz gave her nearly had Kat blushing even more. “What kind of question is that? Always.” Marz rose to his feet, sending Eileen scurrying again. “Oh, damn. Sorry, Eileen. She keeps sleeping against the shoe on my prosthesis and I can’t feel her.”
Kat scooped the silly-looking dog into her arms and tucked her against her side. The puppy’s ears were so big they were out of proportion to the rest of her body. “She just wants to be near you, don’t you, sweet girl.” Eileen’s huge tongue swiped across her cheek, making Kat laugh. “That’s just about enough of that, you mutt.”
Marz clasped hands with Easy across the desk. “Hey, man. How you doing?”
Tall, athletic, and dark-skinned, Easy was probably the guy on Nick’s team with whom Kat had talked the least. He seemed very reserved, even a little distant—with everyone except for Jenna, that was. Easy’s gaze flicked toward Kat, but he gave Marz a nod. “Day by day.”
“True dat.” Marz rubbed his stomach. “Okay, food. Food is a priority.”
Jenna chuckled. “I’ve heard that about you.” With her bright blue eyes and dark red hair, Jenna was absolutely beautiful, even with the fading yellowish bruises surrounding her left eye. And seeing that reminder of what her brother’s enemies had done to this young woman further reaffirmed Kat’s decision to help Nick and the team. Every single person here had paid something or risked something or was contributing something to try to make this whole situation right. Kat was determined to do so, too.
Marz held out his hands. “Can’t be helped. My reputation precedes me.”
The five of them made their way across the gym, and Kat felt more than a little like the odd woman out. Both couples were hand in hand, catching up with each other about totally normal things after being
Maybe two minutes of silence had passed before Marz looked over his shoulder at her and said, “Beckett just takes a while to let anybody get close, ya know?”
“Derek,” Kat said, exasperated. “Why the heck are we talking about Beckett right now?”
He shrugged and turned back to the laptop. “Just sayin’.”
She glared at the back of his head. First Jeremy and now this. Question was, what the heck did Marz think he knew and how did he know it? Had Beckett said something to him about what’d happened between them? Because if he had, she was going to pull his tongue out of his mouth and tie it in a knot, cartoon style.
“This machine is kind of a mess,” he said. “Typical government piece of crap.” Marz turned and smiled at her. “Whenever our guns jammed in Afghanistan, we’d always remind each other that our weapons had been brought to us by the lowest bidder. Kind of a random memory . . .”
The musing look on his face made Kat smile. “Can’t imagine what it was like over there for you guys.”
He clicked through a few more windows. “Long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of intense, balls-to-the-wall crisis.”
“Oh, so, sorta like now, then?” She’d meant it as a joke, but there was a truth to the statement that wasn’t one bit funny. Not at all.
“Roger that,” Marz said. “You know what, before you do any more logging on, I want to clean this up and build in some new security features. That okay with you?”
Across the room, Emilie, Easy, and Jenna stepped through the door.
“Of course,” Kat said. “Just grab me when you’re ready.”
Marz winked. “Not sure how Nick would feel about me grabbing you, but I’ll definitely let you know.”
Kat rolled her eyes and hoped like hell that Marz didn’t notice the heat crawling into her cheeks—or read into it. Because she’d been grabbed pretty damn good today. And, no, Nick probably wouldn’t be too happy to know it. Not that he got a freaking vote about who did or didn’t grab her, for crap’s sake.
“You ready for me?” Emilie asked with a big smile as she approached the desk.
The grin Marz gave her nearly had Kat blushing even more. “What kind of question is that? Always.” Marz rose to his feet, sending Eileen scurrying again. “Oh, damn. Sorry, Eileen. She keeps sleeping against the shoe on my prosthesis and I can’t feel her.”
Kat scooped the silly-looking dog into her arms and tucked her against her side. The puppy’s ears were so big they were out of proportion to the rest of her body. “She just wants to be near you, don’t you, sweet girl.” Eileen’s huge tongue swiped across her cheek, making Kat laugh. “That’s just about enough of that, you mutt.”
Marz clasped hands with Easy across the desk. “Hey, man. How you doing?”
Tall, athletic, and dark-skinned, Easy was probably the guy on Nick’s team with whom Kat had talked the least. He seemed very reserved, even a little distant—with everyone except for Jenna, that was. Easy’s gaze flicked toward Kat, but he gave Marz a nod. “Day by day.”
“True dat.” Marz rubbed his stomach. “Okay, food. Food is a priority.”
Jenna chuckled. “I’ve heard that about you.” With her bright blue eyes and dark red hair, Jenna was absolutely beautiful, even with the fading yellowish bruises surrounding her left eye. And seeing that reminder of what her brother’s enemies had done to this young woman further reaffirmed Kat’s decision to help Nick and the team. Every single person here had paid something or risked something or was contributing something to try to make this whole situation right. Kat was determined to do so, too.
Marz held out his hands. “Can’t be helped. My reputation precedes me.”
The five of them made their way across the gym, and Kat felt more than a little like the odd woman out. Both couples were hand in hand, catching up with each other about totally normal things after being
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