through this door who he, or she, is sleeping with.”
Victoria folded her arms over her breasts. She hadn’t forgotten he was there, Nick was positive. But she wasn’t slanting a look his way at all. As if she could forget all about him if she didn’t look.
Fine with him. It just meant he could study her curves and angles to his heart’s content. Until Mendez sliced a look his way.
Nick straightened and dropped his gaze, but the colonel snorted as if he was in on a secret.
Fuck.
“What’s the job?” Victoria asked. “Not that I’m saying yes.”
“Answer the question.”
She blew out a breath. He thought she might tell the colonel to fuck off.
“No, I’m not sleeping with him. I’m not sleeping with anyone. I take my job seriously, and I take getting Emily out of this shit hole even more seriously.”
And that was the crux of the matter. By all accounts, her sister was her Achilles’ heel—and Mendez knew precisely how to dig in the blade.
“I want you to tell us everything you know about Black. Then I want you to go back to work for him. And take Brandy with you.”
Victoria’s mouth dropped open. Then she shook her head, her long hair brushing her back. It was almost to her waist, and Nick wanted to wrap his hands in it. Preferably while buried deep inside her. Pounding into her while she gasped and moaned and screamed his name.
Nick shifted in the chair as his dick began to sit up and take notice of what was going on in his brain.
“I can’t take him to Ian. That’s not how it works. Besides, I thought you wanted me to believe Ian set me up. Why would I go back to work for him when the job wasn’t finished? If bin Yusuf wants me dead, he won’t stop until I am.”
Mendez cut a look to Nick, and Victoria followed his gaze, looking at Nick for the first time since she’d sat in that chair. But it was Mendez’s stare that had him sitting up straighter. If Nick had a collar to pull, he’d have pulled it.
Thankfully, Mendez’s iron gaze cut back to Victoria.
“We don’t know that he had any idea what was about to happen. We also don’t know he didn’t.”
Victoria glared at Nick before whipping her gaze back to Mendez. Busted.
“You’re talking in circles. You’ve made promises, but no specifics, and you want me to walk back into the line of fire—and to take Preacher Boy with me? You’re crazy, Colonel. And since I’ve committed no crime, I demand you let me go.”
Mendez folded his arms over his chest. Then he scratched his head casually while Victoria waited.
“I can have you driven to the gate. But you’ll be on your own then. A target for bin Yusuf, for Black, for whomever. No support, no rescue. And your sister stays with bin Yusuf.”
Victoria swallowed. “I can’t just take him to Ian. He’ll be suspicious. New recruits are ex-military, ex-cops, whatever. And they usually arrive after Ian checks them out with his contacts. He has operations elsewhere, so there’s no guarantee he’d assign Nick to Qu’rim.”
“Trust me, Sergeant Brandon will have a very long and checkered history when we’re done. He’ll be a very dirty operator and precisely what Black wants. Besides, you need a spotter, don’t you?”
Nick gritted his teeth. This was the part he didn’t like. He didn’t mind being kicked out of HOT or having a record as a dirty soldier. All of that was temporary anyway. But acting as Victoria’s spotter was going to drive him to drink.
She glanced at him and he gave her a bland smile. Inside, he was seething. But no one else was right for the job. It had to be him. Dex was still too new to HOT—and Jack Hunter was flying in to take Nick’s place in the squad. They’d be shadowing him and Victoria as much as possible. But mostly he’d be flying without his backup.
Victoria was pissed enough at him to turn him over to Black. But her sister was the key here. So long as Mendez held out the promise of something she’d been unable to
Victoria folded her arms over her breasts. She hadn’t forgotten he was there, Nick was positive. But she wasn’t slanting a look his way at all. As if she could forget all about him if she didn’t look.
Fine with him. It just meant he could study her curves and angles to his heart’s content. Until Mendez sliced a look his way.
Nick straightened and dropped his gaze, but the colonel snorted as if he was in on a secret.
Fuck.
“What’s the job?” Victoria asked. “Not that I’m saying yes.”
“Answer the question.”
She blew out a breath. He thought she might tell the colonel to fuck off.
“No, I’m not sleeping with him. I’m not sleeping with anyone. I take my job seriously, and I take getting Emily out of this shit hole even more seriously.”
And that was the crux of the matter. By all accounts, her sister was her Achilles’ heel—and Mendez knew precisely how to dig in the blade.
“I want you to tell us everything you know about Black. Then I want you to go back to work for him. And take Brandy with you.”
Victoria’s mouth dropped open. Then she shook her head, her long hair brushing her back. It was almost to her waist, and Nick wanted to wrap his hands in it. Preferably while buried deep inside her. Pounding into her while she gasped and moaned and screamed his name.
Nick shifted in the chair as his dick began to sit up and take notice of what was going on in his brain.
“I can’t take him to Ian. That’s not how it works. Besides, I thought you wanted me to believe Ian set me up. Why would I go back to work for him when the job wasn’t finished? If bin Yusuf wants me dead, he won’t stop until I am.”
Mendez cut a look to Nick, and Victoria followed his gaze, looking at Nick for the first time since she’d sat in that chair. But it was Mendez’s stare that had him sitting up straighter. If Nick had a collar to pull, he’d have pulled it.
Thankfully, Mendez’s iron gaze cut back to Victoria.
“We don’t know that he had any idea what was about to happen. We also don’t know he didn’t.”
Victoria glared at Nick before whipping her gaze back to Mendez. Busted.
“You’re talking in circles. You’ve made promises, but no specifics, and you want me to walk back into the line of fire—and to take Preacher Boy with me? You’re crazy, Colonel. And since I’ve committed no crime, I demand you let me go.”
Mendez folded his arms over his chest. Then he scratched his head casually while Victoria waited.
“I can have you driven to the gate. But you’ll be on your own then. A target for bin Yusuf, for Black, for whomever. No support, no rescue. And your sister stays with bin Yusuf.”
Victoria swallowed. “I can’t just take him to Ian. He’ll be suspicious. New recruits are ex-military, ex-cops, whatever. And they usually arrive after Ian checks them out with his contacts. He has operations elsewhere, so there’s no guarantee he’d assign Nick to Qu’rim.”
“Trust me, Sergeant Brandon will have a very long and checkered history when we’re done. He’ll be a very dirty operator and precisely what Black wants. Besides, you need a spotter, don’t you?”
Nick gritted his teeth. This was the part he didn’t like. He didn’t mind being kicked out of HOT or having a record as a dirty soldier. All of that was temporary anyway. But acting as Victoria’s spotter was going to drive him to drink.
She glanced at him and he gave her a bland smile. Inside, he was seething. But no one else was right for the job. It had to be him. Dex was still too new to HOT—and Jack Hunter was flying in to take Nick’s place in the squad. They’d be shadowing him and Victoria as much as possible. But mostly he’d be flying without his backup.
Victoria was pissed enough at him to turn him over to Black. But her sister was the key here. So long as Mendez held out the promise of something she’d been unable to
Similar Books
