men who demanded control and absolute obedience locked in a power play. Wade couldn’t think of a worse scenario. “Jarrett is in charge and decides who comes inside his building, from the clients to the staff to the visitors. That includes you, so I wouldn’t push him.”
“She’s different.” The gun stayed in Elijah’s hand even though it now pointed at the floor.
“Yeah, well, we don’t get a say in who he screws or if he lets her back in his life.”
A red fury covered Elijah’s face. “Becca Ford destroys everything.” The words ripped out of him as if he struggled not to scream his insight.
And Wade couldn’t disagree with either the fury or the words. “That’s what history suggests, yes.”
“Why are you so calm about this? You don’t want her here either.” Elijah was waving the gun now.
Gone was the steady black-ops genius who broke in the club door with his team eight months ago and started Jarrett’s legal nightmares. This Elijah had been hunted and beaten by the very people he once trusted. He had nothing left to lose. With his training and emotional blankness, he could only be described as scary dangerous.
Wade didn’t want to fire the guy up any more, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with Jarrett’s decision-making today either. His boss’s usually firm grip on control slipped when Becca’s face popped up on the security cameras. After nearly ten years as Jarrett’s sidekick, Wade could count the number of times something shook Jarrett’s resolve. All but one grew out of his relationship with Becca.
Wade wanted her gone. “She fucks with Jarrett’s head. So, no, I don’t want her here. He has an almost inexplicable weakness for her and—”
“She will get me killed.”
“Then I guess it’s good people think you’re already dead.”
Elijah spun around. The gun arced through the air as if it were part of his body now. “You think this situation is fucking funny?”
“Not even a little,” Wade said. The only thing less funny would be getting shot at the front door to his own damn apartment. He left those days when he threw in with Jarrett.
“Now, step back.” Wade was prepared to use the weapon tucked into his belt to make the point if he had to and started a mental countdown.
After a heartbeat of silence, punctuated only by Elijah’s sharp breathing, he turned around and headed for the family room. The gun clinked against the coffee table as Elijah set it down. He sat down hard in the middle of the sleek gray sectional a second later.
For one brief beat, the mask fell and Wade got a peek at the rolling panic underneath. A dark shadow moved behind Elijah’s eyes and his throat bobbled. For a guy who never flinched, any sign of worry signaled a catastrophe, and this went well beyond worry.
As it always did when Elijah exposed a glimpse into the real man underneath, Wade’s control broke. “Eli—”
His head dropped back against the cushions. “This is unbe-lievable.”
The whisper broke through the last of the tension whipping around Wade. “Hey, listen to me. It’s going to be okay.”
“Why is she here?” Elijah lifted his head. His eyes darkened as he let out a long exhale. “She should be running or in CIA custody. Anywhere except in the place where this whole shitstorm started. I’m here, in part, because of her. To figure out her role in all of this and make it all stop.”
With the emotional surge over, Wade shut the door to the private floor and walked over to the couch. “I don’t know what’s going on with her.”
“You had to overhear something.”
Not enough, which was why he made the call to the one other person Jarrett would listen to and could not ignore. The other person Jarrett considered a friend. Wade knew he needed reinforcements to convince the boss on this one and didn’t hesitate.
“Jarrett rushed her into his office and kicked me out.” Wade said as he sat down next to Elijah. Not across from him or in another
“She’s different.” The gun stayed in Elijah’s hand even though it now pointed at the floor.
“Yeah, well, we don’t get a say in who he screws or if he lets her back in his life.”
A red fury covered Elijah’s face. “Becca Ford destroys everything.” The words ripped out of him as if he struggled not to scream his insight.
And Wade couldn’t disagree with either the fury or the words. “That’s what history suggests, yes.”
“Why are you so calm about this? You don’t want her here either.” Elijah was waving the gun now.
Gone was the steady black-ops genius who broke in the club door with his team eight months ago and started Jarrett’s legal nightmares. This Elijah had been hunted and beaten by the very people he once trusted. He had nothing left to lose. With his training and emotional blankness, he could only be described as scary dangerous.
Wade didn’t want to fire the guy up any more, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with Jarrett’s decision-making today either. His boss’s usually firm grip on control slipped when Becca’s face popped up on the security cameras. After nearly ten years as Jarrett’s sidekick, Wade could count the number of times something shook Jarrett’s resolve. All but one grew out of his relationship with Becca.
Wade wanted her gone. “She fucks with Jarrett’s head. So, no, I don’t want her here. He has an almost inexplicable weakness for her and—”
“She will get me killed.”
“Then I guess it’s good people think you’re already dead.”
Elijah spun around. The gun arced through the air as if it were part of his body now. “You think this situation is fucking funny?”
“Not even a little,” Wade said. The only thing less funny would be getting shot at the front door to his own damn apartment. He left those days when he threw in with Jarrett.
“Now, step back.” Wade was prepared to use the weapon tucked into his belt to make the point if he had to and started a mental countdown.
After a heartbeat of silence, punctuated only by Elijah’s sharp breathing, he turned around and headed for the family room. The gun clinked against the coffee table as Elijah set it down. He sat down hard in the middle of the sleek gray sectional a second later.
For one brief beat, the mask fell and Wade got a peek at the rolling panic underneath. A dark shadow moved behind Elijah’s eyes and his throat bobbled. For a guy who never flinched, any sign of worry signaled a catastrophe, and this went well beyond worry.
As it always did when Elijah exposed a glimpse into the real man underneath, Wade’s control broke. “Eli—”
His head dropped back against the cushions. “This is unbe-lievable.”
The whisper broke through the last of the tension whipping around Wade. “Hey, listen to me. It’s going to be okay.”
“Why is she here?” Elijah lifted his head. His eyes darkened as he let out a long exhale. “She should be running or in CIA custody. Anywhere except in the place where this whole shitstorm started. I’m here, in part, because of her. To figure out her role in all of this and make it all stop.”
With the emotional surge over, Wade shut the door to the private floor and walked over to the couch. “I don’t know what’s going on with her.”
“You had to overhear something.”
Not enough, which was why he made the call to the one other person Jarrett would listen to and could not ignore. The other person Jarrett considered a friend. Wade knew he needed reinforcements to convince the boss on this one and didn’t hesitate.
“Jarrett rushed her into his office and kicked me out.” Wade said as he sat down next to Elijah. Not across from him or in another
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