Read Online Under the Wire: Bad Boys Undercover by Helenkay Dimon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Helenkay Dimon
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fit in anywhere. She didn’t generally get lured in by a fit body and gravelly voice. At least, not until Reid.
“I did, didn’t I?” Those weeks still stunned her. Falling so fast and so hard had run counter to her practical nature. She’d backed out believing that sort of intenserelationship shouldn’t morph into anything long-term. That it couldn’t survive. And even if it could for her, there was no way it could happen like that for him. She just couldn’t see it.
It all sounded smart in theory. In practice, leaving him left her in pieces. Fast or not, whatever she felt for him refused to go away quietly . . . or quickly.
“As you pointed out, whatever you felt didn’t last for long. You wiggled out of it.” Reid stared at her as if waiting for her to challenge him. When she stayed quiet, he pushed on. “We need a plan for this situation.”
The man was six-feet-whatever of pure stubbornness. She walked over to him and peeled back his shirt. Both because he needed medical attention and because, in that moment, she needed to touch him. “Any ideas?”
She half expected him to shrug her off or insist he was fine. Instead, he stood there and let her fuss over him. Winced and glared but didn’t push her away.
“Easy, I head out. Possibly draw out anyone who might be following, and go back to the last point where the communications system worked.” When the shirt underneath his jacket stuck to the wound, he looked at her. “That doesn’t feel great.”
She assumed his calm comment meant that it really did hurt. She also knew they could be looking at much worse injuries if they went along with his dangerous plan. “So, your plan is to get shot. Take one for the team and all that.”
He frowned. “Hopefully not.”
“Hope? That’s not good enough. Come up with something else. Preferably, a plan that keeps you alive.” She tried to remember where they’d dropped their backpacks before storming the compound, then decided it would be easy to find supplies amidst the wreckage in the sleeping quarters. “And I need to sew that up, so don’t think we’re done with the medical part of this.”
“It’s a flesh wound. The bullet just grazed me.” He lifted the shirt again and studied the area she just touched.
“Did you get a medical degree on one of your days off?” She knew he had limited training for just this sort of out-in-the-field issue, to get team members injured in action out. If possible. But that wasn’t really the point.
“Did you?” he asked. But before she could volley a response at him, he changed the subject. “What if we made use of a labor camp? Off-the-books, Stalin era. Covert.”
She glanced at Parker. When he didn’t protest or say anything, she turned back to Reid. “That sounds awful.”
“Russia insists it was something else. I don’t really care, but from the aerial photos I studied on the way over, it shouldn’t be too far.” He started to shrug, then hissed in reaction to the movement before letting his wounded shoulder fall again. “More importantly, it’s abandoned, or should be.”
Parker made a humming sound. “That’s a lot of ‘shoulds’ in that comment.”
“Do we have another choice?” Reid asked.
“Huh.” Parker shrugged. “Like I said, perfect.”
He had to be kidding. They both did. She could barely control the fear rattling around inside her. “Do you know what that word means?”
“And that’s why scientists aren’t in charge of the Alliance.” Reid squeezed her upper arm then let his hand drop again.
Not that she had any desire to be, but still . . . “Because we’re practical?”
“You play it too safe. Sometimes you’ve got to take a risk to get the big reward.”
The intensity of his stare almost knocked her over. “Are we still talking about this situation or something else?”
The corner of Reid’s mouth kicked up in a smile. “I’ll let you figure that out.”
6
T ASHA G REGORY stared out her
“I did, didn’t I?” Those weeks still stunned her. Falling so fast and so hard had run counter to her practical nature. She’d backed out believing that sort of intenserelationship shouldn’t morph into anything long-term. That it couldn’t survive. And even if it could for her, there was no way it could happen like that for him. She just couldn’t see it.
It all sounded smart in theory. In practice, leaving him left her in pieces. Fast or not, whatever she felt for him refused to go away quietly . . . or quickly.
“As you pointed out, whatever you felt didn’t last for long. You wiggled out of it.” Reid stared at her as if waiting for her to challenge him. When she stayed quiet, he pushed on. “We need a plan for this situation.”
The man was six-feet-whatever of pure stubbornness. She walked over to him and peeled back his shirt. Both because he needed medical attention and because, in that moment, she needed to touch him. “Any ideas?”
She half expected him to shrug her off or insist he was fine. Instead, he stood there and let her fuss over him. Winced and glared but didn’t push her away.
“Easy, I head out. Possibly draw out anyone who might be following, and go back to the last point where the communications system worked.” When the shirt underneath his jacket stuck to the wound, he looked at her. “That doesn’t feel great.”
She assumed his calm comment meant that it really did hurt. She also knew they could be looking at much worse injuries if they went along with his dangerous plan. “So, your plan is to get shot. Take one for the team and all that.”
He frowned. “Hopefully not.”
“Hope? That’s not good enough. Come up with something else. Preferably, a plan that keeps you alive.” She tried to remember where they’d dropped their backpacks before storming the compound, then decided it would be easy to find supplies amidst the wreckage in the sleeping quarters. “And I need to sew that up, so don’t think we’re done with the medical part of this.”
“It’s a flesh wound. The bullet just grazed me.” He lifted the shirt again and studied the area she just touched.
“Did you get a medical degree on one of your days off?” She knew he had limited training for just this sort of out-in-the-field issue, to get team members injured in action out. If possible. But that wasn’t really the point.
“Did you?” he asked. But before she could volley a response at him, he changed the subject. “What if we made use of a labor camp? Off-the-books, Stalin era. Covert.”
She glanced at Parker. When he didn’t protest or say anything, she turned back to Reid. “That sounds awful.”
“Russia insists it was something else. I don’t really care, but from the aerial photos I studied on the way over, it shouldn’t be too far.” He started to shrug, then hissed in reaction to the movement before letting his wounded shoulder fall again. “More importantly, it’s abandoned, or should be.”
Parker made a humming sound. “That’s a lot of ‘shoulds’ in that comment.”
“Do we have another choice?” Reid asked.
“Huh.” Parker shrugged. “Like I said, perfect.”
He had to be kidding. They both did. She could barely control the fear rattling around inside her. “Do you know what that word means?”
“And that’s why scientists aren’t in charge of the Alliance.” Reid squeezed her upper arm then let his hand drop again.
Not that she had any desire to be, but still . . . “Because we’re practical?”
“You play it too safe. Sometimes you’ve got to take a risk to get the big reward.”
The intensity of his stare almost knocked her over. “Are we still talking about this situation or something else?”
The corner of Reid’s mouth kicked up in a smile. “I’ll let you figure that out.”
6
T ASHA G REGORY stared out her
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