my eyes up, away from the way his lips had flattened. If his eyes were normally dark, they were black now, and they were darkening every second I held his gaze.
An emotion flickered there, then disappeared.
“It’s time.” He held out a bag. “Put these clothes on.”
I hadn’t even noticed the bag.
Embarrassment washed over me, and shame.
I needed to get a fucking grip on myself.
“Okay.” I reached for the bag. We were both careful our hands didn’t touch when I took it.
My heart tried to stampede itself out of my chest as I drew back, shutting the door with more oomph than I needed. I almost sagged against it. Almost. I caught myself. He would’ve heard. He would’ve known his effect on me, if he didn’t already.
Who was I kidding?
He knew. He knew full well what power he had.
Biting back my humiliation, I emptied the bag onto the bed. A pair of pants and a shirt similar to what I had on fell out. Black runners. Socks. He had everything in here, even a sports bra and underwear.
I held up the lacy thong and arched an eyebrow.
Really?
As if sensing my thoughts, I heard him chuckle from the other side of the door. “Tanner picked the clothes.”
Tanner.
Asshole.
But I grinned. That made it better, less embarrassing for some reason. With a sigh, I changed out of what I was wearing. Everything fit like a glove. The shirt and pants were incredibly soft, but firm against my body. I didn’t want to think how much they’d cost, and the socks and runners fit. I felt better support with these shoes than I got from my normal workout shoes. The bra fit too. As did the underwear.
It was eerie how well Tanner could shop.
A hair tie fell out of the bag, and I swiped it up, putting my hair in a braid. I had showered before trying to rest and my hair was dry now. My fingers made quick work through the strands.
Shit.
Standing back, I recognized myself, but I didn’t at the same time.
The outfit was similar to what I would’ve worn on a work errand, but the woman looking back was glowing. Her eyes were alive, blazing. Her skin was flushed with color. Her lips parted, seeming swollen.
I looked like a wanton assassin.
Double shit.
This was him. I knew it. It was his effect on me.
Biting down on my lip again, I looked away, turning my back to my reflection. If I looked this alive now, how had I looked before? A slicing pain split through my chest, and I struggled to get oxygen for a second.
Then, as I blinked, it passed.
I couldn’t think about it. I just couldn’t.
Blade. Brooke.
This was a mission, just like all my others. I didn’t know the parameters. I didn’t know the time, the place, the how, but I was a participant just as much as Blade and Kai were. Only I had limitations.
The door opened, and Kai stepped in, his eyes finding me instantly.
“Ready?”
I clipped a nod.
I was ready, for anything.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kai and I went down in the same elevator as before, only it was just us this time. When the doors opened, four guards were waiting. Two turned to walk ahead of us, and as we stepped out, the other two fell in line behind us.
We went to a white van with a plumbing company sticker on the side, and as the back door opened, Kai took my arm. He climbed in, pulling me with him, and walked us to the front where we knelt behind the driver and the passenger’s seat. Six guards already lined both sides of the van, sitting on the floor like we were.
Two of the guards who had walked with us hopped inside, and the other two shut the back doors. A guard hit the locks from the inside, and the other two walked around to get in the front.
The van started forward, and we drove out of the hotel’s underground parking lot in total silence.
The men weren’t looking at me. No one made eye contact.
I gauged the distance, and after we’d gone three blocks, all the guards took out their guns, checked them, and put them back in their holsters. Two added silencers and held them on their laps, pointed down.
I glanced over at Kai, but he stared ahead. He didn’t seem tense. His breathing was even. He wasn’t sleepy, but he seemed calm. Then again, why wouldn’t he be? This was probably something he did once a month.