her vocal chords.
He was so close. This man who more often than not set her on edge and made her insides threaten to revolt.
Whenever she thought she was turning a corner in this crazy journey to a new and better self, Pierce would show up, reminding her she was still the same woman.
Still just pretending to be something she would probably never be.
“Are you warm enough, Mona?” The low tone of his words snaked around her, slithering to that spot in her belly that twisted every time he walked into a room.
“I am. Thank you.” She finally managed a full breath for the first time since Pierce arrived.
The blowing heat of the car warmed everything around her. The moving air carried the warm scent of spice and cedar wood. It was deep and rich and masculine.
Mona glanced down at the coat wrapped around her.
It was the coat she was smelling.
No. Not the coat.
The man who owned it.
“Is something wrong, Mona?”
Did he always call her Mona? “I’m fine.”
Maybe saying it would make it true.
If she threw up on his coat it would never come out. There wasn’t enough dry-cleaning in the world to remove barf from expensive wool and—
She reached up to run the tips of her fingers over the scarf.
Cashmere.
“Is the scarf too tight?” Pierce reached for her again, his touch solid and sure as it gently eased the ridiculously soft scarf away from her skin. “Is that better?”
“It’s fine.” As fine as it could be, all things considered.
She needed to find a way to survive this trip without passing out or vomiting, which meant she had to distract her brain and stomach. “Where are we going?”
“GHOST headquarters.” His answer was immediate.
“Why is he there?”
Pierce’s jaw barely tightened. “Because he is one of them.”
“He is also part of Alaskan Security.”
“Not any longer.” Pierce turned his attention to the back window, his dark blue eyes slowly sweeping the span of roadway behind them.
“You can’t just fire him.” Concern for someone she thought of as a friend shoved all her nerves to the side, replacing her almost constant anxiety with something much easier to deal with.
Anger.
Pierce’s eyes immediately came back to her. “I can.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
“And what would you have me do?” One dark brow lifted. “Bring him back? Give him the opportunity to betray us again?”
“How did he betray us?” Yes. Zeke took Heidi and Shawn off campus.
Technically against their will.
And while it was for a good reason, it didn’t exactly forgive the poor decision.
He absolutely deserved a reprimand of some sort.
But to just fire him?
Pierce’s nostrils flared. “Are you forgetting he took your friend? Put her in a situation that could have easily killed her?”
She had not forgotten that. It was one of the reasons she wanted to see Zeke. “And are you blatantly ignoring the opportunity it afforded you?”
Pierce’s lips pressed together so she kept going. “GHOST wants Heidi and you have her. I can promise you she’s not leaving, which means you have something they want.” Mona tipped her chin. “Which also means you hold the power when it comes to GHOST.”
Pierce stared at her as the seconds ticked by, the flare of anger keeping her nerves at bay waning with each passing breath.
Soon she would be back to potentially decorating his expensive coat with the remnants of her breakfast.
And that was without even considering what she planned to do when she saw Zeke.
Chances were good someone was going to need a wet wipe before she was done with them.
Finally Pierce shifted in his seat, angling his body toward the front seats. “I had not considered that.”
Of course he hadn’t. Because men were all about egos. Damage it and they went blind.
Pierce dipped his head. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
His face turned toward her. “For showing me what I couldn’t see on my own.”
“Oh.” His response sort of took the wind out of her sails.
Not that she had much to start with.
The SUV slowed, jostling as it went over a bump.
“We’re here.” The driver pulled into a spot along the side of a large nondescript building, parking right in front of a windowless steel door.
Movement caught Mona’s attention.
A matching SUV pulled up on each side of them, along with one at the back, effectively blocking them in.
“It’s just added protection.” Pierce’s door opened. “I won’t risk your safety.”
“Hey, Mona.” Tyson gave her an easy smile from where he stood just outside Pierce’s door.
Rogue was surrounding them, fully-geared and looking ready for