The Survivor - Cristin Harber Page 0,36
of someone's attention for being herself was a great feeling. “How are you this sweet?”
“I’m not.” He winked and stepped back.
Amanda moved to his side and slipped her arm into his. The scent of soap and strength made her float. “That might be the first time I don't believe you.”
“You got me. I'm a nice guy. Believe it or not.”
“Why wouldn't I believe that?”
He eyed her as they walked. “Do you think nice guys exist?”
She scoffed. “In your line of work?”
He chuckled as if he understood. “But—” He gave her a pointed glance. “You don't know what I do.”
She had to give him that. “Tell me,” she asked, hiding how her question was a bigger step than she let on.
“I do a little bit of everything.” He shrugged, confirming that he didn't understand the magnitude of what she had asked. “I know my way around computers and explosives.”
Amanda flinched. “Neat.”
Briefly eyeing her, Hagan continued as though he didn't feel her jump or hear the quiver in her voice. “If something doesn’t make sense, I want to figure it out. That sums up my job no matter where work takes me.”
“You like puzzles,” she recalled.
They reached the restaurant, and he stopped, standing close. “Exactly.”
“I’m not sure if I like that, or if it terrifies me," she laughed.
His chuckle fell short, and his attention focused over her shoulder. Amanda spun. Her stomach bottomed out as though she were a teenager who had been caught sneaking out. Boss Man was an arm's length away, reminding her of a volcano ready to erupt. His dark eyes challenged Hagan. Defensive and uncertain, Amanda leaned back into Hagan's chest, but Jared ignored her like she wasn't there. The two men faced off. It had everything to do with her, and yet Jared wouldn't even look at her. “Hello?”
Jared’s chest rumbled. “What did I say?”
Her stomach turned, and she knew his bite was as bad as his bark. He needed to back down. “Forget the contract.”
As if a mention of work and their fiercely debated contract broke through his fury, he dropped his gaze to her. “I warned you, too.”
“Don’t scold me like a child,” she snapped.
“Then I’ll scold you like the first—”
“Don’t!” She only realized that she had surged forward when Hagan gripped her hips and pulled her back to him. Blood hammered in her ears. Amanda didn’t know what Jared might say, and she didn’t understand what this debacle did to their contract and friendship. Her throat ached. “You wanted progress.”
He shook his head. “Don’t do this.”
Hagan lifted her to his side, then squared off to Boss Man.
Removed from the discussion and understanding that this wasn’t the time for contract negotiations, that it was more for two men to settle their concerns, Amanda moved behind Hagan. She knit her hands into the back of his shirt.
“Stand down, Boss Man.”
“You’ve got some fucking balls, son.”
Son? Amanda curled her fingers in Hagan’s shirt. Jared wasn’t much older than they were, but he’d crossed the line from protective to patronizing. Pissed-off tears burned the back of her throat.
“Go home, Hagan,” Jared growled. “I’ll take it from here.”
Hagan took a step closer. “Is that an order?”
Oh, God. They were going to fight. Each thought they had her best interest in mind. If she had talked to either of them, this wouldn’t have happened. But she’d been afraid. Once again, her actions would ruin people she cared about. “Stop it.” Amanda rounded Hagan and pushed between the two men. She looked up, willing him to take a breath and meet her eye. The broad plane of his chest heaved with angry breaths. Amanda clasped her hand on his face and could feel the tension in his jaw. “Look at me.” Years crawled by. “Hagan,” she pleaded. “We need to walk away.”
Jared laid a possessive hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take you home.”
“Get your hand off of her,” Hagan roared.
Amanda dipped from Jared’s hold and pulled on Hagan’s hand. “I want to go home. Please.”
Hagan didn’t budge. She realized a crowd of onlookers had formed, as if this couldn’t get any worse. “Hagan,” she begged. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Just please, let’s go.”
His attention returned to her. Relief swelled at the hope that this would end now. But so did a sickening feeling coiling in her gut. Jared had pushed her hand, and she wasn’t ready to share yet.
The muscles in Hagan’s jaw ticked. “No.”
Disappointment clouded her vision.
He took her hand. “I don’t want to know anything