“Her.” Gray’s frown turned into a scowl. “I can’t tell if she’s clueless, or if she fully expects you to try and murder her in her sleep.”
She definitely wasn’t clueless. Nina moved through the world with a lazy confidence Knox recognized on a gut level—the confidence of someone who knew she could handle whatever trouble came her way. “I’m guessing it’s option B.”
“Sure, but it won’t do much good if she’s attached to your front.”
Knox refused to let the words conjure any naked mental images. Lust could be compartmentalized just like any other unnecessary emotion. He’d already packed it away, along with hope and guilt and honor and everything else he couldn’t afford to indulge if he wanted to see Luna alive and his men healthy.
So it wasn’t difficult to flash his second a flat, unamused look. “Not an issue, Gray.”
“Yes, sir.” Gray climbed into the passenger seat to ride shotgun—literally, since he had a loaded 12-gauge propped against the console, waiting for him.
Conall and Rafe were already folded into the backseat, where Conall was fiddling with another tablet. “I’ve got the signal from the bug on their truck. Want to listen in?”
Knox started the engine, which hummed almost silently as he turned the wheel and pulled off the edge of the access road. “Put it over the speakers.”
“I’m not sure,” Dani was muttering. “They’re trained to respond to threats, so proper elimination order isn’t just important, it’s vital. And I don’t know their skill sets well enough to choose. Yet.”
“Uh…” Conall leaned forward between the seats. “Are they plotting to kill us? Already?”
Gray shushed him.
“Hey, I’ve made it clear who’s the most trouble,” came Maya’s voice. “And don’t give me any shit about Gothic novels. The sniper has to go first.”
“True,” Dani answered, “but misguidedly narrow thinking. We could do three at once. More if Nina lets me break out the explosives.”
“No explosives,” Nina countered. “Clean kills.”
Dani sighed. “All right—the big one first. Rafe. Then, whoever comes at me next.”
“At least the blonde appreciates me,” Rafe said cheerfully from the backseat, as if this was all hilarious. As if Knox wasn’t wondering if he should risk the tranqs, after all.
“Your turn, fearless leader,” Dani said.
Nina laughed. “I thought you already had me pegged to go one-on-one with the captain.”
“I’m not getting within arm’s reach of him,” Maya stated firmly. “They don’t pick nice guys to command Protectorate squads. If I have to take him down, it’ll be with a bullet in the back of the head while he’s taking a piss.”
“Better bring a buddy along on your bathroom breaks,” Conall muttered, sounding far less amused than Rafe. He always had had better survival instincts.
“Use your imagination, Maya.” Nina’s voice dropped an octave, smoothing into something low and seductive. “It doesn’t have to be unpleasant. You don’t come at a lion head on, but you don’t have to sneak up behind it, either. You can pet it until it lets down its guard.”
Knox gripped the steering wheel tighter and stared at the uneven road ahead. He could feel Gray staring at him. He could feel them all staring at him, waiting for a reaction.
He refused to give it.
But she kept going. “If you play your cards right, it won’t matter that he knows about the knife under your pillow. He’ll crawl into your bed anyway. And by the time you have that blade at his throat, he won’t care anymore. It’s all been worth it.”
The steering wheel creaked. Adrenaline throbbed through him. Knox didn’t know what was more dangerous—the blunt violence in her words or the sultry heat in her voice.
Dani snorted. “And how do you know that would work?”
“Because Garrett Knox likes a little danger. Don’t you, Captain?”
“Oh, shit,” Conall breathed. “They found the bug.”
Nina’s voice cooled. “If you have concerns, voice them. If you have questions, ask me. Don’t eavesdrop on my team. It’s over the line.” She paused. “Maya?”
“Bye, boys.”
A squeal of static blared through the speakers. Conall bit off another curse and slapped at his tablet until the truck fell blessedly silent.
Gray exhaled slowly. “Okay, so she’s definitely not clueless. New question—what kind of person retains a chipper disposition even when they know their personal safety is in jeopardy?”
“The kind of person so dangerous, you blackmail an elite mercenary squad into retrieving them,” Knox replied. “Which is why we need to focus on this job and get it