With Every Breath (Slow Burn #4) - Maya Banks Page 0,25

that,” Eliza murmured.

Shadow grinned again. “Yeah, seein’ as I’m here, guess you do.”

Beau cleared his throat and went on to the last man. “This is Knight.”

Eliza’s gaze left Shadow and settled on the last man Beau had introduced. Her first thought was that his was likely not a nickname or at least not in the sense he was considered a knight in shining armor, because there was nothing about him that resembled a romance novel hero or even a hero period.

His features were stony, giving nothing away. He was the shortest one of the group, but considering the others well exceeded six feet, Knight was likely about an inch over that. His hair was long, as in it obviously hadn’t been cut in years and it was a look he’d cultivated a very long time. He had it pulled back and secured with a leather tie.

Dark but not as dark as Zeke’s midnight hair, but darker than the chestnut brown of Shadow’s short hair. He had eyes to match, so dark it was hard to distinguish his pupils from the irises. It gave him a menacing air, which wasn’t aided by the couldn’t-crack-a-stone-on-his-face set to his features. She wondered if he ever smiled but then decided probably not since it might well fracture the rest of his face.

He barely acknowledged the people he was being introduced to. His gaze quickly passed over each in turn before returning his attention to Beau.

Eliza wondered what his specialty was, but then other than Shadow, none of the others had been forthcoming in what it was they did, but DSS needed men who could handle themselves in any situation and be prepared and trained for anything. From all appearances Dane had chosen well.

It was Dane’s job to vet, interview and see what all prospective new hires were made of. He was good at it. The Devereauxs never questioned his choices. If they passed muster with Dane, they were hired. Period.

“Now that introductions are over, if everyone will sit back, we have a few other things to go over before we adjourn,” Beau said.

There were a few unsuppressed groans and likely twice as many suppressed groans because the hope had been the introduction of the new operatives would end the boring-as-fuck meeting.

For once, Eliza was grateful it wasn’t over just yet. She needed a few more precious minutes to prepare herself to face her partner, a man she considered her closest friend and her only confidant. And then lie through her teeth to him.

SIX

DANE bit his tongue and stifled his impatience. He was every bit as eager to get bullshit over with as everyone else was. Yeah, he got that his new recruits needed to be introduced and integrated into the fold, but now was not the time when everyone was bored as fuck, impatient and ready to blow this joint. The others hadn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for Dex, Zeke, Shadow and Knight. Not that the men would give a fuck. But still, mentally he arranged a better time to meet up with the newest operatives so everyone could receive their assignments and who each of the new guys would be assigned to during training he didn’t expect to last more than a few weeks at most.

He’d hired guys who were smart, knew their shit, didn’t have egos and had what it took to get the job done. He hadn’t hired men who needed hand-holding and an A to Z instructional manual. He needed men who could learn under fire, adapt and overcome any obstacle. And he’d chosen well. They’d all passed a series of very rigorous, intense tests, not only determining their physical skills but also their intelligence. Their ability to make split-second decisions, the ability to think quick on their feet, and how they reacted to the unexpected. He’d been impressed, and he wasn’t a man who was easily impressed. He had no doubt the men he’d hired would fit in seamlessly into DSS with no dick sizing or pissing matches, because just as he hadn’t hired men with egos and something to prove, neither did anyone currently working with him suffer any such issue. All of the men—and Eliza—were confident without being too confident and had no problem calling in backup when they knew they were in over their heads or were outmatched or outnumbered.

They needed the extra muscle and manpower but that wasn’t all they needed. They needed men who were not new to the game, and it