his finger over the polished surface.
Max’s entire body shifts as he suddenly leans forward. “We nixed that when you brought it up.” The ominous tone in his voice makes the fine hairs on my arm lift.
“Mitzy has a point.” Forest kicks off from the wall and draws back the chair at the head of the table. “We should consider it.”
“What?” I glance around the table and take note of how nobody will meet my eye. “Anybody care to share?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Max pushes away from the table. “We’re not considering it.”
“What are we not considering?” Silence greets me as my attention shifts from Max, to CJ, and then to Sam. When none of them will meet my eye, I direct my gaze at Mitzy. “Tell me.”
Mitzy’s gaze flicks to Forest. I catch her request for permission to clue me in. Forest gives a sharp nod.
“We use Moira.” Mitzy doesn’t even blink. When she speaks, she delivers the news in a deadpan voice.
“What the fuck?” I tug at my ear, certain I got that wrong.
“We have the name of the buyer who ordered Moira. We can set up a sting. Dirty Guardian making an exchange. It’s perfect.”
“No way.” CJ slams his hand down on the table. “We discussed this. Moira is not an operative. That idea is tabled.”
“Wait?” My gaze jumps around the room. “You discussed it? When did you ‘discuss’ it?”
“We discussed it. Moira’s demonstrated she can take care of herself.” Mitzy emphatically crosses her arms over her chest. Somehow, that diminutive woman manages to stare down her nose at CJ. Mitzy is fucking fierce. My balls draw up a bit, and she’s not even talking to me. “Tell him, Forest. Tell them how it can work.”
Despite the little hiccup with my balls, they’re talking about my girl, and the things they’re saying are flat out wrong.
“I don’t know what the fuck you all were talking about before I got here, but there’s no way in hell Moira will be used as bait.” I kick back my chair. “No. Fucking. Way.” The chair careens behind me and slams into the wall. Mitzy doesn’t even flinch with my shout.
Sam, CJ, and Max agree with me. No need for words. It’s obvious in the set of their shoulders and the expressions on their faces. Good to know they think it’s crazy too.
Use Moira?
Mitzy’s fucked in the head.
“What gave you the hair-brained idea to put Moira at risk?” My words slice through the air, cutting and sharp. “You’ve thought of some crazy-assed things in the past, but this takes the cake.”
“Don’t bite my head off.” Mitzy uncrosses her arms and stands as if there aren’t five angry men staring her down. “It wasn’t my idea.”
Forest shifts behind me, and my heart skips a beat. I turn on Forest and realize there are only four angry men in the room. The look on Forest’s face is determined, fierce, and guilty.
“This is your idea?”
“Still is.” He regards me dryly. “We have access to their server. Client lists. Orders. Delivery dates. Upcoming auctions. We can’t sit on this. Whatever we do, it needs to be soon. The only way to tear this operation down is from the inside. And I agree with what everyone’s said so far. Inserting a mole will take time. Turning one of our Guardians dirty is a plausible lie. It’s just outlandish enough for them to believe.”
“And what would turn a Guardian dirty?”
“Gambling debts.” The muscles of Max’s jaw tick. “I’m supposed to rack up certain debts that force me to break my oaths.”
It almost makes sense. Max has a thing about gambling. It’s why the team doesn’t gamble. When we lose a bet, we exchange buttons. It’s stupid, but it’s what we do. The point is, there’s substantial history pointing at Max’s history with gambling addiction.
“Doesn’t hold water. That kind of shit doesn’t just happen. Your cover will never be established. It’s too thin.”
“Which is why I recommend using Moira.” Forest continues as if his stupid plan has any merit.
“Not happening.” I put my foot down. “First off, we just rescued her. Second, it was the second time she’s been rescued by the Guardians. My girl deserves to live a normal life, away from any of this bullshit. Third…”
“First off…” Forest cuts me off with his glittering gaze. “Moira is more than capable of pulling this off. Secondly, she understands that world. Nobody else here has a better understanding of how they operate.”
“Moira doesn’t have that knowledge. She was a sex slave,