corrected, pissed off even more. “And no, that wasn’t her shit. It was mine.” And I was an asshole for how I’d sent her away.
“Never knew you to be a fuck up.” Harm took out a smaller wrench.
I snorted out a laugh. “You also didn’t know me to let my guard down on a mission.” Case in point, the fucking inconvenience on my neck.
He glanced at me. “What happened?”
Same shit that’d probably happened to him. “You play with fire long enough, you get burned.”
“Not spoken like a true Marine.”
I took offense. “You’re standing next to me in the same goddamn boat, asshole. If you weren’t, you’d still be wearing the uniform, so don’t throw down that bullshit like you didn’t fuck up, same as me.”
“I didn’t, and we’re not standing.”
“Fucking fantastic.” Asshole. “Why are you here?”
“Luna said you needed help.”
“Motherfucker.” I threw my wrench down and stood. “I don’t need any goddamn help.” Luna had called no less than five times and I’d told him no less than five fucking times shit was handled. Vincenzo had backed off. I didn’t give a fuck where Cara was or if Antonio and Massimo shot each other for sport.
Ignoring me, Harm fucked with my generator and ten seconds later the expensive piece of shit came to life.
“What the fuck did you do?” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation. I’d been out here for two goddamn hours, not to mention last night until my fucking fingers almost froze off.
“Used the right tool.” Harm stood. “The girl, she’s yours?”
“What?” I snapped.
“You handed her off to Conlon. If she were your client, you would’ve seen the job through. I remember what type of Marine you were.” His eyes briefly met mine. “What type of man you were.” Looking away, he scanned the property again. “You’re solid.”
Making a mental note to try not to be such a fucking dick, I exhaled. Then I evaded. “She’s Luna’s client. I only work for him. I had shit to do to secure the cabin. It didn’t matter who took her out of here.”
Harm’s sharp gaze cut to me. “You’re spun up.”
My resolution to try not to be a dick shit the bed, and I was two seconds away from shooting him. “You’re trespassing.”
Harm shrugged. “Luna cherry picked quite a crew.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “Your point?” He was a goddamn walking advertisement for staying the fuck off an isolated mountain by yourself.
“He offered me a job.”
Luna was out of his goddamn mind. “Who the fuck from our unit hasn’t he offered a job too?”
“Kansas, Delario and Smathers.”
I snorted. “They’re all still boots on the ground.”
“Exactly.”
I was out of patience. “If you want the job, take it. You don’t need my approval.”
Harm gave the view a cursory glance then scanned the road he’d come in on. “You usually have firefights working for Luna?”
I told him the truth. “This wasn’t Luna and Associates business, but yeah, sometimes.” Some men came out of the Corp never wanting to shoot a firearm again and some missed it. I didn’t know which side of the coin he fell on, but his actions last night proved he could still hold his own.
His gaze cut to mine. “You’ve got mafia after you as well as those Russians?”
Fucking hell. Sighing, I debriefed him. “No. Last assignment I was on for Luna, I made enemies with the wrong prick. Apparently, none of his mafia connections were too eager to come up a mountain in a blizzard to take me down so he outsourced, but it’s all handled now.”
Harm pointed out the obvious. “You didn’t kill the Italian in the suit.”
“No.” But I should have. The old me wouldn’t have hesitated pulling the trigger, truce or not. But a five-and-a-half-foot tall brunette had been standing in my line of vision and I didn’t want her to see me kill a man in cold blood. Go fucking figure.
“Because of the client,” Harm said knowingly.
Pulling my Glock out, I checked the magazine. Then I lied to a brother. “No, because it was the right thing to do.”
The fucker’s shrewd gaze locked on mine, and he stared a beat too long. “Don’t feed the beast and it won’t grow.”
I shoved my gun back in my waistband. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” I knew exactly what he meant, but I wasn’t having this conversation.
“Bloodlust.”
“I think you’ve been on the mountain too damn long, brother.”
“I think you need to be on the mountain,” he calmly countered.
I glared.
He stared.
I was the fucking