asking what I really wanted. “Do I need to get a lawyer, while you all blow out

of town?”

He sighed. “Delacourt’s not going to leave you hanging in the wind. Tito’s death isn’t on you, it’s on Iceman.”

“I know that, but getting the locals to see it that way…” I shrugged. “I think it’s going to require some smoke and mirrors.”

“This isn’t the first magic show my team’s handled, baby. Did you forget why we exist in the first place?”

No, but…I concentrated on scraping the last bit of yogurt from the cup.

Not fooled in the least, Kayden gave an exasperated huff and ran a hand through his hair. “I thought you were done with running.”

Startled, I looked up. “I’m not running anywhere. I’m right here.”

He studied me with an unsettling intensity. “Then ask me what you really want to ask, instead of pussyfooting around it.”

“Your ability is a massive pain in my ass.” My muttered comment got a slow

grin, but it didn’t soften the serious glint in his eyes. Realizing there was no way to avoid this without pissing him off, I got right to it. “Fine, I want to follow whatever this is between us, but if I join the team, is it going to cause problems?”

“Why would it?”

His nonchalant question raised my eyebrows. “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe

because I can’t see Delacourt all that keen on fraternization between team members?” The military certainly had some hard and fast rules for such

situations, and Delacourt wasn’t playing that far outside the Corps.

His grin turned positively wicked. “Are you saying a relationship with me will make you a less effective team member?”

I narrowed my eyes at his humor, and in an attempt to regain a bit of control

with him, I licked my spoon clean with provocative intent. His gaze darkened. I

smiled sweetly. “Nope, actually I think you having a relationship with me will make you a less effective team member.” Maybe it wasn’t nice to tease him, but he deserved it. “You tend to get a little overprotective, Shaw.”

“I’ll show you ineffective, Arden,” he growled.

Before I could set my spoon down or escape from the table, I was in his lap

and his mouth was on mine. Heat and need edged out all my pesky future worries. Here, with him, there was comfort and something I thought I lost a long

time ago, a sense of home, of finally finding my place. Granted the last couple of

days were far from normal, but if nothing else, they taught me to treasure opportunities like this. Time to grow a pair and grab on.

When he finally drew back, both of us were breathing heavily. Those steel blue eyes took their time inching over my face. His thumb gently brushed my lower lip. “So, you ready to follow this ‘thing’ between us?” Under his gentle, teasing words, lay a thread of seriousness.

“Yeah.” I nipped his thumb. “You ready?”

“Semper Fidelis, baby.”

Always Faithful. I lopped my arms around his neck and dropped my forehead

to his. “Semper Fidelis.”

WHEN WOLF BLEW IN, he brought not one, but two extra bodies with him.

Introductions were quick and dirty. The deceptively slender male with dark hair

still in military regulation cut carrying a laptop was Rabbit, the team’s techie guru. With them was Jinx, the caramel-haired female with serious brown eyes.

Within minutes of their arrival, Rabbit’s laptop was up and ready.

“Bishop’s on his way in.” Wolf stood behind Rabbit’s chair. “Ricochet has eyes on Hobbes.”

“Do we have a confirmation on the meet, yet?” Kayden pulled up maps on

his laptop.

“Hobbes’s last meeting today is fifteen hundred at the NSpirit’s east valley location,” Rabbit answered, the South flowing through his words like thick honey. “According to the flight plan filed this morning, he’s flyin’ out of Scottsdale Air Park at eighteen hundred.”

Kayden frowned. “That leaves us a three-hour window.”

I leaned over his shoulder and considered the two pinpointed locations on his

screen. The nice thing about Phoenix was most of the streets were laid out in a

grid pattern. “A straight route with Monday rush hour would normally take forty

to forty-five minutes tops.”

“We’re monitoring his phone and email,” Rabbit drawled. “The most interestin’ thing so far is a text from a jeweler that his mistress’s necklace is ready for pick up, and his secretary’s reminder to pick up the Jimmy Choos his

wife ordered. Them women are gonna break that boy’s wallet.”

Jinx gave a delicate snort. “If his wife finds out about his sidepiece, he’ll need more than a pair of Jimmy Choos.”

“I don’t know, sugar, those fancy la-la types, they play by a whole ‘nother set

of rules. Maybe the missus is just fine with his little amusements.” Rabbit didn’t

look away from his screen. “‘Sides, some men need a little variety, predictable gets boring.”

“And God forbid, you get bored, huh, Rabbit?” Jinx’s question held a