offered.
Drew and Ryan smiled. Damn, they looked condescending.
“You will, don’t worry,” soothed Ryan. “I might need you as a lookout, or a distraction.”
Her eyes narrowed. Right. Lookout. Her brothers had used her as a lookout. In other words, they’d had all the fun, and she’d spent a long time looking at a door. Why had she thought he would ever see her as an equal?
“Okay, better get back before James figures I’m missing,” Drew said. “Oh, here.” He pulled something from within his jacket and handed it over to Ryan.
Vicky gaped at the object. “A gun?”
Ryan glanced at her. “Yes, a gun. I knew our bags would be searched, as well as our car, so I asked Drew to smuggle it in for me.” He pocketed the box of ammunition Drew gave him.
She turned to Drew. “What about me?”
Ryan sighed. “Vicky, you don’t need a gun.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “You want me unarmed? What if something happens?”
“We’ll be fine.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Would you even be having this conversation if someone else was on the case with you, like Maggie?”
“I know Maggie’s gone through basic training. Luke made sure of that. You, on the other hand, haven’t.”
“Look, just because I haven’t done the MSA training doesn’t mean I don’t have skills, or I can’t look after myself. I can. And I told you before, Drew’s taken me shooting.”
Ryan frowned. “Yeah, when did that happen?” He glared at Drew.
“When you were away on any one of your cases,” she snapped. “I can handle a gun, Ryan. Stop treating me like a child.”
“She can hit a target,” Drew said. He crouched and pulled up his trouser leg. “You can have my back-up piece.” He unsnapped the holster and handed it, along with the weapon, to her. It was smaller and lighter than the guns she’d trained with, but the weight was comforting in her hand.
“It’s a Ruger LCP 3.80. Six rounds in the magazine, one in the chamber. Single strike, double action. You’ll have to stage the trigger to fire, but it’s a point-and-shoot weapon. It’s small, but it’s accurate, and packs enough of a punch to get you out of a sticky situation. Just don’t get into a sticky situation.”
She nodded as she slid it into her clutch purse. The knots in her stomach tightened. “What about you? I don’t want to leave you vulnerable.”
Drew grinned. “Aw, Vic, that’s sweet. Don’t worry about me, my backups have backups. I’ve got a lot more where that came from. Careful, though, that’s loaded.”
Her clutch purse instantly felt heavier. “Okay,” she responded faintly.
“Right, well, I’ll get back to work and leave you two lovebirds to it.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she was grateful for the subdued lighting. In answer to her earlier question, yes, her cheeks could get hotter.
“Bite me, Michaels,” Ryan said.
“No, I’ll let Vic do that.” Drew said as he turned and walked away from them, whistling.
Vicky ducked her head. That. Was. Embarrassing.
Ryan started to walk in the direction of reception. “C’mon, Vic. Let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Nine
Ryan had no sense of modesty.
He slid his tie from beneath his collar and rolled it up before placing it into one of the drawers.
Vicky stared in disbelief as he undressed. No modesty. What. So. Ever . He shrugged out of his jacket, catching it and draping it over a clothes hanger with an intimate grace that had Vicky’s mouth watering.
He hung his jacket in the wardrobe, and started unbuttoning his cuffs as he kicked off his shoes. He bent down, and his trousers pulled tight across his butt as he placed his shoes neatly inside the closet.
Stop staring. Just...stop staring.
Vicky absently pulled the pins from her hair, trying to divert her gaze. She shuffled over to the bed to put her hairpins on the bedside table, and winced when she kicked one of those agony-inducing shoes. She still couldn’t look away from Ryan.
He
Drew and Ryan smiled. Damn, they looked condescending.
“You will, don’t worry,” soothed Ryan. “I might need you as a lookout, or a distraction.”
Her eyes narrowed. Right. Lookout. Her brothers had used her as a lookout. In other words, they’d had all the fun, and she’d spent a long time looking at a door. Why had she thought he would ever see her as an equal?
“Okay, better get back before James figures I’m missing,” Drew said. “Oh, here.” He pulled something from within his jacket and handed it over to Ryan.
Vicky gaped at the object. “A gun?”
Ryan glanced at her. “Yes, a gun. I knew our bags would be searched, as well as our car, so I asked Drew to smuggle it in for me.” He pocketed the box of ammunition Drew gave him.
She turned to Drew. “What about me?”
Ryan sighed. “Vicky, you don’t need a gun.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “You want me unarmed? What if something happens?”
“We’ll be fine.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Would you even be having this conversation if someone else was on the case with you, like Maggie?”
“I know Maggie’s gone through basic training. Luke made sure of that. You, on the other hand, haven’t.”
“Look, just because I haven’t done the MSA training doesn’t mean I don’t have skills, or I can’t look after myself. I can. And I told you before, Drew’s taken me shooting.”
Ryan frowned. “Yeah, when did that happen?” He glared at Drew.
“When you were away on any one of your cases,” she snapped. “I can handle a gun, Ryan. Stop treating me like a child.”
“She can hit a target,” Drew said. He crouched and pulled up his trouser leg. “You can have my back-up piece.” He unsnapped the holster and handed it, along with the weapon, to her. It was smaller and lighter than the guns she’d trained with, but the weight was comforting in her hand.
“It’s a Ruger LCP 3.80. Six rounds in the magazine, one in the chamber. Single strike, double action. You’ll have to stage the trigger to fire, but it’s a point-and-shoot weapon. It’s small, but it’s accurate, and packs enough of a punch to get you out of a sticky situation. Just don’t get into a sticky situation.”
She nodded as she slid it into her clutch purse. The knots in her stomach tightened. “What about you? I don’t want to leave you vulnerable.”
Drew grinned. “Aw, Vic, that’s sweet. Don’t worry about me, my backups have backups. I’ve got a lot more where that came from. Careful, though, that’s loaded.”
Her clutch purse instantly felt heavier. “Okay,” she responded faintly.
“Right, well, I’ll get back to work and leave you two lovebirds to it.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she was grateful for the subdued lighting. In answer to her earlier question, yes, her cheeks could get hotter.
“Bite me, Michaels,” Ryan said.
“No, I’ll let Vic do that.” Drew said as he turned and walked away from them, whistling.
Vicky ducked her head. That. Was. Embarrassing.
Ryan started to walk in the direction of reception. “C’mon, Vic. Let’s go to bed.”
Chapter Nine
Ryan had no sense of modesty.
He slid his tie from beneath his collar and rolled it up before placing it into one of the drawers.
Vicky stared in disbelief as he undressed. No modesty. What. So. Ever . He shrugged out of his jacket, catching it and draping it over a clothes hanger with an intimate grace that had Vicky’s mouth watering.
He hung his jacket in the wardrobe, and started unbuttoning his cuffs as he kicked off his shoes. He bent down, and his trousers pulled tight across his butt as he placed his shoes neatly inside the closet.
Stop staring. Just...stop staring.
Vicky absently pulled the pins from her hair, trying to divert her gaze. She shuffled over to the bed to put her hairpins on the bedside table, and winced when she kicked one of those agony-inducing shoes. She still couldn’t look away from Ryan.
He
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