kill?”
“Hell yes, I know. And I know why.” He shot her a look. “You just take your orders and go, never knowing who you’re killing or why? Doesn’t that bother you at all?”
Her stomach started to burn. “Ian knows what he’s doing. I trust him.”
Or she used to trust him, anyway. Now she didn’t know who to trust. Ian had an agenda. Nick had an agenda. She was unimportant in the scheme of things so long as they got what they wanted in the end. She wasn’t naive enough to think she mattered to either one of them. Just because Nick had promised to help her find Emily didn’t mean he cared one iota about her or her sister.
“He sent you into danger in Akhira. Alone.”
“He said he didn’t know that bin Yusuf wanted me dead. I believe him.”
“And you think this job isn’t a setup?”
Of course she’d considered the possibility. She had to. But she wasn’t admitting it to him. “This mission? Why would it be? Ian doesn’t need to send us two days into the desert to kill us, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Nick’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “No, he doesn’t. All he needs is for someone to intercept us on the way.”
Sweat moistened her palms. Yeah, she’d thought of that too. And they both knew that since there was really only one main road from north to south, disabling the tracking device would only give them a margin of protection.
“Then you better hope your people are watching out for us. Did you get a message to them?”
“Direct communication is too risky, so no, I didn’t.”
Victoria licked her lips. “You mean they don’t know where we are?”
She’d been counting on that to keep them safe. Picturing all those big men bristling with high-tech gear in a van somewhere on the road behind them.
“I didn’t say that. But I wouldn’t put all my hope on the cavalry riding in to save the day if we’re ambushed.”
“Then we’ll just have to do it ourselves, won’t we?” Victoria unbuckled her seat belt and started to crawl into the backseat.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Her hips bumped against his shoulders but she kept going until she was in the back. Then she reached for her gun case and unzipped it. Her fingers brushed cool steel and her heart slowed a fraction. This was what she knew how to do.
“Getting prepared,” she said, finally answering Nick’s query.
He was watching her in the rearview, a hard frown on his handsome face. She lifted the barrel and stock and started assembling the weapon.
CHAPTER NINE
There was something damned arousing about a woman in a tank top and faded jeans assembling a rifle. Nick kept glancing into the rearview to watch Victoria work. Her fingers were small and slender, and they moved over the parts of the rifle with confidence. But that wasn’t the best part.
No, the best part was the way her top stretched over her breasts and gave him a view of rounded swells as she leaned over and her flesh was exposed. His dick was hardening whether he wanted it to or not. He shifted in the seat, trying to ease the pressure on his swelling cock.
Jeez .
He knew he should just watch the road and stop looking, but hell, what man could resist tits on display? Especially when they belonged to the only woman who’d ever disliked him on sight. Hell, even if she hadn’t disliked him as she’d insisted, she’d done a good job of acting like it.
But then she’d kissed him at the American base, and even though he’d known it was meant to be a sweet kiss on his cheek, he’d turned his head and taken what he really wanted from her.
And she hadn’t resisted. She’d kissed him back, her body melting for an instant. She’d been soft and sweet and so intoxicating. He still didn’t know how he’d let her go. How he’d stood there and watched her get into that car, her eyes fixed on his until the car turned out of sight.
She finished assembling the gun and looked up, her gaze colliding with his in the
“Hell yes, I know. And I know why.” He shot her a look. “You just take your orders and go, never knowing who you’re killing or why? Doesn’t that bother you at all?”
Her stomach started to burn. “Ian knows what he’s doing. I trust him.”
Or she used to trust him, anyway. Now she didn’t know who to trust. Ian had an agenda. Nick had an agenda. She was unimportant in the scheme of things so long as they got what they wanted in the end. She wasn’t naive enough to think she mattered to either one of them. Just because Nick had promised to help her find Emily didn’t mean he cared one iota about her or her sister.
“He sent you into danger in Akhira. Alone.”
“He said he didn’t know that bin Yusuf wanted me dead. I believe him.”
“And you think this job isn’t a setup?”
Of course she’d considered the possibility. She had to. But she wasn’t admitting it to him. “This mission? Why would it be? Ian doesn’t need to send us two days into the desert to kill us, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Nick’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “No, he doesn’t. All he needs is for someone to intercept us on the way.”
Sweat moistened her palms. Yeah, she’d thought of that too. And they both knew that since there was really only one main road from north to south, disabling the tracking device would only give them a margin of protection.
“Then you better hope your people are watching out for us. Did you get a message to them?”
“Direct communication is too risky, so no, I didn’t.”
Victoria licked her lips. “You mean they don’t know where we are?”
She’d been counting on that to keep them safe. Picturing all those big men bristling with high-tech gear in a van somewhere on the road behind them.
“I didn’t say that. But I wouldn’t put all my hope on the cavalry riding in to save the day if we’re ambushed.”
“Then we’ll just have to do it ourselves, won’t we?” Victoria unbuckled her seat belt and started to crawl into the backseat.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Her hips bumped against his shoulders but she kept going until she was in the back. Then she reached for her gun case and unzipped it. Her fingers brushed cool steel and her heart slowed a fraction. This was what she knew how to do.
“Getting prepared,” she said, finally answering Nick’s query.
He was watching her in the rearview, a hard frown on his handsome face. She lifted the barrel and stock and started assembling the weapon.
CHAPTER NINE
There was something damned arousing about a woman in a tank top and faded jeans assembling a rifle. Nick kept glancing into the rearview to watch Victoria work. Her fingers were small and slender, and they moved over the parts of the rifle with confidence. But that wasn’t the best part.
No, the best part was the way her top stretched over her breasts and gave him a view of rounded swells as she leaned over and her flesh was exposed. His dick was hardening whether he wanted it to or not. He shifted in the seat, trying to ease the pressure on his swelling cock.
Jeez .
He knew he should just watch the road and stop looking, but hell, what man could resist tits on display? Especially when they belonged to the only woman who’d ever disliked him on sight. Hell, even if she hadn’t disliked him as she’d insisted, she’d done a good job of acting like it.
But then she’d kissed him at the American base, and even though he’d known it was meant to be a sweet kiss on his cheek, he’d turned his head and taken what he really wanted from her.
And she hadn’t resisted. She’d kissed him back, her body melting for an instant. She’d been soft and sweet and so intoxicating. He still didn’t know how he’d let her go. How he’d stood there and watched her get into that car, her eyes fixed on his until the car turned out of sight.
She finished assembling the gun and looked up, her gaze colliding with his in the
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