twisted.”
“Twisted one-eyed fuckwit. Hershel, he was my man.” Storm screwed his eyes up. “Can’t believe they killed him off.”
“Shane was cool,” I joined in.
“Zombie cool.” Storm nodded. “When he turned. Epic moment. Until Rick killed him.”
“Thank fuck they haven’t done away with Glen.”
“Or Daryl.”
“Too bad those zealots outside aren’t zombies.”
“You’d rather face a post-apocalyptic living dead takeover than that bunch of rebels outside?”
“ Loser. ”
“I was rather fond of Merle.” Lawless leaned against the table.
I peered at the ambassador. Merle was straight-up cracker crazy.
“What happened to Beth just about broke my heart.” Tilly’s voice lilted.
“Beth was done wrong.”
Everyone agreed.
“We could call Storm Merle,” Bane added.
“Just ’cause I’m country don’t mean I’m a redneck.” Storm came back at him.
“And just because I was a street kid doesn’t mean I’m a thug.”
Clearly cabin fever was beginning to take a toll on all of us.
Fuck’s sake.
I slapped the laptop closed. “Thoughts about the real problem at hand, or are you all hoping to show up on The Talking Dead in your afterlife?”
“What crawled up your ass?” Storm kicked out a chair and settled his two-hundred-plus pounds of muscle in the seat.
“What looks like a hundred or so terrorists milling around outside with superior firepower.”
“I still have my C-4.” Walker’s eyes—dark brown and deep hard—narrowed at me.
“Great. Blow them all up.” I stretched, working the kinks from my neck and shoulders.
Tilly watched me.
Lawless watched her.
I stared at the fucking blank wall. No. Not blank. Goddamn biscuit dough stain .
This mission was on my shoulders, and the escalating stress wasn’t simply about getting us all out alive.
It was about Tilly, and what I wanted to do to her.
How much I wanted her.
One moment of weakness—personal or professional—could find us all dead.
“Can’t you just redirect that orbiting satellite weapons system?” Bane asked like it was no big deal pony-trekking the US military force’s space-based defenses.
“The SASSA? Sure. Could do.” Not quite a cakewalk, but not impossible. Not for me. “I don’t think that’d be real subtle though. Destroy this whole city. Sayonara Sana’a.”
“Screw subtlety. Nothin’ about this op has been quiet so far.” Storm spun his chair around.
“Frag you,” Bane uttered.
“Yeah. You already tried to do that once, didn’t you, pahdnah ? And failed.” Raking his fingers through his hair, Storm’s scowl darkened.
“Shut it the fuck up. Both of you.” I pointed at the two men constantly stabbing each other in the back. “We stick to the plan. It’s solid. They’ll think they’re taking us by surprise.”
The chanting and insults reverbed in the background. I doubted anyone would sleep tonight.
Tilly disengaged from her dad’s side, stationing herself across the room. “So they’re closing in on us.”
I wanted to stride to her. Take her in my arms.
I wanted to fucking reassure her and tell her there was no way in hell I’d let her get hurt.
I couldn’t.
I was probably the man who was going to cause her pain—one way or the other.
“Yeah. They are,” I confirmed.
“And we wait?” Her fern-green gaze locked on mine.
“We wait.” My voice rolled out, rumbling chest-deep.
She knew what I was talking about. Not the mission. Not the Houthis. Not the threat.
Her and me.
She looked at me like she had sex on her mind.
I masked my features, pretending I wasn’t thinking the same damn thing.
Lawless was not stupid. He’d catch the first hint of the hunt. My sexual hunt for his daughter.
Clamping down on my jaw—and my need, my want —I stood.
Anger.
Fear.
Tenderness.
Temptation.
Avoidance issues. I had those aplenty.
I stalked out of the room.
Apparently that was my new MO.
Chapter Fourteen
Midnight Fuck
“Twisted one-eyed fuckwit. Hershel, he was my man.” Storm screwed his eyes up. “Can’t believe they killed him off.”
“Shane was cool,” I joined in.
“Zombie cool.” Storm nodded. “When he turned. Epic moment. Until Rick killed him.”
“Thank fuck they haven’t done away with Glen.”
“Or Daryl.”
“Too bad those zealots outside aren’t zombies.”
“You’d rather face a post-apocalyptic living dead takeover than that bunch of rebels outside?”
“ Loser. ”
“I was rather fond of Merle.” Lawless leaned against the table.
I peered at the ambassador. Merle was straight-up cracker crazy.
“What happened to Beth just about broke my heart.” Tilly’s voice lilted.
“Beth was done wrong.”
Everyone agreed.
“We could call Storm Merle,” Bane added.
“Just ’cause I’m country don’t mean I’m a redneck.” Storm came back at him.
“And just because I was a street kid doesn’t mean I’m a thug.”
Clearly cabin fever was beginning to take a toll on all of us.
Fuck’s sake.
I slapped the laptop closed. “Thoughts about the real problem at hand, or are you all hoping to show up on The Talking Dead in your afterlife?”
“What crawled up your ass?” Storm kicked out a chair and settled his two-hundred-plus pounds of muscle in the seat.
“What looks like a hundred or so terrorists milling around outside with superior firepower.”
“I still have my C-4.” Walker’s eyes—dark brown and deep hard—narrowed at me.
“Great. Blow them all up.” I stretched, working the kinks from my neck and shoulders.
Tilly watched me.
Lawless watched her.
I stared at the fucking blank wall. No. Not blank. Goddamn biscuit dough stain .
This mission was on my shoulders, and the escalating stress wasn’t simply about getting us all out alive.
It was about Tilly, and what I wanted to do to her.
How much I wanted her.
One moment of weakness—personal or professional—could find us all dead.
“Can’t you just redirect that orbiting satellite weapons system?” Bane asked like it was no big deal pony-trekking the US military force’s space-based defenses.
“The SASSA? Sure. Could do.” Not quite a cakewalk, but not impossible. Not for me. “I don’t think that’d be real subtle though. Destroy this whole city. Sayonara Sana’a.”
“Screw subtlety. Nothin’ about this op has been quiet so far.” Storm spun his chair around.
“Frag you,” Bane uttered.
“Yeah. You already tried to do that once, didn’t you, pahdnah ? And failed.” Raking his fingers through his hair, Storm’s scowl darkened.
“Shut it the fuck up. Both of you.” I pointed at the two men constantly stabbing each other in the back. “We stick to the plan. It’s solid. They’ll think they’re taking us by surprise.”
The chanting and insults reverbed in the background. I doubted anyone would sleep tonight.
Tilly disengaged from her dad’s side, stationing herself across the room. “So they’re closing in on us.”
I wanted to stride to her. Take her in my arms.
I wanted to fucking reassure her and tell her there was no way in hell I’d let her get hurt.
I couldn’t.
I was probably the man who was going to cause her pain—one way or the other.
“Yeah. They are,” I confirmed.
“And we wait?” Her fern-green gaze locked on mine.
“We wait.” My voice rolled out, rumbling chest-deep.
She knew what I was talking about. Not the mission. Not the Houthis. Not the threat.
Her and me.
She looked at me like she had sex on her mind.
I masked my features, pretending I wasn’t thinking the same damn thing.
Lawless was not stupid. He’d catch the first hint of the hunt. My sexual hunt for his daughter.
Clamping down on my jaw—and my need, my want —I stood.
Anger.
Fear.
Tenderness.
Temptation.
Avoidance issues. I had those aplenty.
I stalked out of the room.
Apparently that was my new MO.
Chapter Fourteen
Midnight Fuck
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