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She shakes her head. “You don’t own me.”
I step into her space again, close enough to feel the heat radiating from her skin. “Don’t I?”
Her breath catches, and I see the war playing out in her eyes. She hates how easily I unravel her. But she loves it, too.
She swallows hard. “It’s not fair to use last night against me.”
I drag my fingers through her hair, letting them rest against the back of her neck. “You’re mine to protect.” She trembles. I lower my voice, my lips just brushing hers. “I will burn the entire world down before I let anyone touch you again.”
11
CHERISE
I’m not staying behind.
I don’t care how commanding Nick sounds, how hard his gaze cuts through me like he’s already made the decision. I didn’t escape Hector, run for my life, land back in the orbit of the one man who could shatter me, just to sit on the sidelines while they plan to take down my ex-husband.
Leaning forward, I plant my hands on the table between us. “You need me on this mission.”
Nick doesn’t even blink. He just stares, unreadable, his body still as stone. The energy rolling off him is dangerous, coiled like a predator about to strike.
“No,” he says simply.
One word. That’s all I get. Like he thinks the matter is closed.
I grit my teeth. “You’re making a mistake.”
Logan enters the room and goes to stand near the window with his arms crossed, lets out a low whistle. “Gotta say, mate, she’s got balls.”
Nick’s head snaps toward Logan, and the look he gives would turn most men to dust. But not Logan—he just grins and rocks back on his heels.
I seize the opening. “You said Hector has a pattern, right? That he only moves when he’s certain he won’t get caught? Well, I know those patterns better than anyone. I lived with him. I can tell you what he’ll do if he thinks he’s being watched, what he’ll say if he’s onto you. If you take me with you, I can do that in real time.”
Nick exhales slowly, the sound measured, controlled. But the muscle ticking in his jaw tells me he’s anything but calm.
“I don’t normally take civilians on ops,” he says, voice low.
“That boat has sailed.”
Nick doesn’t answer right away. He just watches me, and I can feel him assessing, recalculating. I refuse to back down. He’s the one who said I wasn’t weak.
I lower my voice. “You keep saying you’ll protect me. That I need to trust you. But trust is a two-way street, Nick. You want me to follow orders? Fine. I’ll do it. But you need me as much as I need you. You want to bring these bastards down? You’re going to have to slip a knife in their ribs. Going in guns blazing is just going to get a lot of innocent people killed.”
“She has a point,” says Logan.
Nick growls, but I continue, “I’m safer with you than some place holed up where they can find me while you and Logan are out playing hero. If I’m not part of the solution, you’re not just keeping me safe—you’re keeping me trapped in a gilded cage, powerless. And regardless of how luxurious the surroundings are, I won’t do that again.”
A muscle ticks in his cheek. He glances at Logan, then back to me. I hold my breath.
Then he gives me the smallest nod. “You follow my orders without question.” His voice is sharp, final. “If I say run, you run. If I say hide, you disappear. If I say you don’t speak, you don’t make a fucking sound. Understood?”
The air between us crackles, something electric surging beneath the command in his voice. I should be nervous. Should feel boxed in by the absolute authority he just laid down.
Instead, I feel something very different—something hotter.
I swallow hard and nod. “Understood.”
Logan lets out a low whistle. “Bloody hell. This’ll be a right laugh, won’t it?”