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“Difference is,” I say, fingers grazing the lace edge of her thigh-highs, “Beaumont doesn’t care about the people he breaks. He collects them. Mounts them like trophies.”
She reaches behind her and threads her fingers into my hair. “And what do you do, Nick?”
I lean forward, pressing a kiss to the base of her neck. “I make sure the ones I break always beg me to do it again.”
Her breath shudders. “Good. Because I don’t plan on kneeling for anyone else.”
I adjust the watch one final time… time to become the man I used to be.
* * *
Back in the ops room, Logan whistles when we walk in.
“Thank you,” says Cherise with a nod.
“Who says I was whistling at you, dollface?” he teases.
Cherise chuckles as she looks over his shoulder at the monitor showing Juliette.
“She won’t be easy to pin down,” she says. “She hides behind credentials, position. You come at her head-on, she’ll bury you in red tape and throw her diplomatic badge on the table.”
“We don’t need her out in the open,” I say. “We just need her in motion. I want to tail her. Track her contacts. We flush her out the moment she goes to meet Vallois.”
Logan folds his arms. “You think she’ll go herself?”
“She’s been close to every shipment,” I reply. “She’ll want to see the next one pass clean.”
Cherise steps forward, scanning the logs. “You said this footage was two nights before the casino?”
“Yes.”
“Then she’s already started setting up the next leg. If she’s still here, she’s waiting for confirmation that Fortier didn’t burn her.”
Logan whistles low. “So we give her exactly that.”
I nod. “Feed her controlled intel. Make her believe Fortier kept his mouth shut. She’ll relax. Move faster.”
Cherise’s fingers drum lightly on the console. Her body’s tight, coiled in a way that tells me she’s still processing.
I lean in behind her again, brushing my lips against the shell of her ear. “You okay?”
She tilts her head back slightly. “You mean, am I okay talking about Hector’s other woman?”
My hand curls around her hip. “I mean, do I need to bend you over this desk and remind you who you belong to?”
A flush creeps up her neck. “You think that’ll help?”
I smile against her skin. “I think it’ll refocus you.”
Logan clears his throat rather pointedly. “Bloody hell. Could you at least wait until I’ve left the room before launching into foreplay?”
Cherise snorts softly, but doesn’t move away from me.
“Go prep surveillance routes,” I say without looking at him.
Logan mutters something under his breath and withdraws.
When we’re alone, Cherise turns in my arms, her palms settling against my chest. “You meant it, didn’t you? Earlier. About reminding me.”