Page 33

“Who’s this?” I squint at the poor quality picture, not being able to make a lot out but still being able to build a profile in my head.

“Your next target.” He leans back in his seat and pulls his sunglasses off the top of his head and down over his eyes that are also a different color now too. I swear if I was to have seen him on the street a week ago there would have been no way that I would have recognized him. “We need h

im brought in, discreetly.”

I open my mouth to tell him that I’m on leave and then think better of it.

However much I hate spending time away from my family, I can’t deny the thrill that the job gives me and the obligation that I feel to keep people safe.

“When?” I ask instead.

“Your team will be ready at nineteen hundred hours.” I look down at my watch.

That gives me seven hours.

“Then what?”

“Then,” he says, pushing up out of his seat. “You go and visit your girl.” He winks.

“Wait.” I stand, not taking a step closer, knowing how that will look to his guards. I’ve already spotted three of them but I know they come in even numbers so there has to be at least one more out here somewhere. “I don’t... how did you-”

“I know everything, Anderson,” he says with a flick of his wrist and walks away.

I sit back down and watch him drive away, his men following at staggered intervals behind him.

Fuck! I don’t like that Ava is out there without any real protection. Now that I know that he’s aware of her and thinks that she’s my girl, means that he thinks he has something over me.

I don’t think he’d hurt her, he isn’t that type of guy, but he will use her against me to get what he wants and dammit, I’ll do anything to keep her safe.

“You’ve been called back already?” Kay frowns.

I’d come straight back to the compound after leaving the coffee shop, needing to tell Kay first that I’m leaving, again.

Looking down at my watch, I will the time to go slower but faster, all at once.

“Yeah, but not how you think.”

“I don’t understand.” She shakes her head, looking up at Ty who’s stood next to her.

“I’ve gotta do a job and then I’m going on vacation.”

I smile at that, I want to go away, somewhere sunny. Somewhere I can relax without gunfire surrounding me but as soon as I picture lying on a sun lounger, Ava’s face pops into my mind.

Dammit.

“Vacation?” she gasps, standing up. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

I smirk at her smart assery. “Yeah, yeah.”

Standing up, I meet her in the middle of the office and engulf her in my arms. I love spending time with her, Ty and Eli but if I’m honest, there’s only so much I can take being around the two lovebirds.

Just thinking about birds makes me think of Ava again.

Fuck me, I just can’t get her off my goddamn mind.

Shaking her from my head, I step towards Ty and lock hands with him in a half hug then pat him on the back.

Just as I’m about to pull away, he yanks me closer and says, “You going to see her?”