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“You’re right, Liv,” Ash said from across the room. “Now that you’re here, why don’t you join us? We’ll fill you in.”
Shooting Hawke a challenging look, Olivia headed to the nearest chair. Even though she was infuriated that a meeting had been taking place without her, she couldn’t deny she wished the chair were a little closer. Her legs were beginning to feel like overcooked pasta.
Hawke reached out to help her, and she shook her head. She had to do this on her own. When she reached the chair, she rolled it away from the table, dropping into it with more gratitude than grace.
“How are you feeling?” Ash asked.
“Better. Still a little weak, but I’m feeling stronger every second.” She glanced around the room. “Now, who’s going to tell me what’s up?”
All eyes went to Hawke, who blew out a ragged sigh. “Fine. We can use your input.”
In short, terse words, Hawke told her about the call he’d received while she’d been unconscious. Even though they’d gotten the antidote on their own, the plan was to proceed with the meeting in hopes of capturing the person who’d offered the cure in exchange for Iris.
Her brows raised in challenge. “Doesn’t it make more sense for me to stand in for Iris—I look just like her after all—rather than trying to fool them with Eve, who’d have to wear a ton of makeup?”
“No,” Hawke said. “You’re not strong enough to go on this op.”
“Yes, I am,” she shot back.
His face rigid with anger, Hawke came toward her. Before she could stand, he was turning her chair and pushing it out the door with her in it. “Excuse us for a few minutes,” he growled over his shoulder.
The instant the door closed behind them, she was on her feet. “What the hell, Hawke?”
“You are not going on this op, so get that out of your head.”
Infuriated, she snapped, “You are not the head of Option Zero. If I want—”
Using one finger, he pushed her, just hard enough to have her plopping back into the chair because of her unsteady legs.
Springing back to her feet, she snarled, “Your Neanderthal tactics are not only pissing me off, they won’t work. I will not back down from this.” She glanced down at his leg, which she could tell was still hurting him. “Should I kick you in the knee to prove you’re not fit to go either?”
“That’s different.”
“In what way?”
The anger in his expression dissipated like smoke, leaving only pain and fear. “I almost lost you, Livvy,” he said softly. “I can’t go through that again.”
There were so many responses she could give, so many she wanted to give. She wanted, with her entire body, to leap into his arms and hold on to him for dear life. But she couldn’t. Hawke had made it clear numerous times that what they’d had was over. It was time she accepted that.
“I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand, Hawke. You don’t have me to lose anymore.”
Only by the slight jerking of his body could she tell that her arrow had hit its mark. She told herself not to feel guilt. He’d basically told her the same thing repeatedly. Still, it took everything she had not to reach out to comfort him.
“Very well.” His tone was now coated in ice. “Come back in and get involved, but remember, if you screw this up, it’s not just your ass on the line. It’s everybody’s.”
He opened the door and walked back inside, leaving her to push her chair back into the room. She knew everyone had heard their argument. It wasn’t as if they’d lowered their voices.
She pushed the chair back to the empty space at the table and sat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gideon slide a hundred-dollar bill toward Eve. Raising a brow, she looked at them both. “Really, guys?”
Gideon had the grace to look sheepish, but Eve only grinned and said, “Gotta support my girl.”
The amusement giving her a much-needed lift, Olivia turned her attention to the front of the room, where Hawke stood, his face impassive.
“Before we go any further, Olivia, you need to know that your mother’s body was stolen.”
Being an asshole was becoming a 24/7 thing for him. He’d known those blunt words would shock and wound her. Not only that, he’d said them in front of the whole team. And now, that whole team stared daggers at him.
He could justify his actions by telling himself that if she couldn’t handle the news, then she sure as hell couldn’t work this op. But he was honest enough to know part of the reason he’d said them that way was because she had hurt him when she’d said she didn’t belong to him anymore. That had knocked the breath from his body.