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“Enough. If this is about trying to get rid of my fiancée, you should leave.” He was going to feel like the biggest idiot in the world if he’d worked with her all this time and never seen that she was crazy about him. He knew he wasn’t the world’s most self-aware human being, but he should have seen this coming. She hated every woman he went out with. He’d written it off because she hated a lot of people, but now he had to consider the fact that he’d been wrong. “Deanna, you have to know nothing is going to happen between us.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

That should be his question. What was she playing at? And why was she pulling this stunt now? “I know you set a privateinvestigator on her. You’re not going to find anything that makes me turn from her to you. I don’t have those feelings for you, Dee. I’m sorry. This is never going to happen.”

“This?” Deanna’s face had gone a bright pink, but he wasn’t sure it was embarrassment. It looked more like rage, but then lots of emotions looked like rage on her. “This meaning a relationship between you and me that I am supposedly desperate for because no woman in the world could possibly not want you?”

Definitely rage, and he might have been mistaken. “Now, Dee, maybe you should…” Nope. He wasn’t sayingcalm down. Calm down was bad. Saying the wordscalm downnever actually calmed any woman down. “Talk about this some more. I might be under a mistaken impression.”

“Mistaken? About what exactly? Were you confused because I did my freaking job? Do you honestly believe I’ve worked my ass off out of love for you? Because I thought you would one day look at me and realize I’m the love of your life? You’re confused because I was fucking good at my job and that must mean I’m desperate for some man, any man. Because that’s obviously the only reason a woman would ever do her job.”

“Well, you did spend a whole lot of this week trying to get me away from Nina.” He wasn’t completely insane. She’d done a lot to try to come between them.

“Yes, you moron, because I think she might be dangerous,” Deanna bit out. She shoved her hand into her bag. “I can’t believe you haven’t seen what the hell was going on around work, but then you don’t see anything, do you, JT? As long as your calls are answered and someone’s doing all the inane work so you can climb oil rigs, you really don’t care.”

He was starting to get annoyed. “I never meant to take you for granted. You’ve been an excellent assistant, despite thefact that you don’t mind insulting the hell out of the boss apparently.”

“And you think I’m insulting you because I’m upset you won’t ever love me? You think I want to get rid of Nina so I can take her place? Well, then you’ll probably misinterpret why I brought this along.” She pulled her hand out of the large bag.

And JT took a step back because that was one big-ass gun in her hand. “Hey, now…”

She frowned his way. “Chill your balls. I’m not planning on using it on you.”

Oh, god, had she come for Nina? Was she going to kill Nina right in front of him? He started to think about how to get that gun out of her hand. “Nina’s not here.”

Deanna’s eyes rolled and she let out a frustrated groan. “I don’t think Nina is who you think she is, JT. Something is going on. Something you missed. I don’t think Bill’s accident was really an accident.”

He went still. “You know what happened to Bill?”

Deanna might have said something, but the door burst open and Nina moved in with the fluid grace of a predator. He heard the door smack against the latch again, leaving it slightly open.

“Put the gun down,” she said tightly. “JT, get behind me.”

He moved to her side. But he couldn’t get behind her. He knew if he had to, he would stand between her and a bullet because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t.

Deanna held her gun up and looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. It shouldn’t surprise him. Deanna was always determined to be an expert at anything she did. “JT, Nina is not who she says she is. Why the hell do you think I set a PI on her? Do you think I like spending money? He’s not cheap.” She stared Nina’s way. “I know exactly who you are. You’re here to make money off him. You’re not only a gold digger, you’re a criminal.”

Nina’s jaw went tight. “And you’re sad. You’re in love with a man who doesn’t want you. Put down the gun.”

Deanna’s eyes narrowed. “I do not want JT. I couldn’t care less about the man, but I do want the fucking job I was promised, and apparently I have to do it all. I have to be the most organized human being on the face of the planet, smile while I’m being marginalized by every man in the room, and now I have to hunt down corporate spies. If you’re looking for your friend, Nina, tell him I took back our prototype and he can pry it out of my cold, dead hands.”

She’d done what? He was about to ask the question when there was a pinging sound, and he watched in horror as Deanna slumped to the floor.

Patrick stood in the doorway. His plan to give Nina a heads-up had worked against them and allowed the snake into the room.

Nina turned and slammed into JT right before the gun went off again. Patrick fired wildly, trying to take them out. JT dropped to the floor and his head smacked into the side of the couch so hard he would have sworn he could see stars.

“Deanna, you stupid bitch,” Patrick said with a snarl. “That will teach you not to steal from me. Sorry, JT. I didn’t mean to kill anyone, but a man does what he must.”

CHAPTER 11

Nina shovedherself up and cursed under her breath as she tried to tuck JT closer to the base of the couch. “Don’t move.”

She wasn’t sure where Patrick was and she’d completely lost control of the situation. Hutch had said something about Patrick in her ear as she’d rushed into the room, but she hadn’t paid attention to him. All she’d been able to think about was JT and getting to him in time to save him from Deanna.

It turned out Deanna had been trying to save him from her. Apparently the assistant had figured out something was wrong and had decided to fix it all herself.

Now she was likely dead, and if Nina didn’t calm the fuck down and think like an operative and not a crazy scared girlfriend, they would be dead, too.