Page 18 of Gabe (Blue Team #2)

At the disgruntled look on Owen’s face, I couldn’t hold back my rumble of laughter.

As a matter of fact, I laughed until I was doubled over remembering the most asinine conversation I’d ever been a part of.

But I wasn’t the one who’d taunted Owen with inuendoes and vague references to penises, as Natasha had liked to call Kevin’s meat.

Nor had I declared to like tacos. I’d been an innocent bystander.

“That was Kevin,” I reminded him.

“You goaded him.”

“Wrong again. It was your girlfriend who threatened my butthole. ”

“Um, what?”

I turned to find Evette standing behind me. Her smile was no less wider than Owen’s. The only difference was seeing hers made me want to kiss it off her face.

“Owen’s woman’s vicious,” I told Evette.

“She didn’t threaten your butthole, idiot.”

I gave a mock shudder and continued to exaggerate the incident.

“She sure as shit did.”

“How does one threaten a butthole?” Evette asked.

The perplexed look on her face coupled with Owen’s irritated exhale had me in another fit of laughter.

“With poison,” I choked out.

“Poison? Like inserting it in your butthole with—”

“Ex-lax,” Owen interrupted her. “The idiot is talking about ex-lax, not poison.”

“Oh,” Evette dragged out the word then smiled. “That’s not vicious. That’s smart.”

When my laughter died down to a chuckle I shrugged and said, “Toe-may-toe. Toe- mah -toe.”

“So what do you have to eat around here?” Owen asked.

I was still looking at Evette so I didn’t miss the flare of her eyes.

Yeah, honey, I want him gone, too.

Resigned to the fact that Owen wasn’t leaving until I fed him, I gave in to him. The faster I had dinner on the table the sooner he’d leave and hopefully I could get Evette back into her room before Cooper came home.

“Spaghetti,” I announced and moved farther into the kitchen.

“You’re grumpy,” Owen muttered quietly as I passed him.

“And you’re interrupting.”

“You don’t say?” He smirked.

Smug asshole.

I grabbed a jar of sauce and a box of noodles from the pantry and set them on the counter before I knelt to grab a pan.

“Need help?” Evette inquired.

“Nope. Tell Owen to get you a drink and go sit.”

“I can make a salad,” she pushed .

“Do you want a salad?”

“Not really.”

“Good. Owen gets spaghetti and nothing else.”

“That’s rude.”

I straightened and placed the large pot in the sink and turned around to face Evette.

I took in her pretty face but homed in on her eyes.

Brown like mine, but different. Lighter, clear, and bright.

If it was true and the eyes were a window into the soul hers was pure.

Untarnished. Too good for a man like me.

It was a good thing she’d be leaving—going back to her life where she could find someone worthy of her time.

She pulled her lip between her teeth and squirmed.

Any other woman did that, I’d think she was playing me.

Trying to play coy or draw attention to her mouth.

A move I’d seen countless times by countless women.

But I’d learned Evette didn’t play games.

She went after what she wanted, she spoke honestly.

It wasn’t until she went into her head and started to overthink did she get embarrassed.

So her worrying her lip was not a ploy, it was nervousness.

“Owen’s a good guy,” I told her and glanced over her shoulder to find him shifting through papers on the table.

Papers he must’ve brought with him because I hadn’t brought any work home with me.

Evette released her lip and said, “I know.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to be rude.”

I thought about what she said and had to admit, I was being rude. I wanted to feed Owen and get him on his way so I could spend time with Evette.

No. You want to be alone to have sex. Not spend time with her.

It was a small nuance—the difference between being alone and spending time with her. But the distinction was huge.

“Yo,” I called to Owen. “Do you want Evette to make a salad?”

“No thanks. I’m good.”

I dropped my gaze back to Evette and uncertainty shone in her eyes.

“Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Nothing. ”

“Bullshit.”

Evette’s spine snapped straight and she jabbed a finger my way.

Feisty.

“You don’t know me well enough to call bullshit, Gabe.”

“I think I do.”

In my opinion, I knew her in all the important ways.

I’d have liked to contain my knowledge strictly to her body, however that would’ve been a big fat fucking lie.

Unfortunately, it seemed my sole mission these last few days was to study Evette.

It hadn’t taken me long to figure her out.

She was simple, really. Independent and smart both led to her pulling into herself to find answers.

She didn’t reach out for help, she was a problem solver.

And right now standing in front of me she was in her head, over-analyzing everything she’d said and done.

I knew it.

But I wanted her to open up to me.

“You don’t.”

And we could add stubbornness to the list of things I knew about her.

“You’re thinking too hard. You’re going over every moment we shared starting from what happened right here in the kitchen.

So let me put your mind at ease so you can enjoy the rest of your night.

I loved every minute. No, I seriously fucking loved every second.

Everything you said, everything you did, every sound, every move. ”

“Gabe.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Owen.”

“He’s not paying attention to us.”

“Yeah, I am.”

Evette’s spine stiffened and if looks could kill I’d be bloody and banged up.

“Told you, payback,” Owen continued. “Oh, how sweet it is. Want me to run out and grab you a box of—”

“Shut up and stop embarrassing Evette.”

Without missing a beat Owen explained, “Sorry, Evette, I’m not trying to embarrass you. I’m trying to teach our friend Gabe what happens when he busts people’s chops. When the time rolls around you have to be a good sport and take it. ”

“How am I not being a good sport? Bust my balls all you want, just leave Evette out of it. Unless of course, you want me to remind you in front of Nat that I had to sleep with EarPro in to silence your bed rocking against the wall. Bet she’d love the reminder the whole house heard her—”

“Point taken.”

Evette’s brows were pinched together and I instantly regretted my outburst.

“I didn’t really sleep with EarPro in.”

That was the truth, I hadn’t but I had seriously considered it.

“What?” She jerked her chin in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said. I was thinking about something.”

I gave her a moment to elaborate and when she didn’t I asked, “What were you thinking about?”

“Minerals.”

“Come again?”

“I was thinking about Abrams and why they’d want to lease land in a country that’s in shambles.

There’s civil unrest, the rebels are in control of some pockets, and the defense force is struggling to protect the locals.

Why would a company want to build a testing site there?

It would cost a fortune to protect it. And why that specific location.

If they wanted land, it’s available. But Abrams wanted that land where the village was. ”

We’d been trying to figure that out. Evette was right; there were acres of jungle that could be cleared. Hell, there was plenty of abandoned areas in the city Abrams could’ve leased.

“And you came up with minerals?”

“I read an article about a new project Abrams is working on—cognitive radars. They’re ready to go to market but there’s a hold-up on mass production.

” Evette stopped and closed her eyes. A few moments later with a swift shake of her head, she said, “Monolithic microwave integrated circuits. That’s the hold-up.

There’s a shortage of…something. A mineral or chemical compound needed to manufacture the chips.

I can’t remember everything, the science behind the RF chips is well beyond my understanding. I need a computer.”

“So you think whatever mineral they need is in Timor-Leste?” Owen rejoined .

“I think so. Maybe. Why else would they want that plot specifically?”

I could think of a lot of reasons. The village and orphanage were tucked away, far outside of the city.

Yes, the country was in the middle of a power struggle but that location was tactically sound.

It would be easy to post guards around the perimeter and take out whoever dared to come close.

Further, a country that is at war with itself tends to ignore regulations—environmental, human rights, employment laws.

Hell, if you pay off the right people there was no such thing as regulatory oversight.

“No computer,” I told her. “We don’t have a secure connection here.”

“I’ll call it into Garrett,” Owen offered. “He was still at the office when I left.”

What else was new? Garrett practically lived in his office.

“We should go—”

“No, Evette. You worked ten hours straight today. You need to eat and relax and tomorrow we’ll go in and hopefully, Garrett will have more information for you to work with.”

“But, I’m not hungry.”

“But you’re gonna eat.”

Evette startled and stepped back.

Shit. Did I seriously just say that ?

My stomach clenched when I realized I scared her. I hadn’t meant to bark at her. Hell, I didn’t even know why I did.

Yeah you do, asshole.

“You haven’t eaten all day.” I softened my tone the best I could but the damage was done.

Evette’s brows were knitted and I could see the questions forming.

“Why are you always forcing food on me?”

Fucking hell .

I was not answering that.

“What are you looking at over there?” I asked Owen in an effort to deflect.

For a moment Owen looked disappointed in me. He knew my past, therefore, he knew all my hang-ups. But his face cleared and I exhaled the breath I was holding when he let the topic drop.

“Zane has me looking into what happened a few months ago.”