Page 37 of Lethal Vengeance

“It’s not mine. I rent the apartments fully furnished. And under the table. My name is never on the rental agreement,” I relay with a shrug, dropping the keys on the table.

He walks over to me and swings my duffle over his shoulder. The tip of his finger traces the furrow between my brows, down the center of my nose, to my lips. “I never did get to tell you thank you for last night.”

I grab his hand and place a kiss in the center of his palm. “It was a wonderful moment out of time.” The memories of the hours spent in this man’s arms tumble through my mind, making me yearn for something impossible—more than one night.

With determination, I deliberately replace the tempting images with Sophia’s face. Nothing can deter me from my goal. “But I can’t look beyond here and now. Not until it’s done. All of it.” And if I don’t survive, it’s a moot point, anyway.

His mouth firms, but he doesn’t argue. Lips find mine in a brief kiss.

I’d ask him about Raider, but I doubt he’d tell me. They guard each other’s pasts with dedication and loyalty. And honestly, I’m not sure I can handle hearing about the brutal death of another sister right now, even if it’s not my own.

I take Cruz’ outstretched hand and walk out the door.

* * *

Raider’s ice-blueeyes lock on me the second I enter their place, but neither of us takes a step toward the other. It’s better we stay separated until the mission is over, or Armando’s world will burn to the ground.

“I’ll go with Sterling and Cruz tomorrow night when we split,” I inform them.

Zane scrutinizes my face but relaxes when he doesn’t find anything disturbing.

He shouldn’t. I’ve had plenty of practice.

He points across the room. “Raider, I want you to complete one last day shift tomorrow to make sure there’s nothing new or suspicious. Sterling and Cruz, get us moved to our new base. Quinn, I’ll need your help to finalize the plan to get the girls home. My contact in Miami is ready, but the one in Chicago isn’t going to work.”

A large palm smooths over his head in frustration. “He’s familiar with the Luciano family, and he believes they’ll shoot on sight. Apparently, they’re a little overprotective of their sister, and this situation isn’t going to help matters.”

“We need a woman,” I tell him. “I’ll pull up a list tonight.”

I spin around, grab my duffle from Cruz, and drop it beside the couch.

Sterling immediately stands, but I shake my head. “I’ll be more comfortable out here.”

His face is thunderous. “I can’t sleep knowing you’re on the bloody couch,” he angrily informs me in his posh British accent.

There’s something about a man who cusses in a British accent. Who am I kidding? He could probably read me a recipe in that accent, and I’d want to hear more.

“I prefer to sleep in a room with an exit,” I say exasperatedly, plopping down on the couch. The only bed I’ve used in the last couple of years was last night, but we weren’t exactly sleeping.

Zane, Cruz, and Raider snort a couple of times, but finally give up and start laughing.

Sterling’s wearing an incredulous look on his face. “Not another one.” He throws his hands up and storms out of the room. A second later, he returns with a mattress. He leaves again but soon comes back with the bedding. “I guess we’re all sleeping in this room together. It will be like fucking boarding school.” His green eyes shift to me. “At least the view is a thousand times better. I’m going to grab a shower.”

He stops in front of the couch. “You’re welcome to join me. I’ll even wash your back, gorgeous.”

The laughter in the room dies.

Pure temptation in a warm, golden package. Not trusting my voice to say no to his outrageous flirting, I shake my head.

“All right, beautiful. Next time,” he says with a blinding smile and walks off.

Beautiful, gorgeous—he’s an outrageous flirt, but the words sound so good coming out of his mouth.

17

STERLING

Light is barely filtering through the clouds when I wake. Movement draws my eye, and I roll to my left side. Quinn’s slipping on a pair of trainers—running shoes. My brain constantly switches back and forth between the two English styles, although in America I often find myself using their version instead of the one I grew up speaking.