Page 92 of Nails

Playboy smirked over his laptop.“And trust me, pissing her off is the last thing you want.She’s got that look like ‘I’ll bury you and make it look like an accident.’”

A few chuckles went around the room, but Nails wasn’t laughing.“I’m not trying to control her.I just…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair.“I care about her.More than I should, considering I just fucking met her a week and a half ago.And I don’t want her walking into something we can’t pull her out of in time.”

Jay Bird leaned forward, elbows on the table.“Yeah, we all get that.None of us are exactly thrilled about her meeting Adam alone.But we also respect the fact she’s an HSI agent who knows her job.”

Snow, who’d been quiet until now, spoke without looking up from his laptop.“You’ve got to trust her to handle herself.And when she needs us, we’ll be there.That’s the balance.”

Balance.Nails had never been good at that.

He looked toward the door again, imagining her in that club, facing Adam with that stubborn tilt of her chin.He admired the hell out of it, her confidence, and her refusal to be intimidated, but it also scared him in a way he hadn’t felt in years.

“What if I just blew it with her?”he asked quietly.

Bear shrugged.“Give her some time.Let her do what she needs to do.She’ll come back, and when she does, talk to her.Not like you’re her CO and not like you’re some overprotective boyfriend.Just be straight with her.”

“Easier said than done,” Nails muttered, though part of him knew Bear was right.

“Yeah, well, most good things are,” Bear replied.

The conversation shifted back to business, but the tension still sat heavy in his chest.Even as he took a seat with the guys to go over last night’s intel, he found himself half-focused.

His mind kept drifting to the thought of her walking into that meeting with Adam, every instinct screaming that he should be there, that he should be watching her back.

But she’d made it clear, this was her job.And for now, all he could do was wait.

And Nails hated waiting.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Adam sat back in his chair, one elbow on the armrest, his thumb rubbing against his jaw as he stared at the darkened monitor in front of him.The office was dim, just the muted glow from the desk lamp and the faint bass thump from the club’s sound system downstairs filtering in through the walls.

He was in no mood for the music at the moment, but the dancers were practicing.

Across from him, Erik leaned against the edge of the desk, arms folded, watching him with that unreadable look he wore when he was about to drop something heavy.

Adam was still chewing over the same thought he’d been stuck on since last night—Riley.

The footage from the security feed last night had replayed in his mind over and over.The way Riley stiffened when Ranjit grabbed her, the snap in her movements when she’d tried to pull away, the fire in her eyes even as she realized she was overpowered.He would give her credit.She had fought back with no hesitation.

If he was being honest with himself, she probably could’ve handled the situation if Ranjit hadn’t been built like a damn American football linebacker.But he had, and it ended with her getting hurt in his club.

That didn’t sit right with him.Not because she was valuable, though she was.He knew exactly what she would fetch if he ever put her on the market, and it would be obscene.But that wasn’t the point.He liked her.Not just the way she looked, though God knew that was a given.It was her sharp wit, the way she carried herself like she wasn’t afraid of anyone, the cool confidence in her voice when she spoke to him like she wasn’t intimidated.He didn’t get that from the women who worked for him.Not often.

Erik broke the silence.“I found out who set it up.”

Adam’s gaze sharpened.“Who?”

“Anya.”

The word hit him like a hammer.“You’re sure?”

Erik’s expression didn’t change.“Kumar confirmed it.She paid him off to leave the floor, which left Riley alone in that section with just that table.Ranjit was one of her regulars, and she knew he enjoyed sex.She set it up to make it look like Riley had asked for it.He paid her two thousand.”

Adam sat forward, resting his forearms on the desk, heat coiling in his gut.“She crossed the line.”

“Want me to fire her?”

He shook his head slowly, a smile that wasn’t friendly curving at the corner of his mouth.“No.I’ll take care of Anya myself.”