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He stares at me, hard, his eyes piercing through the darkness until the silence between us is deafening. I bleedin’ hate when he does this. Silence, for a man with the gift for gab, makes me uncomfortable.

“You fell in love with her.”

I pull back like he punched me in the face. “What nonsense are you spilling?”

“My best operative falls head over heels for a woman who makes it her mission in life to expose men like us.”

I think about those videos. All the documentation she’s collected and the research done to compose her story. What he’s saying isn’t surprising. Except for his assumption that I love her.

“A ride, that’s all she is.”

He shakes his head, like he knows something I don’t. I’ve got to say, he understands exactly how to stir up the devil inside me. I’m two seconds shy of wiping that smug smile off his face, too. Total bollocks, that’s what this is.

“I need to hire a bodyguard.”

I start at the abrupt change in conversation. “Boss?”

“Someone who can keep his mouth shut and hands to himself. An African American, preferably. Out of our men, who best suits my needs?”

“You’re askingmyopinion?”

“I’m not asking what your favorite color is, am I?”

I scratch my chin, thinking. “Samuel. The fella said three words to me the entire time we trained at Hell Camp.”

“What were they?”

“Fuck off, Finn.”

He doesn’t laugh. “And the other ... requirement?”

“Can he keep his hands to himself? Do you mean does he get off on a good fight?”

“No.”

There’s a long pause. He doesn’t want to tell me. I’ve got to say, I’m intrigued. Wait a feckin’ second. This is about a woman, isn’t it? About Samuel keeping his mitts off Hayden’s wan. Unfeckinbelievable. Whoever she is, she deserves a medal. And the Bastard accuses me of falling in love? When he’s sending one of us to watch over his woman?

“Answer me.”

“Samuel won’t touch her. Though he might refuse this assignment after he discovers who he’ll be watching over.”

Hayden snorts. “He’s already en route to Malawi.”

I stare at him, incredulous. “What in shite’s name?”

“Just reassuring myself I’m sending the best man.”

I allow that to sit for a spell. “Second best.”

Hard to say in the dark but I think he rolled his eyes.

“Not that I need to tell you how to proceed—”

“You don’t.”

“But the uranium mine is in Africa. Big continent, but ...” Never in me life would I have imagined having this conversation. “Pay the Ogdenhayers a visit in South Africa then head to Malawi.”

Makes sense. Once this nonsense in Cork is over, the boss will want to investigate the source.