Page 30 of Too Guarded to Love (Project VIPER #3)

O livia had been wrong about it taking the Joint Chiefs of Staff to remove her from the war room.

All it had taken was one look between Nic and her brother and she’d been escorted out.

They’d said the less she knew, the better, but who was she going to tell?

She was sure she hadn’t even scratched the surface of VIPER’s secrets.

She eyed Beth and Tessa sitting across from her in a suite much like the one she and Nic shared.

The only sign they’d been trapped in a burning car was minor bruises on their faces from the deployed airbags.

Other than that, they looked like two friends lounging on recliners in their yoga pants and sweatshirts while they watched the rom-com softly playing on the flat-screen television on the wall.

How much did they know about the project the men they loved had pledged their lives to?

Olivia’s mile-long list of questions demanded to be answered, but the least serious one popped through her lips.

“Is every guy at VIPER so goddamn pushy and annoying? First, they made me sign papers saying that everything I hear would remain classified and then…” She touched her fingers to her lips. “Crap. Is telling you I was granted security clearance classified?”

Beth stifled a yawn with her hand. “I don’ t think so, but to be safe, say no more. I wouldn’t want you to have to kill me because you spilled national secrets. And yes, pushy and annoying are VIPER prerequisites.”

Tessa nodded, errant strands from her ponytail brushing her forehead as she rocked her sleeping boy. “It doesn’t take cool arms and legs to be an alpha. Hudson gets all over-the-top Neanderthal about our safety too.”

Olivia pulled a folded blanket from the arm of the couch and draped it over her legs. “How do you handle all the testosterone in this place? And the constant security and always being monitored. I’m surprised the guys don’t have trackers in you.”

Beth snorted. “They floated the idea by us, but we shut them down. And I was only kidding about not sharing national secrets. What can you spill about your meeting? Aside from wrangling the demolition twins while Patience was busy, we haven’t done much since we got here.

We have security clearances, too, so tell us something exciting. ”

Nic gave me the best orgasm of my life a bit ago.

Now that was something beyond exciting to share, but she’d save that for when they could enjoy a real girls’ night with lots of wine and a loaded charcuterie board. “Okay, but first I have a question.”

Tessa shifted her feet underneath her and yawned. “Shoot, girlfriend.”

Olivia smiled. This part of the VIPER-verse was nice.

Tucking the blanket under her tired legs, she detailed the unexplainable rescue she’d witnessed in the garage.

“I swear, Nic was like a snake charmer commanding the heat, or the flame, or whatever melted the door off the car. I know what I saw, but it makes no sense. Or who knows? Maybe I’m losing my mind.

And before I was summoned to the war room, he said he got a message on the comms device in his steel arm, but he didn’t look at it.

Nothing beeped. Nothing rang. He just stilled, was silent for a moment, and then said we needed to go. ”

Beth stopped rocking and shifted to the edge of the recliner.

“I don’t know what level of clearance you have, and I need to respect that, but I can tell you three things.

You didn’t imagine what you saw, you’re not losing your mind, and super isn’t just an adolescent identifier the boys like to give themselves and the steel attached to their bodies. ”

“That’s what I thought.” She toyed with a charm on her bracelet. “Nic really is something out of this world, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is. They all are.” Beth rose and sat next to Olivia. “If you’re falling for Nic, know that the voodoo magic you don’t understand, and all the covertness, and lack of privacy keep him alive every time he’s called away.”

Tessa kissed the top of her son’s head. “All those annoying things keep us alive too.”

Olivia heard Tessa’s emotion-filled statement, but Beth’s words consumed her thoughts.

If you’re falling for Nic…

“I’m not falling for him.” The lie she needed to flip to reality slid off her tongue. “He’s just hell-bent on keeping me safe, that’s all.”

Beth shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see what Gran says about that when she wakes up.”

Gran had better wake up fast. Time wasn’t on Olivia’s side.

Every minute she spent with Nic, the more she craved to know more about him, and not just in a biblical sense.

She’d grown up hearing she was reckless and impulsive.

Falling for a man who reportedly went through women faster than her horse went through oats and lived in an intrusive universe she wanted no part of sounded like the epitome of reckless and impulsive.

Beth tapped Olivia on the arm. “Your turn to share.”

“Okay.” She detailed Jonathan’s requests for a meeting. “ Of course, Nic and Kane are against it, but I need to go. There’s intel that suggests Jonathan has been communicating with, uh, criminals for a little over a year.”

She left out Richardson and Maria Chavez’s engagement.

Mentioning the cartel might send Beth down a dark path.

“The information trail dried up six months ago, around the time Jonathan and I started dating. If he’s still communicating with them, maybe I can get some information.

I have no idea, but with all the big brains in this building, someone can come up with a plan. ”

“You don’t need big brains. You need skills.” Tessa tapped her chin with her finger. “Let’s see. Stealing a wallet is a good way to learn more about someone. Snatching their phone is even better.”

Olivia giggled. “If only VIPER had a pickpocketing department.”

“It does.” Beth toyed with her curls as she beamed at Tessa. “She was quite the accomplished pickpocket in her youth.”

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. The slim woman in her late twenties from the Jersey shore with the pretty amber eyes and shiny dark-brown hair looked like she should be sitting on a barstool in a tiki hut at the beach instead of stealing wallets on the boardwalk. “No way. You look so…”

“Innocent?” Tessa smirked. “Yeah, that’s what my father thought. He was a petty thief and freakishly talented at his so-called craft. He taught me to steal when I was so young I don’t even remember the lessons. Even though it’s been years since I’ve stolen anything, I still have skills.”

Olivia threw the blanket off her legs. “Can you teach me? Jonathan has two phones for some reason. One he keeps in his back pocket. He says it’s for his high-profile patients.

It doesn’t ring much, but when it does, he leaves the room and always comes back in an irritable mood.

I never questioned it, but maybe there’s something on there. ”

“Sorry, sweetie. I would, but it takes years of practice to learn how to pilfer goods off someone without them knowing.”

“Thanks anyway.” She didn’t even know if Scarlett had convinced Nic and Kane, and whoever else needed to sign off on the meetings. Still, she couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“But…” A wicked gleam sparkled into Tessa’s gaze. “I could go with you and do it myself.”

“Oh my God.” Beth jumped from the couch. “The boys will freak when they hear about this. I’m so coming with you to present this plan.”

Olivia rose and shook her head. “They’ll never go for it.” She dropped her gaze to the sleeping toddler in Tessa’s arms. “And I can’t let you put yourself at risk on my account.”

Tessa waved her hand. “I just survived an exploding car. I think I can handle lifting a phone from a doctor. God knows we won’t get out of Level Black anytime soon if VIPER doesn’t man up and let the women help.”

“Right on, sister.” Beth pumped a fist in the air and grabbed Olivia’s wrist with the other hand. “You ready for our first battle?”