Page 156 of End Game

“What are your intentions?”

“To meet the young woman you would kill for,” Kayla said.

Mason flinched.

“An introduction is the least you could do.”

“If you recall, I paid my debt. My daughter is off-limits.”

“What I recall,” Ash said in a low, intense voice, “is the mess you left for us to clean up.”

Mason glared at Ash. “I did more than my share of the cleanup.”

Kayla thought of the shallow graves scattered around Sybil’s neighborhood and had to agree with her old friend.

“But if you’re talking about the ladies,” Mason said, “I did what you couldn’t.”

Ash’s hands curled into hard knots at his side, and he took a step toward the mercenary. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Kayla pushed off the wall and stepped between them. “None of that.”

“It wasn’t an insult, Feeb,” Mason said in an even voice. “You’re law enforcement. Your integrity wouldn’t have allowed you to do what needed to be done to preserve HCVS.”

“How long have you known?” She understood he’d identified his anonymous employer and linked Sybil to Service, but she never imagined he’d penetrated their mission.

His unflinching gaze met hers. “Day One.”

Ash wavered between respect for the mercenary and flat-out hatred. He had yet to fully understand why they were crashing Jozi Wade’s move-in day.

Part of it was probably to do with Kayla shutting the door on a painful time in her life—the moment she’d lost not only her beloved aunties but someone she called friend. Ash knew there was something more to this visit than hashing up months-old pain, yet all he could do was go along for the ride.

Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed watching Mason Wade squirm.

“One last time, Kayla,” Mason said. “Why are you here?”

“Dad?”

Mason closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds before turning around to find his daughter at his shoulder.

The auburn hair, freckles, and average height must have come from her mother. But the suspicious hazel eyes were all Wade.

“I told you to stay put,” Mason gritted out.

“You also told me five minutes. It’s been ten.”

Ash smiled. He liked this young woman. A lot.

Jozi’s attention skidded to Ash, then Kayla. The latter held out her hand. “I’m Kayla Krowne.”

The younger Wade looked to her father, who nodded, before accepting Kayla’s hand. Somehow Ash didn’t think Jozi asked permission for much, but Wade must have indicated in some way to his daughter that he and Kayla were potential threats.

“This is my partner, Ash Blackwell,” Kayla said.

Ash kept his hands loose at his sides and nodded, choosing the de-escalation route rather than riling the mercenary further.

“Business or romantic?” Jozi asked.

Mason groaned.