Page 12 of How Much For a Life of Lies?

Fuck. I was hardening in an instant—what was it about this man that got to me? I bristled. “You could try.” He rolled his eyes at that. “I’m guessing 427 booted you?”

“Their loss.”

“Did you kill that LT?”

“Nah, but I hit him so hard he lost a tooth.” He grinned as if it was hilarious, but it wasn’t freaking funny. It was yet another warning he was a loose cannon. “I’m guessing you booted the SEALs?” he asked.

My back was up, and I went on the defensive. “I did my time.” Couldn’t face a team without Oz and McKenzie.

“So now you want black ops to fill the adrenalin gap, Frogman?”

I ignored that. “Are you still on the edge?”

He huffed a laugh and then crowded me. “You tell me,” and before I could react, he pressed me against the wall, his proximity sending a jolt of adrenalin coursing through my veins. “Want a repeat of our last meeting?”

For a moment, the sheer force of his presence, the heat of his body searing mine, paralyzed me. But as he leaned closer, teasing me with the scent of him, the remembered hand job, and addictive kisses, I pushed him away with a surge of defiance.

“Don’t play games,” I growled, my voice rough with frustration. But instead of backing down, Kai only seemed to revel in the challenge, his smirk widening as he closed the gap between us once more.

With a surge of lust, I shoved him back and pinned him, gripping his throat, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I stared him down.

“Well, that’s different,” he murmured, and reached to cover my hand with his. “I like this side of you.”

I stepped back. “Don’t push me,” I snarled, uncomfortably aware of how hard I was and hoping to hell my pants didn’t show how turned-on I was.

He wrenched himself free with some fancy Krav Maga, and I let him go. He took a seat, pulled the folder toward him, his attitude shifting as he transitioned into professional mode, his features hardening. Gone was the reckless edge that had defined him moments before, replaced now by a steely resolve and a cool, calculating demeanor. It was like flipping a light switch, but I didn’t have time to think about it before he started talking.

“Listen up,” he began, his voice firm and commanding as he laid out the plan with a precision that spoke volumes of his expertise. “I have an intact persona we can use. You’ll need to infiltrate the crews from the inside, gain their trust, and gather as much intel as you can before we make our move. I’m thinking skin job because?—”

“The hell?”

“Skin job, you know, where you fuck someone to get their trust.”

“I know what a skin job is, asshole.”

“That part will be on me. I’ll go under, get close to this woman, wine and dine, get an in, I’ll work internally and…”

I’d never done a skin job, never needed to. SEALs were surgical, remote to the marks, but he clearly had experience. My focus sharpened as I listened to his instructions. Despite my reservations about working with Kai, I had to agree with his plan to allow us to take down the crews and dismantle their operations.

“You’ll take the lead on collating intel, focus on identifying key targets, assessing the threat level,” he continued, his tone matter-of-fact as he outlined our roles. “I’ll work the distribution center, and this new team setup will back us up with comm. You’ll report to me.”

“Nice try, partner,” I deadpanned him.

He sighed with added drama. “Whatever.” Then he held out a hand with a blank expression. If I shook his hand, then I was agreeing to this partnership, but what else could I do? I wanted in on this team, I wanted adrenalin, I wanted to change things, make the world safer. I wanted to forget about losing Oz.

I extended a hand to meet his, only he yanked me close and pressed me to the wall again, his lips near my ear.

“But I’m always on top,” he murmured.

I yanked myself away to stalk out of the room. Jake was in the same chair I’d waited on, talking on his cell—no sign of the other two—and he ended the call when he saw me.

And against my better judgment, I said what I had to. “I’ll work with him.”

Somehow, for my sins, I’d agreed to partner with the sexy, irreverent, prickly, arrogant, sarcastic, versatile, talented, freaking sex-on-legs Kai Henderson.

And I’m not sure what I’d done to deserve it, more so when behind me, the obnoxious fucker I was tying myself to whooped and thrust his fist into the air.

“Team one, activate!”

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