Page 83 of My Temptation

“What’s your game plan?” he asked.

“Go back,” I replied. “See if we can get any information from the women milling around. If we can’t, then I think we file a police report. At least they can open an investigation.”

“Do you think anyone’s suspicious of you?”

“It doesn’t seem like they are.” Mila finally spoke again. “Samson invited us back after I persuaded him.”

“How did Samson react when you didn’t take him up on his invitation?”

“He didn’t react much. He’d told me I could make about a thousand bucks in one night dancing for him, so I played on that and acted like I needed to convince Ethan. It seemed like he bought it.”

“You ever make a thousand bucks dancing while undercover?”

She snorted. “No, and I never heard of any club paying out like that, even with tips included, but that was North Carolina. Maybe it’s different here.”

“If you go back tonight, we need a clear exit plan. You also need a man on the outside who can get in there if shit goes sideways.”

Ethan’s eyebrows drew together. “You sending us Landon?”

“Hell no.” Brody answered immediately, and I grinned. “He’s way too impulsive for this assignment.”

“You’re sending us Nick,” Mila stated.

“I am,” Brody acknowledged. “He has the ability to stay in the shadows, and that’s what you need. He’ll be your eyes and ears on the outside, but he has the training to infiltrate if necessary. I’ll have Kyle get him on the next flight out. Call me once he’s there, and we’ll go over the plan.”

“Won’t Samson recognize him?” I asked. “He was a part of the FBI when they took down Sullivan.”

“Samson will never see him. Nick’s road name in the motorcycle club was Smoke for a reason. He can be there and gone so damn fast you’ll second-guess you ever saw him. That’s how he was so effective undercover.”

“Okay. As long as we have someone who can get Mila out if shit goes south, I’m on board,” I agreed.

I felt the heat of Mila’s stare on the side of my face and looked down. There was something in her eyes I didn’t recognize. Maybe it was appreciation, maybe something more, but whatever it was, it caused an ache in my chest that I hadn’t experienced before.

“I appreciate the effort you’re putting in on this case.” We both looked back at the phone when Brody spoke again. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far without it.” He paused, and we both stared at the phone, waiting to hear what he had to say next. “Mila, this job, just like your last job, requires you to have a partner who can keep you safe. We brought you on because of your talent. Our job is to keep you alive while you do what you do best.”

“Thanks, Brody,” she answered quietly with a small smile.

“Talk to you in a few hours,” he replied before the line went dead.

When I saw she was blinking her eyes, I moved across the room to give her a minute. “I’m gonna grab a shower and get some sleep.”

She nodded but didn’t meet my stare, so I grabbed some clothes and moved past her, closing the door to give us both the breather we needed.

26

ETHAN

Lying awake, I listened to the water running. I’d no sooner gotten out of the shower before Mila passed me, heading in that direction. She’d been in there for a long time, and I thought she needed it. Tonight was a shit show. I hadn’t been exaggerating when I said those words to Brody, and I wasn’t excited to do it all over again.

Lifting my arms, I put my hands under the back of my head and stared into the darkness, trying to find a way to will myself to sleep. I was fucking exhausted, but I couldn’t shut off my brain long enough to sleep. Her words from earlier kept echoing through my mind. It was a slip-up, a reaction to working so closely together and being attracted to each other. She’d had fun, but that was all it had been for her.

That wasn’t what it was for me, yet that was all it could be.

Yeah, this whole assignment was a fucking shit show.

The shower shut off, and it wasn’t long after that I heard Mila crack the bathroom door. It seemed to me like she was excited when Brody confirmed he was sending Nick as our backup. She trusted him, and even though she told me she didn’t want a new partner, I think she would take Nick in a heartbeat. They played the part of a couple for a hell of a long time, so I imagine there’s a comfort in knowing your partner that well.

I heard her footsteps, and the light shut off, casting the bedroom into complete darkness. That was something we had in common. We both liked to sleep without any light on. That commonality made being roommates a lot easier.

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