Page 61 of Sublime Target

“I told you I’d find a way around this problem,” Jerik said lightly, poking his gun through the hole. “Cooper Garner!” he thundered. “Open this contraption now, or I’ll turn this place into fucking stardust.”

They waited. Nothing happened.

Both mercenaries groaned.

Clarissa shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. Don’t kill him, remember?”

Jerik bared his fangs. “It would be much easier if he just opened the doors. I can keep blasting until part of the structure is obliterated, but there’s always the risk someone on the other side could be hit by a stray bolt of plasma.”

Suddenly, the doors snapped open.

Sunlight flooded Jerik’s vision, momentarily blinding him. He uttered a command and activated his armor, shielding his eyes from the infernal ultraviolet.

The one called Garner must have been listening, and he’d reacted exactly how Jerik had predicted.

Faced with the imminent threat of death, he’d caved.

Still with his arm around Clarissa’s waist—she felt perfectly snug, as if she were made from him—Jerik looked over his shoulder at the surly mercs. “Stay in here. Take one step outside, and I’ll destroy you.”

“You do that, and your man’s a dead man.” The female mercenary countered. She sounded tough, but she was all bluster.

“Stop talking shit. If he comes to any harm, it doesn’t take much to guess what will happen to you.”

Her face turned ashen.

Jerik released Clarissa’s waist and led her through a light-filled antechamber.

“You’ve broken my elevator, threatened a Gage Security squad leader, threatened my boss, and most likely compromised my employment,” she grumbled, folding her arms and frowning. Jerik’s chest tightened. She was so achingly gorgeous. “And you’re quite possibly going to take away Garner Corp’s most valuable land asset at gunpoint. Are you keeping any more surprises up your sleeve, Jerik?”

Enjoying the tongue-in-cheek chastisement—he decided she was the only one he’d ever allow to speak to him like this—he nodded. “Yes. We are from different worlds, and we barely know each other. Of course there are going to be surprises. I have all kinds of surprises for you. Only good ones.”

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“Yes.” He didn’t know what she meant, but he could go along with it. “Now, before this so-called boss of yours tries to jump out the window, will you take me to him?”

Clarissa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tipped her head back, exposing the slender, decadent column of her neck. “I suppose I have no choice. Just don’t kill him.”

“You told me that already.”

She opened her eyes again. “I’m just trying to make sure. I might feel frustrated and exploited, but I wouldn’t wish death upon him.”

“Anyone who sees fit to exploit your talents deserves death.”

“No, Jerik. My world doesn’t work that way. If you ever want me to trust you, you need to understand that.”

Her world was beautiful, naive, and unrealistic. He would do his utmost to keep it that way for her. “Very well.”

“Thank you.” Her expression changed into something akin to awe, and it almost brought him to his knees. “I’ll take you to Garner now. My work here is pretty much done, anyway.”

“You’ll leave this job?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Come with me, he wanted to say, but he didn’t dare. Not yet.

He didn’t want to scare her away when he’d made so much progress with her.

“Follow me, Jerik.” She walked across the floor, her tall-heeled shoes clicking loudly. Now she was in charge, and he was the one to go after her, unable to do anything but stare as she strode confidently toward the door that led to Garner’s office.

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