Page 22 of Resurrection

With a quick push on the armrests, I’m out of my seat, and I wander to him, my hands in the pockets of my loose black dress pants. When I sit, I keep an empty seat between us. He doesn’t acknowledge me, and I yank out the closest earbud. His jaw tightens, and when he faces me, there’s a hint of anger.

“Can I do something for you?” He removes the other earbud and keeps them bunched in his hand.

Now that I’m over here, next to him, I’m not sure what I want. The only thing I don’t want is him ignoring me. “Should we come up with a strategy for when we arrive?”

“You organize shit. I’m the mindless muscle.”

I cock my head and tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “No offense, but you’re not exactly in prime mindless muscle fitness.”

“Doesn’t take much to shoot a gun.” He swirls the last of his Irish car bomb. “You sure these threats are coming from the FBI guy you paid?”

My fingers flex on the armrests. “Not exactly sure.”

“Give me a percentage.”

“Um… fifty?”

“I’m going to murder someone over a fifty percent chance. I suppose I’ve killed for less. I’m surprised you like those odds though.”

“I told you I don’t want anyone killed.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a guy who makes those sorts of promises.” His icy gaze rakes over me. “The desire to murder an FBI agent is still thrumming through my veins. Wouldn’t take much to set off my instinct.”

“Finn.”

He sits forward and leans across the seat between us. “This is who I am, Carys. I am the guy who does those things.”

Anger rises in me like a tide, and I gather myself, meeting him in the middle of the free seat. “I understand exactly who you are. But if you’re out there representing me and my business, you fall in fucking line. I put my life, my company at risk by rescuing you. Do you have any idea what Kim gathered on me in the time she worked for me? 'Cause I don’t. But I sure as hell know she’s got lots on you.”

Finn opens his mouth to speak, and on instinct, I cover it. Electrical currents shoot through my arm. I ignore the sensation, and Finn’s gaze locks on mine.

“You want to help me,” I say. “You help me. You don’t douse the situation in gasoline and light a match.”

Behind my palm, his lips quirk. Carefully, I remove my hand.

“I wouldn’tdropthe match.”

“Yeah, you would.”

“It might accidentally slip out of my fingers.”

“You shot Kim.”

He scowls. “She fucking deserved it.”

“Your plan, such as it was, seemed to be simply not to die.”

“Not true.” He settles back in his chair and avoids eye contact. “I didn’t believe, when it came down to it, Lorcan would pick her over me.”

“That’s a mindset, not a plan.”

He waves a dismissive hand. “You want to put a collar on me? Fine. Done. I won’t kill anyone without your permission.”

“Not just a collar. There’s a leash too.”

With a smirk, he turns to examine me. “You into role-play now, Carys? You always liked to experiment.”

Heat floods my cheeks, and my anger dissipates. Using the armrests, I vault myself into a standing position and ignore his innuendo. “When we get there, we’ll go to the warehouse first. I have an employee I’ll need to meet with to see what’s been determined.”

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