Page 19 of Skull

Kodiak helped GQ up, rubbing his neck as he glared at Hummingbird. “She attacked me,” he said.

Their boss strode over to them. His face was blank, his eyes empty of emotion. “He was being a complete asshole,” Hummingbird said.

There were soft murmurs all around. “Is that true?” Iceman asked, turning to GQ.

“I was only asking her why they were here instead of out gathering intel. Hazard and Leigh are out there, and they’re in trouble. We’re just…doing nothing!”

Iceman’s jaw clenched so hard his muscles rippled under his skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “They’re here because they got us a solid lead. They did their jobs, and now it’s our turn. Anna and her team are working on a target package. Until then…” He scanned the room and spotted a white ball. He strode over, picked it up, and tossed it at GQ. “Burn off some of that energy with a game of water polo. I don’t want any more fighting or accusations. We’re a team, Remmy. Nothing has changed. You will act like a US Navy SEAL and not a petulant, spoiled kid. We all care about Hazard and Leigh, but the world won’t stop turning. Understand me?”

GQ swallowed hard. “Yes, boss. I understand.” He flicked a glance at the two Shadowguard. “I’m sorry. I’m worked up, and I was out of line,” he said reluctantly.

Hummingbird shrugged. “Everyone’s on edge.”

GQ tossed the ball into the water, and one by one the team jumped in, including Boomer and Skull.

The guys were all in, but they were two men down. “We’re a little uneven, so I nominate Bones for a position,” Skull said. He looked over at Taylor, and Boomer followed his gaze. “No…don’t you?—”

“Hey, Hoffman?” Skull shouted, drawing a smirk from everyone except GQ.

“You’re all a bunch of fuckers,” Boomer growled.

Taylor turned and said, “Yes?”

“How about we make this five-man, one-dog outfit into a perfect six? Three on each side. To be transparent, this is going to be a down and dirty game,” Boomer proposed.

She smiled, nodded at the two women nearby, and headed for the pool. She pulled her white T-shirt over her head and shucked off her dark shorts, showing not only an amazingly toned body beneath the navy blue racerback tank suit she wore but a competitive gleam in her eyes. He liked that.

Boomer closed his eyes while Skull laughed. “Why don’t you guard her?” Skull teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

While treading water, Boomer managed to double-bird Skull, but Skull wasn’t fazed. Boomer then looked slyly at the two Shadowguard, and Skull shook his head. “Don’t you?—”

“Hey, ladies. We could each use a fourth player on our teams. You game? Down and dirty water polo?” Boomer called out.

“Claiming Strekoza,” Preacher said. “She’s as tall as some of us.”

That left Hummingbird on Skull’s team. He gritted his teeth as her gaze remained fixed on him. He groaned softly while Boomer chuckled. That left him with Breakneck, but the kid was a ringer—he’d played water polo in high school and college. A dog and two women made for a misfit team indeed.

Taylor swam over to Skull and said with the confidence he liked, “We’ve got this.”

He looked over at Hummingbird again and sighed. “Well?” he asked.

She stood at the edge of the pool, looking at him with a mix of challenge and anticipation. Without saying a word, she dove into the pool, quickly followed by her partner.

“Watch out,” Skull murmured. “Here comes some down and dirty trouble.”

“Here you are,” she said just for his ears, “wet and bothered all over again.”

Skull felt a swift jolt deep in his gut as her words brought back all those tantalizing memories of the last time they were together. He swallowed hard and shoved those dangerously arousing thoughts aside. But despite his iron will, he still had to deal with the flesh-and-blood woman treading water in front of him—a woman who seemed to enjoy torturing him every chance she got. Maybe it was his fighter side, but he loved the way her reckless, seductive quality played out in those sparkling blue eyes and that lush mouth that made his body ache with desire.

“Good job getting us a lead. I’m sorry about—” he began, relieved they would soon have something to chase.

“GQ is worried about them. I get it, but no one’s going to treat me like that and get away with it. Anna will have a target package for us soon.”

“Seriously, that fast?”

“Lives are hanging in the balance. Eva and I took off our kid gloves and got some answers. We’re pulling out all the stops, Cooper. You can be sure of that.”

The sound of his first name spoken in that strong tone made his heart flutter in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge. He couldn’t help but notice her white T-shirt was see-through, turning this into one distracting, wet T-shirt water polo match. “What the hell is your first name?” he asked, his voice hoarse. Their lips were only inches apart. “I think I delivered on the kiss.”

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