Page 3 of Dangerous Devotion

Henner had shoved back his chair, grating all four legs on the floor, shot her a look that didn’t mask his thoughts about being paired with her and stalked out.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Con flipped his long index finger up. “Just a moment, Miss Lin.”

“Chase, Sinclair,” he called out.

The two men who’d entered the meeting last stopped and turned toward Con.

“A word.” Con stood and moved to the rear of the room.

The guys traded a glance before approaching their leader. The men were all packed with muscle, but that was where the similarities ended. While Con adhered to old-school military standards of appearance with his hair in a high-and-tight military cut, the other two had longer hair.

May had seen this among special ops teams before. Being at the top of their food chain afforded them certain liberties, and having hair over the tops of their ears was one of them.

She tapped her finger on the table, then abruptly stopped. The gesture always gave away her nervousness. She worked on quitting the habit, but she soon realized she could use it to heradvantage. The sound unnerved people—threw them off—and keeping men on edge benefitted a woman in her field, especially when they liked to look down on her.

Like her new partner did.

Minutes ticked by while Con spoke to his teammates in quiet syllables she couldn’t make out. If they didn’t wrap up soon, she wouldn’t get a chance to voice her thoughts privately to Con.

She stole a peek at her wristwatch, then swung back to the leader. He gave the men a final nod in dismissal, and they left the room.

When he returned to his seat, the tense set of his shoulders appeared a bit more relaxed. He rested his elbows on the table and leaned in. “You have a matter to discuss, Miss Lin?”

She drew in a deep breath. “I’d like to go on record saying I think it’s a terrible idea to partner me with Henner.”

No immediate denial came from Con, so she pushed onward.

“I get that he’s good at what he does, but I don’t think we see eye to eye. His ideas about the op are already different than mine.” She sent Con a look to measure his reaction before plowing on. “The way he spoke at the meeting leads me to believe that he jumps in without thinking, where I analyze every variable. It’s not just a personality clash—it’s dangerous. If we’re not on the same page out there, everything can literally blow up in our faces. I would like to request a different partner for the operation.”

Con heard her out without interruption. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Request denied.”

Her heart plummeted.

“Given your skill set, you’re a perfect fit with Henner for this op.” Con folded his arms. “Miss Lin, I have taken your concernsinto account, but Henner is my first pick. He’s gone through hell and back for this team, and he’s the best. You’ll find a way to make it work.”

She started to tap her finger on the table and stopped herself. Digging deep, she attempted a different approach. She didn’t see any good coming from working with Henner.

She softened her tone. “Okay, I understand. I’m not trying to undermine Henner’s skills. But what if the three of us sit down and map out some mission protocols? It will establish clear expectations. After all, isn’t that what teamwork is about?”

One look at Con’s face showed that he was unmoved.

“I’d just like it noted—”

Her insides shriveled at the sound of Henner’s voice projecting from the open door.

“—that I don’t want to work with her either.”

She knew better than to cower. She turned her head and met his stare. A long beat pulsed between them.

“I just had the good sense to keep that information to myself.” He walked up to the table and dropped his bag on the floor.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you were packing.”

“I’m fast.” He gave her a flat look.

---