Page 8 of Dangerous Devotion

She jumped into the passenger seat, and his carved backside hit the driver’s a second later. She shook herself. Why was she noticingthatfeature about Henner wheneverythingabout him was an ass?

“Something big is happening.”

He jerked his head, eyes fixed on her. “How do you know this?”

She held up her phone. “What do you think that call was about?”

“How did you get that information? Exactly what kind of clearances do you have?”

“Just drive. And call your commanding officer back. We need to talk.”

She picked up on his stunned irritation but he gripped his phone, long fingers curled around the device as he thumbed the screen. A moment later, Con’s voice projected into the vehicle.

“Chickie—”

May cut him short. “It’s May Lin. I got word about the explosion.”

For an eternal moment Henner’s stare burned into the side of her face.

She waved at the road for him to focus on driving rather than on her. They didn’t have time to be in a wreck now—they had important things to do.

She cut straight to the point with Con. “You think it could be a diversion?”

Henner sputtered. “Did you tap into my mind?”

She threw him a narrow look and returned her attention to the conversation.

Con’s voice sounded muffled, like he was inside a box. “There’s a very good chance it could be a diversion. Which is why it’s more important than ever for you guys to pull off this op.And to communicate. With each other.” The emphasis he placed on the words left May feeling a little like a child, told off by an adult who saw the bigger picture about life while she acted out.

She drew in a deep, calming breath.

She asked Con another question, which morphed into an almost coded discussion spoken in keywords and sometimessyllables that the other party understood. Henner’s fingers clamped around the wheel until his knuckles began to whiten.

He didn’t like being left out, but he could put his ego away. They had more important things to consider right now.

Con continued, “I’ll pass on your thoughts to Commander Barrett. We’re taking off in a minute. I’ll check in soon.”

“Good luck.”

The line went dead, filling the vehicle with a loaded silence that seemed to vibrate.

“What the hell wasthat?” Henner shattered the quiet.

She folded her hands in her lap.

“You have a higher clearance than I do.” If the shock in his tone could make her break out in hives, she’d be scratching right now.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I told you I know what I’m doing. That’s why I’m here. Now, as much as I hate admitting this, Con’s right—we have to figure out how to work together. There’s too much at stake for us to be bickering.”

“I agree.” He shook his head, lips compressing in a way that told her something else was bothering him. “A pilot died today, as did several bystanders who were just there to watch the prototype take off.”

A wave of sadness washed over her.

“Fuck.” She gave him a harder look. “Did you know him? The pilot?”

“Doubtful. I don’t know many people in the Air Force. It’s just… We know what danger is out there waiting for us all. Hell, we runstraight into it. But times like this are a reminder that we’re all in danger, all the time, no matter our rank.”

His words made her suck in a quick breath. Henner had a depth she didn’t know possible under all that bulky muscle. It seemed he was more than just the blow-stuff-up guy.

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