Page 19 of Lethal Game

So, why did he feel guilty?

Maybe because he was hoping this assignment would give him the opportunity to kill at least one very bad guy, and probably get killed himself?

“I need to get the info on this Akbar asshole and there’s probably a stack of paperwork with my name on it that needs to be signed. I’ll try to make it back before dinner.”

“Okay,” she said, but she wasn’t looking at him, absorbed by whatever was in view on the microscope.

Shaking his head, but oddly relieved at how fast she’d tuned him out, Con stopped at Max’s assistant’s desk. “How’s my room assignment?”

“Good, sir. It turns out you were beside Dr. Perry already.”

“Eugene,” Connor said, leaning against his desk. “I’m not a sir. I’m a sergeant. Big difference. Plus, I owe you a couple of favors. Call me Con.”

“Favors?”

“Yeah, you clued me in to the fact that all this—” he waved a hand to indicate the drab, unassuming building “—is a lot more important than it looks.”

“How many hours until she decides?” Eugene asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Con answered. “What do you think my chances are?”

“I bet fifty bucks on you,” the kid said with a grin.

***

Sophia finished herreport on the last sample and hit Send on the computer. Usually, she felt tired and only wanted to go to bed or read a book. Tonight she was going to learn Tai Chi. Part of her was excited, the other part was irritated by that excitement.

Dinner was quick at the food court in the Freedomsouq, and she ate with Max and Eugene as usual. What was unusual was the addition of Connor. Sitting next to Eugene, Connor looked huge. Now she understood why women called a muscular man’s arms “guns.” His were dangerous. Delicious.

Sophia froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. Delicious? Where had that thought come from? She shoved the fork in, chewed and glanced around the court. There were other female soldiers eating, here and there. More than one of them watched Connor’s big shoulders shake as he laughed at something Eugene said.

As Sophia looked at him, her stomach felt funny in a way that had nothing to do with food.

She choked on the mouthful she’d just tried to swallow. Oh, no way, she wasnotin lust with him.

She continued to cough and Max frowned at her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and grabbed her glass of water. “Went down the wrong way,” she managed to croak out. A couple of sips of water and the coughing calmed down.

Her blush didn’t. Not when Connor was looking at her with concern on his face.

“What are you thinking about so hard that you forgot how to eat?” he asked.

She almost choked again, but managed to get it down this time. “Nothing.”

Across the room a group of soldiers turned to look at her, one of them with a venomous expression on his face.

The asshole who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore.

The asshole’s expression transformed into a sick smile as he stared at her.

She was on her feet and headed toward the dirty tray racks before she’d consciously made the decision to move. She shoved her tray into the rack and shouldered her way into the women’s bathroom to prop both hands on the counter and try to figure out how to restart her breathing through the glacier her chest had turned into.

What the hell just happened?

That asshole smiled at her, andboomshe was moving before anything else could register.

---