Page 6 of Lethal Game

“Really?” Sarcasm turned the word into something sharp and heavy. “You just met me. How would you know that?”

“I saw you in action last night.”

She froze, and for a moment the expression on her face was a mixture of anger, fear, and disgust. A second later, it was gone, smoothed away as if it had never been there.

Whoa.That was a lot more than just last night.

Without looking at him, she said, “Babysitting me is going to be a complete bore for a soldier’s soldier like you. I’ll tell Max to find someone else.”

Chapter Two

Out of the corner ofher eye, Sophia saw the big man tense up. A lot of people would have missed it, but she’d become a student of body language long before any child should. How else could she know if the doctors were telling her everything was all right when really everything was all wrong?

Sergeant Connor Button had already seen her in the most vulnerable moment conceivable, struggling to fight off that clumsy jerk. She didn’t want his pity or his protection. What she needed was a partner who looked past her youthful exterior and recognized her ability and determination to do the dangerous work she’d signed up for.

So far, none of the potential partners Max had brought her had bothered.

The sergeant shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chest. “Guys with my skills don’t grow on trees, Doctor.”

Here it came, another rant from a muscled-up warrior who thought shooting a rifle made him qualified to tell her what to do. She rolled her eyes and continued studying the slide on her scope. “Uh-huh.”

He sighed like she was the dense one. “Look, my job isn’t to get in your way, it’s to make sure you have the freedom to do your job no matter where you end up.”

Freedom?She looked away from the microscope. An interesting choice of words for a man who worked for one of the most rigidly organized groups in the world. “Explain that to me.”

“You’re the expert,” he said. “So, if you’re deployed to an area where there’s a possible outbreak, my job is to make sure you’re free to concentrate on your work. My job is to worry about security and coordinate with any locals if you have protocols they need to follow.”

It all sounded rational, but his body language just moments ago told her there was an underlying desperation that shouldn’t have been there. None of the other Special Forces soldiers had seemed as determined to get this assignment. “Why are you so gung-ho about working with me?”

His lips tightened and she knew she’d hit a nerve. There was more to this than he was saying. If he didn’t come clean with her, he was out. Max would throw a fit if he had to find yet another partner for her, but she couldn’t work with someone who wouldn’t treat her like an equal.

“Look,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “I made it back to the active duty roster by the skin of my teeth. Most guys in my shoes would be transferred to a desk job or some other role notout there.” He used his chin to indicate outside. “I’ve got something to prove.”

“To who?”

“Myself.”

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