Page 72 of Lethal Game

Con’s mouth tightened, but his hand was gentle on her neck. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Youdidn’t.”

The door behind Con opened. Smoke and River walked in.

“I’m pretty sure,” Sophia said wryly, “the sign on the door sayswomen.”

“Who ran you over?” River asked, staring at her.

Smoke didn’t say anything, but he looked very, very angry.

“A whole bunch of people,” she snapped. “Now get out, all of you.” She glanced at Con to include him in the order.

He left, but there was something in his expression telling her she hadn’t heard the last from him about her bruises.

Stupid terrorists. They’d already made her reconsider her sexual explorations with Con. If they screwed up her plans to accomplish something worth dying for she was going to shoot someone.

***

Con’s stomach wasn’thappy. Hell, he was fucking furious with himself. Sophia was covered in bruises. Deep, large, black ones indicating substantial bleeding underneath the skin.

“What. The. Fuck?” River said to him.

“She says she has some kind of clotting problem, but that is...”

“Sick,” Smoke said.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“No. She’s sick.”

Con stared at him. “She said it was under control.”

Smoke shrugged.

“Would she tell you if she wasn’t?” River asked.

Sophia came out of the bathroom. “What wouldn’t I tell you?”

Con sighed. “If you were sick.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am not sick. I’m special, but I’m not sick.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“I told you, my platelets are screwed up, so I get bruises. Sometimes they’re pretty scary looking, but they’ll go away eventually.”

“What the hell is taking you so long?” Max yelled.

Sophia walked away.

Con watched her and couldn’t help feeling he’d just been lied to.

Max was on the phone when Con, Smoke, and River got back to Eugene’s desk. As he was talking, Eugene came back with Jones in tow.

She looked around at all the men, weapons, and Sophia then said, “You weren’t shitting me, were you, Gene?”

“No.”

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