Page 265 of The Reluctant Hero

“No,” I shake my head.

“It might mean we’re going to break this wide open,” Jake offers and squeezes my hand. I clamp down on his touch so hard I’m surprised he isn’t complaining.

“No,” I insist.

“You say you had a feeling about the golf course, and you found the bunker,” Gabriel raises a brow.

“And got shot at, my apartment trashed, and shoved down a flight of stairs. It isn’t worth the risk.”

“It is to me,” he says flatly. His eyes narrow as if this discussion is over.

“I am not going to the hospital to visit you when it goes to shit,” I tell him firmly. “Or your funeral.”

A crack of thunder happens at the perfect moment to emphasize my point.

“Call. It.Off.”

“This is a chance, yes,” he leans back, a vague hurt in his eyes as he stares. “But it can get this done and over with before anything else can happen. We need to move quickly. Infiltrate. This is the fastest route.”

“Then go slow,” I beg him in a shaky voice.

They all stare at me in surprise. I’ve been pushing so hard to get things done that my sudden turnaround is baffling them.

“I can’t.”

My eyes drop from his as I shake my head.

“Amanda, this is more than just us. We don’t have time to delay,” Gabriel presses.

“We can get info on shipments and purchases,” Jake offers with a raised brow.

“Torture is always an option,” Ace gives me a tiny smirk while Mikael nods.

“Babe,” Cade says softly. “Even if it goes bad, we’re trained to take care of it. We aren’t going in blind. They’ve shown us enough cards that we can anticipate what comes next.”

I’m shaking my head, but my lips stay closed this time.

They’re as dumb as I used to be.

“Can you give me a concrete reason to stay and delay this?” Gabriel offers.

He knows I can’t. It’s all in my head and my chest. An intangible thing that no one else will understand.

“Then we’re a go,” his voice softens as if that will take the pain out of the blow.

“And we’re all going to regret it,” I tell him solemnly and leave the table.

“I’m asking you to trust me,” Gabriel says, standing to gain my attention. “I won’t let you down this time.”

“This isn’t about that,” I assure him in a gritty tone. “This is about all ofus. What good can we do if we’re dead?”

“No one is dyin’ today,'' Ace glares at me. “Don’t you put that out there.”

“You’re superstitious aboutthat?” I ask in disbelief. “But you can’t listen to me tell you to stay home and find another way. Fucking typical.”

Ace shoves away from the table and leaves. Mikael follows him, pecking the top of my head with a kiss and a muttered reassurance I ignore. Jake pulls me in for a kiss and promises to follow it up later. Cade holds me and gives me his sly smile.

Gabriel paces to me and stops. We stare at each other, two combatants when we don’t need to be.

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