Page 73 of Winters Heat

Jared nodded.

Cash opened a bag. “We’ve got beef stew, beef bbq, beef—”

“Don’t offer her the shit you don’t like.” A man she didn’t know rolled his eyes.

“All right, jackass.” Cash tilted his head and snarled. When he wasn’t laughing, the face paint made him look like a bulldog ready to tear something apart. “Mia, spaghetti with sauce, cheese tortellini—”

“What are you talking about?” She shook her head, sure they were making fun of her.

“MREs, babe. Bag o’ nasty. Meals rejected by—”

“She gets the point, Cash,” Jared said. “Shut it.”

“Spaghetti it is.” Cash threw a pouch at her.

Every camo-clad, weapons-strapped man watched. Would the MRE be that bad? She ripped the package open. The contents looked like spaghetti and sauce. Smelled like…plastic. Whatever. She was starving. They didn’t offer a fork, and she didn’t expect it. The taste was as appetizing as the bug juice.

She looked up. There may have been a crumb of approval in Jared’s grumbling face.

He blinked it away before she could confirm, then he spoke up. “So, this is the team. You already met Cash, sniper to the stars. Thinks he’s a funnyman. You can also thank him for blowing Silva’s brains all over you. Rocco’s our wheels guy. Brock, you can thank for not eating beef tonight. He blows shit up, and says there’s an art to it. And you talked to Parker on the phone. Tech guy extraordinaire.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. If everyone has a specialty, what’s yours?”

“I’m a master at everything.”

Of course. She glared at him. “What about Colby?”

“Winters?”

“Yeah, that’s his name. What’s his specialty?”

“Escape and evade. He’s a survivor. He can stay alive when most men beg for death.”

“What is it with you guys? He’s not invincible.” She rolled her eyes but was secretly praying Jared was right.

“Give him credit. With a handful of help from us, he’ll be home playing house with you soon enough. Unless…” He shrugged.

Her breath caught in her throat. All the air vacuumed out of the shack. Dread shook in every cell. His simple indifference made her head spin. She’d wring his neck. No matter if he was master of everything.

“Easy there, Mia.” Jared’s lips twitched. “Unless he shows up before we bug out. It wouldn’t surprise me if Winters dragged his busted ass through this door.”

“Oh.” Mia’s cheeks flashed hot.

“So, if you’re done with dinner, let’s get down to business. Silva’s gone. Our intel says that Alejandro Suarez, his number two, would take over. Seen him? Heard of him?”

“Yeah. I washisif Colby didn’t turn over the list.” The memory caused a cold sweat in the jungle heat. She pinched her eyes to fight off the revolting reaction her body produced when thinking of Alejandro.

The men fidgeted, obviously unaware of how much she knew of her almost-fate.

“So you met him?” Jared asked. “He’s on the grounds?”

“He’s there.”

“And is he a leader? Or is he a fall guy?”

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