Page 56 of Garrison's Creed

“Sugar! Get out here,” Jared yelled from the hall. “I do not have time for this shit.”

Sugar walked over to Cash, and his stomach turned. Nothing good was about to happen. She went up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, only because he took a step back and avoided the lip press. “Bye, cowboy. See ya later.”

Jared grumbled from the hall. “I told you assholes, no chick problems. I’m about to make it part of your contracts.”

Damn. Faster than Cash could take out a target with Miss Betty, this day had gone from for-the-records-book awesome to knee-in-the-nuts awful.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

That woman, all sex-in-heels, rolled out of the room. All the men save for Cash waved goodbye. At least he had some smarts.

Nicola sipped her coffee and ignored the male tongues hanging to their combat boots. Mia’d have to get the place wet-vacced for all the drooling they were doing. For the moment, it didn’t seem as if anyone thought about Cash’s girls being ready to knock knuckles. As for acting professional and making a good impression on her first day with a new team? Nicola’s morning had gone down in messy, gossip-worthy flames.

At least she’d tried to look nice this morning. She could have used an extra few minutes, but she didn’t look bad. Not perfect. Certainly not let’s-run-into-an-ex good.

Sugar was all va-va-voom and then some. Was that what Cash liked? All plumped up and plastic?

Maybe her opinion of Sugar was a tad too harsh, and Nicola did like that Girls Like Guns shirt. The way it was poured over Sugar, Nicola bet Cash and every man in the room liked it too. Well, except for Jared. He’d need a two-by-four to the brain to notice anyone but himself.

Jared droned on about tactical this and strategic that, all very important. Too bad she wasn’t listening.

“Princess.” Jared’s raspy voice pulled her from her pity party of one.

“Hmm?”

“You and me and Cash. Dining room. Now.”

Great. Where was Cash anyway? Chasing after hisSugar? What the eff? It didn’t matter. They were on two completely different paths. How had she not noticed that? Here she was, choking up over nostalgic thoughts from last night. And there he was, searching out a woman made for fantasies, who threw herself at his boots. Ugh.

Sugar could have him. Nicola knew better. Her job was her life. One game was enough. No need to play two at a time, and Cash was the player king, just like Rocco had said. Freakin’ awesome. She’d either misread Cash, or maybe hoped she hadn’t heard the truth.

“Princess, move your caboose,” Jared called from the hallway.

Yeah, yeah. Coming.She followed his steps to the dining room, strangling both her hands around her coffee cup. No one would notice that they shook if she didn’t let go. Her adrenaline after the quick-flash Sugar-showdown needed to wear off.

Cash stepped over the threshold. Sapphire eyes caressed her, and she vividly remembered clinging to him last night. The memory made her ache.

“Nic, I need to talk to you for a sec—”

“No, you don’t.” Jared put his box marked EXPLOSIVES on the fancy dining room table and pulled a switchblade from his waist. “My time, my agenda. And your mamsy-pansy baloney concerns come later.”

For the first time, Nicola was glad for Jared’s interruptions. She had no interest in hearing the whos and whys and hows of Sugar and Cash. Even if Cash hadn’t known that Nicola was alive, he could at least have the decency to knock boots with someone a little less vamp-on-display. Though her belt buckle was kinda awesome.I wonder where she found that thing. Whatever. Sugar and her glammed-up face, super fun shirt, and awesome belt buckle could go somewhere else.

Jared pulled out the brick of ammo and put it on the delicate lace tablecloth. He took out another box. What the—?

“Jared. Stop. Right now.” She moved fast, almost dropping her coffee mug and pushing the man over.

“Princess, what the hell?”

Nicola picked up the box, examined it, then unpacked each small box from the larger one.

Jared tried to take the one in her hands. “Get off my—”

“Jared, shut up.” If this hadn’t been a big what-the-hell moment, she might’ve looked up to see how Twinkle Toes reacted to such an order. But nope. She was dizzy with questions.

She popped open the box top and rolled out the large round. Blue tipped with a fleck of red. Incendiary and armor piercing, just as requested. Matching the mark on the boxes, there were the micro-engraved letters ‘AS’ on the bottom of the round.

That egocentric jerk.

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