Page 25 of Garrison's Creed

It seemed possible. “Why not take you out long rifle style?”

“They want to know what I got first. My job was intel. Map out Antilla Smooth’s network, his high rollers and big players.”

“You debriefed yet?”

“Nope.”

“What’s your handler know?”

“Little to nothing.”

“You seriously think this dude is stupid enough to fuck with you CIA folks?”

“It’s been done before. He must’ve thought I was weak.”

“Well, you schooled him, didn’t you? I saw that left hook. Killer, woman. Killer job. For real.”

Nicola looked at him with a half-cocked smile. The most honest look he’d seen on her since she stumbled in front of their car. “I’ve got a few tricks. But truth is my right arm is too sore to use.”

How different their lives could have been. She could’ve been at home, or at least at a job that didn’t require knowing any tricks, though the woman could take a punch. Nicola, all schooled in hand to hand. Never saw that coming. Too bad it had almost killed him. This CIA bullshit was damn hard for him to understand. He needed a subject change and quick.

“You got a boyfriend or something at the Farm?”Not exactly a subject change that would lessen my urge to kill.

She laughed. “Um, that’s a big no. You?”

Thank fuck.

He cracked a grin, which hurt his busted face. “Got a boyfriend? No.”

“I missed your smile.”

And I miss your laugh. Shit.Nothing warm and fuzzy should be tingling anywhere in his body, but he was all loosey-goosey at the moment.

“Nah. No girl for me.”

“Why not?”

“Really, Nic? This is the convo you wanted to have after I just went all WWE on your colleague back there?”

“You started the let’s-talk-about-our-love-life chat, and he wasn’t my partner. He— Never mind. Can I use your phone? I’ve got to call my handler.”

Cash shrugged, handed her his phone, and thought about the guys back at the house who probably wondered where he was, but knew it was better for him to cool down.

Nicola finished dialing numbers, then entered more numbers. She waited with the phone next to her ear.

“Hey. Yeah, didn’t make my pick-up. We’ve got dirty laundry to deal with.”

She nodded her head. Gave a few uh-huhs, and nodded some more as if her handler could see her.

“No. I’m coming in on my own. I’ll have my Bonnie and Clyde extraction team brought—”

More uh-huhs. Then one nu-uh.

She rolled through a stop sign. “If he’s still breathing when we get there, he’s all yours. I’ve got a theory or two.”

More nodding.Hello, Nicola. Only I can see the head nods.

“Yes, when we debrief. See ya. Oh, wait—”

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