Page 66 of Assassin's Game
Eli opened his mouth to reply, but his brother cut him off. “I’m a fucking great master.” His voice was as full of snark as mine had been.
“Levi…” Eli’s resignation came through clearly. I couldn’t imagine his brother was ever easy to convince of anything.
The look Levi shot his brother would’ve sent me running with my tail between my legs—if I’d possessed a tail, and if I hadn’t had nerves of steel. Eli looked equally quelled, sending Levi a shut-the-fuck-up look.
Levi opened his mouth, then—wonder of wonders—snapped it shut.
Eli shifted beside me. “I know you’ve got the He-man, must-kill-the-bad-guys thing going on here, but you know we’re not splitting up, dickhead. So we’ve got to find a way to worktogether, as one team.” He turned to me. “He might be a pain in our asses, but he doesn’t make unilateral decisions any more than you do, unless,like you, he sees his crew in danger. Levi”—Eli’s grin was more like a baring of teeth—“with Remi focused on Leah, you need a second. That’s Mikaela. Done. Get over it.”
He didn’t nominate himself. Interesting. I hid a little smirk as Eli stomped off toward the kitchen.
Levi watched him go. A tense silence settled between us until, finally, Levi’s steely gaze transferred to me. He stepped closer. “You’re dividing his loyalties.”
My brows hit my hairline. I hadn’t done anything; Eli decided that on his own. “He’s a big boy. He makes his own choices.” Especially after what Eli had told me about his family, I didn’t want to drive a wedge between them. But I couldn’t walk away from this fight—and Eli was right. We needed each other.
“From the moment you came on the scene, he’s been different.” The narrowing of his eyes said he didn’t like it. “I didn’t raise him to think with his dick.”
My sight sheeted red. As if the only reason Eli would push for his brother to accept us was because he was sleeping with me.Which he isn’t, dickhead!
I didn’t say it. I wanted to, but I didn’t. I had to work with this man or against him; I’d prefer with—even if he was a misogynistic asshole. “Then trust his upbringing,” I finally snapped. And did dare to add, “Are you being a dick because I have breasts or is it just your usual MO? Do you talk to your woman like this?”
That got a reaction—one of those looks he probably used on targets. When I just stared at him, unintimidated, a tic at the side of his mouth told me I was getting through to him. And then, slowly, Levi put his hand out. “Abby would kick my ass.”
That was a relief. I’d hate to think of some poor girl being cowed by this man on a daily basis.
I admit it; I hesitated. Just to see him squirm. Of course he didn’t, and I took his hand, but we both got it, I thought. Keeping everyone safe would require all of us. “So we have a team?”
Levi nodded, though I couldn’t miss the worry lurking in his expression. “We have a team.”
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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nix —
Levi appointed himself Sullivan’s personal bodyguard, escorting him into the van with Monty, Titus, and Rhys, and most of our equipment. Eli and I stayed behind to destroy the evidence, wipe fingerprints off surfaces, and generally eliminate our presence from the warehouse before we walked away from it a final time. Knowing Sullivan had been here and X likely knew about the location, my team wouldn’t return when this was all over.
The thought of it being over bothered me, and I wasn’t a coward who would refuse to acknowledge why. Eli. The end of this op meant walking away from Eli. I’d had lovers in the past, even some in conjunction with a mission, but I’d always walked away without a backward glance. Somehow, this man—
The door creaked, jerking me out of my thoughts. Eli walked in. “The other rooms are clear. I took care of the bathroom too.”
I grinned over my shoulder where I knelt, packing Maris’s things into her bag. “A man who cleans toilets. Sounds like a keeper.”
Eli raised his brows, and I realized what I’d said. To hide my blush, I turned my back again quickly. And ignored the low chuckle I barely heard leave Eli’s throat. “This is the last room,” I said. “I’ve been through the downstairs thoroughly.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, focusing on the shirt I was folding and not the amusement I knew was shining from those amber eyes.
“It means you do everything thoroughly.”
The slightest growl came through on the wordeverything, sending a shiver down my spine. I zipped Maris’s duffel closed and stood, bracing myself before I turned around.
Eli stood, shoulder against the wall, eyes on the floor. The crease above his nose told me he was thinking deeply. Grabbing Maris’s duffel and then mine, I walked them over to stack by the door, trying desperately to ignore his heat as I passed. When he still didn’t speak, didn’t look up, I asked, “What?”
Eli raised his head, and the worry in his eyes as they met mine hit me like a hammer blow.
“What happened? Did Remi call? Is something wrong at the mansion? With Maris?”
