Page 43 of Assassin's Game
Eli dropped to one knee, out of the driver’s direct line of sight. I covered his back, keeping my eyes open and moving, not settling on a single image that might distract me. It took seconds for Eli to sight our target and take his shot.
The minute the trigger was hit, Eli ran forward. Tranqs didn’t take out their target ASAP—there was certainly time to yell before the ketamine put your system on ice. Anywhere from thirty seconds to four minutes, sometimes. The driver had just long enough to be distracted by the sting of the dart and look around before Eli tackled him to the ground.
Between the two of us, we kept him down and quiet until he passed out. I gave him a second shot, one that would last longer than the ketamine we’d used to put him out. Then we tied his hands and feet together and settled him as comfortably as possible in the trunk.
“Now we wait,” Eli said, the satisfaction of success warming his words. I climbed into the far corner of the back seat while Eli took the driver seat, the ball cap the driver had worn covering his hair. Somehow the shadows only made the edges of his face sharper, the mystery turning handsome into something I couldn’t look away from. Secrets had always pulled at me, made me want to solve them, and Eli was no different. It was part of what made him so dangerous.
The silence became heavier the longer I watched him in the mirror. Occasionally our eyes met, and the same satisfaction I’d heard earlier was there in his reflection—and still I couldn’t look away. Mostly to distract myself from the heat but also because I was curious, I said, “I’m surprised Levi sent you both on this mission without him.”
Eli had lit a cigarette to strengthen the illusion of him as the driver. Without looking back, he flipped ash out the open window. “Leave it, Mikaela.”
I’d never heard his voice that sharp, but it didn’t deter me. I’d faced down killers; Eli had never felt like a threat to me. I wasn’t sure he could. “Your brother reminds me of me, Eli. I wouldn’t send my team on a mission I hadn’t at least planned, knew every aspect of. He doesn’t strike me as the type either.”
All true. And all totally irrelevant. I wanted to know what was going on, and not just because it might affect our mission. I wanted to know because this family was starting to intrigue me. Which was probably bad, but here in the dark, waiting, I found I wasn’t too concerned about that.
Silence passed for a long time, Eli occasionally flicking the slow-burning cigarette outside the window. Finally he glanced at me in the rearview mirror. Sighed hard. His lips went tight. “If it was a choice between Maris and the mission, which would you choose?”
I cocked my head. “That depends on the circumstances.”
The clench of Eli’s jaw didn’t ease. Fine, I could wait.
I knew I had him when his chin sank and he ducked his head to let out a deep breath. “Abby is pregnant,” he said quietly.
“Oh.” I thought about Levi’s sudden exit, the fact that not once in two days had he come back downstairs. Remi’s and Eli’s body language… Something was wrong with Abby or the pregnancy. “That I can understand.”
I turned to stare toward the house Sullivan was holed up in. “Doing what we do isn’t really conducive to family. At least, fragile family. Children.” I’d learned that with Maris.
Eli flicked the cigarette out into the grass. “Sometimes life hands you something too precious to let go of.” The words were soft, but I felt their intensity in my chest. “You make sure you are as good as you need to be to protect that preciousness. Period. We always have”—his gaze met mine once more in the mirror, searing me with his conviction—“even when it was just the three of us. We’re not stopping now.”
I believed him. I also knew that kind of resolve could get him killed. “You’re too soft for this job if you believe that, Eli.”
He smiled that cocky grin that made my heart thump harder even as it irritated the fuck out of me. “No, I’m just that good.”
The tension in the car broke, and I could breathe again. I rolled my eyes. “That’s what they all say.”
A laugh escaped those perfect lips. “You won’t be saying that when I kiss you, Mikaela.”
Shock jolted through me. “We won’t be kissing.” Definitely not.
He turned, one arm draping over the seat, and when I met his eyes, I swear I gulped. I’d done the one thing I knew better than to do, ever—I’d challenged an alpha.
It took a moment, but the fire in his eyes softened. Amusement mixed in. He nodded thoughtfully. “Fine, I won’t kiss you—”
The tight band around my chest eased even as disappointment sparked.
“—until you ask me to.”
“Ha!” This time it was my grin that was cocky. I might fantasize about what those lips would feel like on mine, but I was nothing if not disciplined. “That will be never.”
Eli widened his eyes. “Wanna bet?”
I searched for a catch but finally shrugged. “What do I get if I win?”
“An orgasm,” Eli said, tone allwhat else?
“Really?” I laughed, more to get the hitch out of my voice than because I was amused. “Doesn’t sound like such a big prize to me.”
“From me? It definitely is.”
