Page 83 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“What if they catch us tomorrow?” I asked. “Would you trade even a moment of it? Would you give up your opportunity at freedom to know that you didn’t have to fight for it? Nothing in this life is ever easy, and I’m not about to give up just because it seems like we’re fighting an uphill battle. The victory will be sweeter for it.”

She nodded, her eyes dropping to the ground. She still wasn’t convinced, but maybe she just didn’t know me well enough yet. I walked over to her and lifted her chin between my fingers.

“I told you, I’m in this one hundred percent. Nothing could make me walk away from you.”

“What about when this is over? What if we don’t…mesh well?”

I shrugged. “Is anything certain in life? Maybe when this is over, we’ll both go our separate ways. Personally, I don’t see that happening. I’m in this for the long haul, but if it makes you feel better for me to say that, I will. You can stay over here having your doubts about us, and I’ll be right beside you, holding your hand as I fight for what I know is real and true.”

She blew out a harsh breath, chuckling as her hair floated out around her. “I feel like after a speech like that, you should at least grab me and kiss me really hard.”

“Like this?” I asked, wrapping my arm around her waist as I dipped her back and sealed my lips over hers. She gasped into my mouth, her fingers winding through my hair as she got lost in the mingling of our tongues. When I finally let her up for air, her lips were kissably red and her cheeks were flushed. She ran her fingertips over her lips as a small smile touched them.

I finally brought myself to release her and took a step back. “Was that what you were talking about?”

She cleared her throat, standing straighter. “It’ll do, but you should work on your approach.”

“Too rough?”

She didn’t answer, just grinned at me.

“I see. Well, we have time to practice.”

And with that, I left her alone and shut the door behind me as I headed outside to take over for Fox. Darkness was starting to fall, which would make it a little more difficult to detect anyone sneaking up on us. However, I was pretty sure no one had followed us out here. Most likely, we’d be able to get away clean in the morning.

“Fox, get some shuteye.”

He turned, holding his throwing knives in his hands. He carried the damn things everywhere with him, just like I did with Betty. I instantly felt in my pocket, just to be sure I hadn’t lost her along the way. As for Sally, I wasn’t quite sure what happened to her.

“I’ll stay up.”

“You’ve already been on watch. We can’t all be falling asleep on the job tomorrow.”

He flipped the knife in his hands, staring at me intently. I could tell something was running through his head, but apparently, he wasn’t ready to say it yet. Instead, he spun around and threw the knife, lodging it in the tree.

“It’s my fault she was taken,” he finally said, taking another knife and whipping it at the tree.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but then it hit me. She was taken from her apartment by Hayes. At this point, her kidnapping was a distant memory. “Fox, if it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. I’m the one that sent her home.”

“She trusted me,” he gritted out. “I should have walked her inside.”

“But we got her back and she’s okay.”

“Is she?” He turned to face me, flipping another knife in his hands. “I think she’s doing a damn good job of holding it together, but what happens when this is all over and she wants to leave us?”

I frowned at his choice of words.Leave us.I knew Fox didn’t really have any family, but I never considered that he would pick up a stray like Eva and make her his family. Then again, that was pretty much what all of us did. We were strays that left the military and found our homes together.

“She won’t leave us. Not if I can help it.”

“But you don’t know that for sure.” He sighed and flipped another knife in his hands. “Boss, I know what you think of me, what everyone thinks of me. I’m a little crazy and you don’t trust me in the field.”

“Actually,” I cut in, “we all think you’re a little more than crazy. You flip on a dime, going from funny and lighthearted to murderous in the blink of an eye. And fuck,” I groaned, “those damn show tunes kill me. I swear to God, you probably make people want to slit their own wrists when you start singing to them.”

“It’s part of my charm,” he grinned, but then his face sobered. “She trusts me.”

“I know,” I gave a nod.

“You can’t let her walk away,” he said fiercely.

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