Page 93 of Defenders of Jawhara

Keira pulled a face. “He’s supposed to be madly in love with me.”

“Well, watch yourself. First time I worked with him, I got this full-on crush on him. I thought…well, the guy doesn’t mind flirting. Soon as the operation ended, Brock couldn’t put enough distance between us. He’s the guy with no heart, and I should know about that. I was almost the same way.”

“What happened?”

A slow smile spread over PJ’s face, making her look younger. “Talib. I think it just may be fate that hits when it hits, and there’s not much you can do except go with the flow. I didn’t see it coming with him, but it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“So you won’t be working with the company anymore?”

PJ shook her head. “Not like before. I’ll be here full time, shadowing the cousins when they’re away from the palace and need a female companion who knows how to use a gun.” Shrugging, she added, “Who knows how long that will last. After that, if Talib and I are still together, Slade’s said I can do some consulting for him, just nothing that will take me away for too long. Nothing definite, but Slade is being supportive of whatever I decide to do. But, honey, a word of advice. Sit back and relax a little. You get too wound up over every little thing, and you’ll wear yourself out. And let Brock help you. He’s a good guy. He’s one of the most loyal men I know, and that means he’s not looking to undermine you.”

“I just wish I’d known Brock was going to be here. It would have…well, I was going to say it would have been easier, but I don’t think Brock ever makes anything easy.”

PJ laughed. “Slade loves to be dramatic, and I suspect he has his reasons. So you get the surprise. Now I hate to eat and run, but I’m meeting Talib. Kale and Shira are still deciding if they want to get away for a few days or stay at the palace, and now that you’re here, playing the role of Erin’s BFF, I have a little more down time. So does Talib.”

“I need to talk to Slade. He was acting like a stranger at the wedding, but I’d like a few choice words with him.”

Shaking her head, PJ said, “No can do. He was wheels up as soon as the wedding fun was over. Something about a problem in San Diego, and you know he won’t want to hear from you unless there’s a problem, in case someone intercepts it and blows your cover. I can relay a message or you can route one through Brock.”

Standing, Keira sighed. “No, that’s fine. It can wait. I’ll go find Brock to see what the palace plans are for the prince’s security, and if you’ll take care of keeping Shira safe, that should cover our bases. I don’t imagine those two will be leaving the palace any time soon, any more than Erin and the sheikh will.”

Grabbing her towel, PJ stood. “Got it, boss. By the way, with Brock, you never know what might happen if you give him a little encouragement. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

PJ grinned. “Very good. You two seem like a perfect match.” With a wave, PJ headed out.

Growling under her breath, Keira threw off her cover-up and dove into the pool. Ten laps later, she shook the water from her head and clung to the side of the pool.Perfect match?She wasn’t here for that. But she couldn’t shake the sizzle that had settled under her skin. Given their cover, she couldn’t keep Brock at arm’s length, and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to.

She dipped back into the pool and swam another ten laps. Maybe if she wore herself out, she wouldn’t be so aware of Brock’s body—and they could both focus on the job and nothing else.

8

Heading out in his car, Brock took the back roads into the city. He called Slade from a burner phone, one he hadn’t used before. A moving target was a harder one to follow, and he wanted to make sure this call wasn’t overheard. Two rings and Slade picked up.

“How’s Keira? I didn’t get the chance to speak with her after the wedding,” Slade said, his voice raspy, as if he’d been up all night.

“You tell me,” Brock said. “Seems like you know a lot more about each of us than you ever told me.”

Slade gave a slow laugh. “It’s my job to know each member of the team. It’s what enables me to make the best use of their skills. Take Keira, for instance. She’s still got her walls up. She’s never quite gotten over her folks abandoning her. I think she’s worried it’ll happen again.”

“How’s that?”

“I know you’ve seen her file. Abandoned at an early age by parents who were too into drugs to take care of a child. Tossed around to different relatives, never staying with anyone very long. She faults herself for not being good enough to hang on to her parents. I waited this long to put her in charge of an op hoping she would have worked through her feelings, but I worry that she isn’t quite there yet. Now she’s in a situation where possible failure looms again. If she’s not good enough...” Slade let the words fade.

Glancing at the traffic, Brock changed lanes. “So she thinks if she fails we’ll dump her? That’s not going to happen.”

“Because you’re there to make sure she succeeds? Sounds like you’re getting in deep with her.”

Slade didn’t sound judgmental, but Brock winced anyway. “I’m here to do my job and watch her back. Right?”

Slade made a humming noise. “The thing is, you’ve still got your walls up, too, Brock. Keeping people safe by holding them back doesn’t always work.”

“Like you have to tell me that,” Brock said. He thought back to Tayra, his ex. They’d married straight out of high school and she’d stuck it out with him for six years. He could count on his fingers the number of days he’d actually been home.

She’d finally had enough on Brock’s last mission with the SEALs. He’d gotten her letter in South America. Hadn’t seen her since. Tayra had moved back to Oregon to live with her sister and had asked Brock to stay away. It’d been like a blow to him. He never wanted to put any woman into that tough spot again.

He certainly wasn’t going to do that to someone with Keira’s potential. But he also didn’t want her getting in over her head in this job. “Slade, just what angle are you working here? Do you trust Keira to run things, or do you want me taking over for her?”

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