Page 80 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

“I mean, yeah, he was,” I replied. “But he shaved his beard. And now I don’t know…”

“Your entire opinion changed because he removed his beard? Wow, and you say thatI’mshallow.”

“I KNOW!” I exclaimed. “It’s so stupid! But now he’s all smooth-faced, and he reminds me of a smoldering Damien Lewis, and he’s starting to open up to me. He’s definitely a softy on the inside. He plays chess. And the other day I caught him braiding Kaylee’s hair.”

“Aww,” Lisa cooed. “I love it when a guy is affectionate with his daughter. Putting aside toxic masculinity to have a tea party.”

“So what do I do?” I asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lisa said. “You have two insanely-hot guys to occupy your focus. Don’t screw up that dynamic by adding a third. Even if it’s tempting.”

There was a noise down the hall. Kaylee’s door creaked open.

“You’re right,” I sighed. “I’ll enjoy what I have. I need to go, Kaylee just woke up from her nap.”

“You had better bring back a bunch of souvenirs for me!” Lisa said. “My forgiveness for your Blondie shenanigans will depend on how good my gifts are.”

“This feels like bribery,” I said.

“It’s not bribery,” she teased. “It’s friendship!”

I helped Kaylee get dressed, and then asked if she wanted to visit the market to help me get souvenirs for my friends and family back home. Instantly, all vestiges of sleepiness disappeared and she was raring to go. As we walked through the lobby, Kaylee pointed to the concierge desk. The friendly bellhop was there, showing another customer something on a map of the city. He saw us, and promptly made a face at Kaylee before turning back to the man he was assisting.

It was a short walk to the Baku market. It was an open plaza with covered stalls around the outside where vendors hawked their wares. Half the plaza was full of food items, while the other half was mostly touristy items. I led Kaylee by the hand in that direction while thinking about what Lisa had said.

Deep down, I knew it was ridiculous to think about a third guy when I already had two on my mind. Not just on my mind, but on mybody. I was actively involved with them, practically every single night. I should have been trying to figure out which of them I liked the most—an impossible task at the moment—rather than considering athirdman.

Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about Harrison. His quiet, deadly energy. The way his lips felt against mine. The protective way he treated his daughter, a trait which made my motherly instincts sit up and take notice.

I was wondering what to do about that when a hand grabbed my arm and twisted me around. A man with yellow teeth and a thin face snarled at me.

“Got you.”

32

Harrison

The wind rushed through my hair as I raced through Baku on a motorcycle, weaving in and out of traffic along the narrow streets. All it would take was one careless driver who didn’t see me and I would go crashing to the ground, or end up as a red smear on someone’s windshield. But I didn’t think about that. I had a mission with very clear objectives. I had the luxury of being laser-focused.

Two more blocks, I thought, positioning myself on the map in my head.If the intel is correct.

I reached the intersection I was looking for and hung a right. There, up ahead, I saw what I was looking for. A black Mercedes-Benz. The same car Kadyrovic had been driven around in since he arrived in the city. I eased up on the throttle and allowed myself to fall into traffic just like any other citizen of Baku.

I followed Kadyrovic’s car for another mile before his driver stopped to let him out. I casually pulled off to a curb and left my bike leaning against the wall of a supermarket, and followed on foot. I pulled a faded baseball cap out of my pocket and put it on, tugging it low over my eyes. I didn’t look like a local, but I blended in well enough.

Kadyrovic had one bodyguard with him as he strolled through a big, open marketplace. I shook my head in disgust. This guy was one of Putin’s lap dogs, a war criminal in everything but name, and he had the balls to stroll around like a tourist. It was cocky. Arrogant, even. He thought he was untouchable.

I pulled out my camera, snapped a few photos of my surroundings, and kept my distance as Kadyrovic moved from stall to stall. He bought a kebab from a vendor and nibbled on it while taking in the sights. The bodyguard didn’t look around at all; he was barely doing his job. On the first day our target arrived in the city, I thought that meant there were other men spread out to watch Kadyrovic’s back. Surely his personal bodyguard wouldn’t appear so casual unless he was redundant.

But no, there weren’t other guards watching his back. I’d made certain of that after monitoring him for several days. It was just the one bodyguard and a sea of random people.

Not for the first time, I thought about how easy it would be to take him out right here, right now. I could pull the pistol out of my jacket pocket, walk right up to them, and end their lives with a snap of my fingers. I wouldn’t even have to break a sweat.

But Archer had been very clear about the mission: it had to look like an accident. That was a requirement from whoever had issued the contract. No accident meant no pay.

That didn’t stop me from fantasizing about it, though.

Most of my Army career was spent sitting around on my ass. They don’t show that part in the recruitment commercials. You sit around doing nothing, then have drill once a month, and then you sit around some more. And the moments of excitement, when theydidhappen, were over so fast you’d miss it if you blinked.

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