Page 67 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

“We wanted to tell you so you would know the dangers we’re in,” Jordy explained. “So you would understand if we come home in a certain mood, or if we’re really tense. Would it help if we pretended we were here on a basic security contract instead?” He grinned at me. “We can start all over and make up a story for you.”

I ignored his joke. “Who ordered the assassination? The United States? Some other country?”

“NATO, probably,” Harrison called from the bathroom.

Archer shook his head. “We couldn’t tell you even if we wanted to. It’s a confidential client. Your guess is as good as mine. But ultimately, it does not matter.”

“Of course it matters!” I searched each of their faces. They had to be pulling a prank on me. This couldn’t be real. “You’re talking aboutkillingsomeone! The context is the only thing that separates this from, like, a war crime.”

“You want context?” Harrison came out of the bathroom, and I did a double-take. There were bits of shaving cream left on his face, but otherwise he was totally smooth-cheeked. His beard was gone, revealing a chiseled jaw-line and a strong chin.

Wow,I thought.He actually looks… good.

He pointed at me with his razor. “The context is that this guy fucking sucks. He’s Putin’s bitch. We’re here to take him out, and we’re going to do it withextremeprejudice. You got a problem with that? Then fly home to Wilmington.”

Harrison stalked back into the bathroom, shaking his head with annoyance.

“Our friend has put it harshly, but he is ultimately correct,” Archer said softly. “This is the mission. It is happening. If you do not want any part in it, we can make arrangements for you and Kaylee to return home.”

“Why can’t you arrest him instead?” I bargained. “If this guy is so bad, take him to the United Nations. Or the Hague, or wherever that world court thing is. Dosomething.”

Jordy put a hand on my knee. “Trish…”

“I am sorry we could not tell you about the mission before now,” Archer said calmly. “But this is the way it must be. Are you in, or are you out?”

Their eyes were hard. To them, this wasnormal. More dangerous than most missions, but still a completely normal part of their job. Neither of them were going to be convinced by anything I had to say.

“Fine.” I got up and carried my suitcase into the room with Kaylee and closed the door behind me.

26

Harrison

I heard the nanny storm off into the other room. That was fine. If she wanted to get her panties in a twist, I wasn’t going to give a single fuck.

I wiped away the last bit of shaving cream with the back of my hand and examined myself in the mirror. I looked younger. Ifeltyounger, too, which was a stupid fucking thing to feel after shaving a fucking beard. Nothing else about me had changed in the last five minutes. If something that simple could change my whole attitude, then I must’ve been hanging on by a goddamn thread.

I hate it.

It’s not that I was attached to the beard. It was scratchy and too warm this time of year. But I felt like a prep. One of those rich kids back in high school who drove their parents’ BMW and had everything in life handed to them. I snarled at myself.

It’s just for this job. Then I’ll grow it back again.

When I returned to the living room, Jordy and Archer were arguing softly. Their demeanor didn’t show it, but I knew these guys. I’d been with them for eight years—even longer with Jordy. We had a fucking kid together, as crazy as that sounded. So when they fought, I noticed.

I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, but I took a wild guess. “It was fucking stupid to tell her. Whichever of you is making that argument: you’re the one who’s right.”

Jordy nodded victoriously. Archer turned to me in annoyance. “I’m quite happy that I told her.”

“Even though she freaked out?” Jordy replied.

“Especiallybecause of that,” Archer said pointedly. “If she is going to have a problem with what we do, I would rather find out about it now. When we can send her and Kaylee home.”

Jordy gritted his teeth. “I don’twantto send Trish home. I want her to stay. I would have expected the same of you, but apparently not.”

“Of course I want Trish to stay,” Archer said, biting off every word. “But keeping the truth from her to that end would have been a mistake. We filled her in on the first two missions. If we suddenly held back, she would have gotten suspicious. She would have assumed the worst.”

“Kaylee.”

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