Page 75 of Nanny for the Mercenaries

The metaphor was so crude that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“And then Archer joins in, too. Archer, the guy whose best redeemable quality is that he usually knows better. Listen, I’m not judging you. You’re consenting adults. Do whatever the hell you want. I’d be all about it if the roles were reversed and I was bunking with three Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. But…”

“But you wish I wasn’t here,” I finished for him. “I get that.”

Harrison shook his head. “No. Not anymore. I’m glad you’re here. I would do anything for Kaylee. And I meananything.I would kill for my daughter. I woulddiefor her. And after seeing you two together, I get the impression you would do just about anything for her, too. That makes you okay in my book. But having you here, and seeing what you’re doing with Archer and Jordy…” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s bringing up bad memories. That’s all. So, I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. It seemed like the conversation had taken a lot out of him. Come to think of it, I had never heard him talk so much. He had probably said more in the past five minutes than he had in the past fiveweeks.

“I’m sorry too,” I said. “All of that is awful. No wonder you don’t open up much.”

I reached over and put a hand on his arm. I was trying to be reassuring. His skin was warm, and the bicep underneath was as hard as the marble floors of the penthouse. And for a brief second, it felt like an electric current passed between us.

He looked at my hand on his arm, then jerked away. “I’m notopening up. I’m just telling you what you wanted to know. Giving you context.” He tapped the table with a thick finger. “This mission is dangerous. I’ve got a bad feeling about it. So, have your fun with my partners. Do whatever you want. But donotget in the way of the job. When things get spicy, you need to back off and let us do our thing without becoming a liability. Understood?”

His emerald gaze bore into me intensely. Waiting for my response. I nodded. “I’ll try not to.”

“Good.”

I cocked my head. “Are you sure that’s what all of this is about? Getting in the way of the job?”

Harrison blinked slowly. “What else would it be about?”

“Are you sure you don’t feel left out?” I didn’t know why I was asking this, but it was too late to change my mind, so I kept going. “Are you sure you’re not…jealous?”

He barked a laugh to show how ridiculous that idea was. “No. I’m not jealous.” His eyes sparked at me for a moment. “Unlike the two of them, I don’t like to share.”

Harrison abruptly got up and returned to his room, leaving me sitting at the table alone with my half-eaten waffle.

29

Trish

At dinner that night, Jordy and Archer regaled us with stories of their day pretending to run a helicopter touring company in Baku. They made three different flights, one of which included a Russian TikTok celebrity that none of us had ever heard of, but who apparently had over ten million followers. Jordy complained that it was difficult running the front desk because the customers had lots of questions about the city that he couldn’t answer.

“You would be able to answer them,” Archer said dryly, “if you spent the proper amount of time reading the briefing materials that I painstakingly put together for your review.”

“It was sixty pages long!” Jordy complained, looking around the table for sympathy. “Why did you make it so long?”

“Because that’s how much information a tour guide is required to know.” Archer shook his head. “Fortunately, you are only running the office. I’m the one making the flights, and giving the actual tour. AndIread the material.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re pretending to run a helicopter tour,” I said. “You two areactuallyrunning one!”

“It’s quite fun, I must admit,” Archer said. “A shame it’s not a more interesting city.”

“How was it dealing with the…” Harrison trailed off with a glance at Kaylee. “Thepopsicle?”

Jordy blinked. “Popsicle?”

“Yeah. You know. The big one you have to keep on the helicopter. For the potential guests.”

“Oh.” Jordy’s eyes widened. “Ohh. It was gross. I kept my eyes glued shut the entire time.”

“Which caused him to almost knock the gurney over,” Archer muttered. “Quite professional indeed.”

“Why would a popsicle be gross?” Kaylee asked.

“It was grape flavored,” Harrison replied.

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