Page 43 of Rhys

“You’re, uh…you’re not going to tell Maddox I kissed you, right?” Parker glanced over at her with a boyish grin.

The man actually sounded a bit nervous at the thought.

“Oh, I don’t think we’re going to have to tell him.” She wiped her mouth again. “I’m pretty sure he already knows.”

“Great.”

Vanessa patted his shoulder and laughed. “Don’t worry about Rhys. I can handle him.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.”

The valet returned with Parker’s vehicle and the two left Kenneth Austin’s home with no one else the wiser. Ten minutes later, they were pulling into an abandoned parking lot at the edge of D.C.

Vanessa spotted the van parked next to a black SUV. Per their plan, she, Rhys, and Greyson would drive Charlie Team’s company car—the SUV—back to Richmond while Kellan and Asher followed behind them in the van. As for Parker, it was anyone’s guess where he’d end up spending the rest of his Friday night.

“Well, that was fun.” Parker released his seatbelt and opened his door.

“For you.” Vanessa did the same before climbing out of the car. “Maybe next time, you can sit under a desk in a formal dress and stilettos while the unsuspecting couple has wall sex ten feet from where you’re hiding.”

As expected, Parker started laughing. He was still laughing when Rhys exited the van and began marching toward them. The look on his face said it all.

“You kissed her?”

Vanessa looked up at Parker and whispered, “Told you he knew.”

Before Parker could respond to her told-you-so comment, Rhys was in his face, a deep scowl marring his handsome features.

“Whoa!” Parker put his hands up to show he meant no harm. “Dude, relax. I only kissed her because Austin was headed straight for us. I get that she’s all incognito and whatever, but I got nervous, okay? I didn’t want to risk him recognizing her and blowing the whole operation straight to hell. Or, more accurately, blowing the whole freakingworldstraight to hell. So I…improvised.”

“You improvised?” Rhys stayed still, his dark eyes laser focused on the man standing inches away.

“Look, man. I wasn’t trying to encroach on your territory—”

“I’m sorry,” Vanessa interrupted. “Did you just refer to me as histerritory?”

“—but I swear, I was only trying to protect her.” Parker stared Rhys straight in the eyes. “You said to have her back, right? To keep her safe? That’s all I was trying to do.”

She watched Rhys’s reaction closely, expecting him to lay Parker out at any second. Much to her surprise, he took a step back and offered the other man his hand.

“Thank you.”

Appearing as shocked as she felt, Parker looked at Rhys’s hand as if it were a snake waiting to strike. “What?”

“You had her back.” Rhys acknowledged the man’s efforts toward their cause. “Not real happy with your method, but I probably would have done the same thing if the situation were reversed.”

Shoulders relaxed, Parker shook Rhys’s hand and grinned. “Thanks, man. And hey…next time I’ll do my best to stay hands-off.”

“Hopefully there won’tbea next time,” she mumbled beside them. “If Greyson’s program works—”

“Oh, it’ll work.” The big Charlie Team operator sounded confident as he stood to the side. He looked down at the tablet in his hands. “In fact, it’s transferring data as we speak.”

Blowing out a breath, Vanessa pulled off her wig and ran her fingers through her hair. “Let’s hope he was dumb enough to keep the extra piece of the plan on there.”

Meeting her gaze, Rhys stared back at her with an expression she couldn’t quite name. She parted her lips, ready to ask if something was wrong, but Parker cut her off at the pass.

“Well, boys and girl…this has been fun. But I’ve got a date with a new game I’m testing out, so I’m gonna take off.”

“Thank you.” Vanessa offered him her hand. “I really appreciate your help with this.”

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