Page 54 of Tabitha

“That’s it?” Gage limps after Bast. “We’re just going to move our base of operation without discussion?”

Bast stops, then slowly turns toward Gage. “Do you disagree with anything that was said?”

Gage opens his mouth, then closes it, reluctantly shaking his head.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Bast crosses his arms, patiently waiting for Gage to answer.

A muscle bunches in his jaw, then Gage shakes his head. “While moving into the house might solve some of our problems, it will also make us easier to track. We’ll be bigger targets by staying together in one place.”

When Gage falls silent, I speak up. “We move up our timetable.”

I glance over at Pierce, then give him a nod. He immediately grabs the computer from the table, fiddles with something on the screen, then gives me another nod. “We’re clear. I looped the feeds they have in the house.”

“We’ll begin our searches tomorrow. We’ll split into two teams. One team will search the grounds, while the rest of us will cause a distraction.” I step forward but stop short, barely checking the impulse to touch him. Instead, I awkwardly shoo him out the door. “Go. I don’t trust River out on his own. We’ll discuss plans over lunch.”

Bast doesn’t even blink at the order. He just nods, then takes off out the door with a speed that’s impressive for a man so large. Something about the way he moves, like a predator on the hunt, makes my blood sing, and I shiver.

By the time he vanishes from sight, I release a sigh, then turn…only to come to a halt when I almost plow into Gage. I grimace at his nearness, quickly smoothing out my expression, but the damage is done.

He steps back and waves his arm. “You first, princess.”

I nearly snort at the name. Pausing right when I’m about to pass, I look beyond his glasses and stare into his cutting green eyes. “If you’re trying to piss me off, you’re going to have to try harder. My father called me worse on a good day.”

His face darkens, but I don’t wait for him to take my challenge as I march back into the kitchen. I stand next to Pierce, then remove the ice pack he’s holding against his jaw. I probe the wound, wincing when he flinches, and lighten my touch. “You’ll bruise, but the swelling is already going down. Nothing’s broken.”

I don’t wait for permission before I grab the hem of his shirt and lift it up, inspecting the welts and bruises that line his ribs, congratulating myself when I’m not distracted by all the flesh that’s on display.

Only for that control to vanish when he reaches up and tugs his shirt over his head. “Better?”

“Much,” I answer distractedly, not missing the slight wince he’s unable to conceal.

I shake off my reaction to seeing him half naked, but it’s more difficult than it should be.

I’ve seen him naked dozens of times at the end of my scope, and even more times from the different camera angles in his room, but it’s different when he’s within touching distance.

It’s all I can do not to demand he remove the pants as well, but I thankfully remember the reason I’m here in the first place. I circle him, trailing my fingers lightly over the worst of the injuries, searching for deeper damage.

Pierce doesn’t move, barely breathing, like he’s afraid the slightest movement might scare me off. I come to a stop in front of him, and it’s a conscious effort to remove my hands from the warm skin that is just begging to be explored.

I turn away, rummaging blindly in the box until my fingers brush over a familiar bottle. “I managed to grab some liniment from Raven before we left.”

I double-check the label to ensure it’s not one of Harlow’s poisons—you can never be too sure—then practically chuck my prize at him, relieved at the distraction, so I don’t accidentally start stroking him again.

Pierce catches it handily, not even phased by my odd behavior, just smiling and accepting my offering. “Thank you.”

Then the ass just pours some into his hands and starts spreading it over his torso RIGHT THERE. I gawk for a full minute before I’m able to wrench my attention away from the way he works the oil into his skin.

My eyes immediately latch onto Gage as he stands there, watching me with a judgmental expression. I internally sigh at the thought of being near him, then shove it down, trying to remember the lessons Darcy tried to teach me about how to blend in with normal humans.

“Why don’t I show you to one of the rooms?” I don’t wait for him to respond, just turn and start climbing the stairs. “You can get washed up, then start lunch before the others return.”

That way, I don’t have to spend any more time with the judgmental ass, and I get a meal out of the deal. I lead him toward a room on the opposite side of the house from my own. And from the way Gage looks at me from the corner of his eye, he’s well aware of the fact.

He opens the door, barely peering in the room before he turns and faces me, his harsh expression giving him a sinister cast. “If you really want this mission to be successful, you need to focus more on the job and less on building your collection of men.”

Totally confused by what he’s trying to say, I can only blink up at him. I don’t have one man, much less a collection. I mean, what would a girl even do with that many men? And damn if my brain doesn’t try to give me ideas. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and scowl at Gage. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a distraction, one that is going to get us killed. If you really want to show you care, then keep your distance. Understand?”

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