Page 91 of Long Arm of the Cowboy

Quaide was eyeing the brothers up. “What do you say about working with a couple seasoned veterans?”

“Is that what you’re calling yourselves?” Julius broke into a grin.

“We’ve got the years backing us up. You’ve got the new blood we need on the team,” Clay said.

The brothers didn’t even trade a glance when they both nodded. “We’re in,” Julius announced.

Lark jiggled in her seat. “This issoexciting, guys. I’m sitting here watching it all take place too.”

Clay leveled her in a look. “Lark.”

She gave him a side-eye.

“No writing articles. Got it?”

“Fine. But this is history. You guys are about to do some amazing things that could alter the world and make it a much better place.” Her vehemence had Clay’s chest swelling with pride.

From a team of one to four in a day, with Lark as support, he did feel the power behind her words.

Glancing around, he saw that what she said had the same effect on the team.

The team. Sentry.

“I have a suggestion for the fifth member,” she said.

“Oh no,” he interrupted.

She widened those green eyes at him. “If you’ll only justconsidermy points on the subject, you’ll see that I’m right about Jacob the Sagittarius.”

“Jacob the who?” Julius nudged the brim of his cowboy hat up to peer at her.

She shifted in her seat, and Clay could see that she was getting ready to launch into one of her persuasive speeches.

“Jacob is a guy who attended the recovery meeting when I went there undercover.”

“He helped drug her and put her in a coffin,” Clay put in.

“We heard about that. Scary shit. What would make you want a guy responsible for that working with any of us?” Julius’s throat mottled with redness that Clay interpreted as outrage.

“At least someone besides me sees this as a problem,” Clay said.

“None of us are on board with this idea,” Quaide added.

Lark looked at Jennings, but he only leaned back in his seat and folded his arms.

She hooked a curl behind the delicate shell of her ear. “We’d wait for the guy to get his life together first, of course.”

“No, Lark. There’s definitely somebody better suited to Sentry, and it’s not that guy. I can’t stomach the thought of working with a person who tried to hurt you.” Clay’s stare hit hers.

“I think if you talk to him—”

“Not happening.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it. “Sorry, I seem to have gone a little deaf in this ear. I can’t make out what you’re saying.”

“More like gone senile,” she muttered under her breath.

“That’s it!” He leaped up and lifted her out of her seat. She started to protest, but he slammed his mouth over hers to cut off anything she was about to say.

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