Page 23 of Beyond the Rules
“Come on, Nina,” Tanner said. “You can trust us. We’ve got resources. We’ve gotskills.”
“And I’ll find your evidence,” I added. “That’s a fact. But it would be a hell of a lot faster and safer if you give us the information youhave.Plus…”
She crossed her arms and cocked her head. “Pluswhat?”
The final test of her character fell onmylap.
“It’s the right thingtodo.”
She flinched as if I’d punched in her gut. Slowly, as if her legs had suddenly lost all strength, she pressed her back against the wall and slid down to the floor, where she hugged her knees to her chest and settled her forehead on her knees. I couldn’t see her face. Damn. The pit of my stomach burned. Was shecrying?
Tanner grabbed his crutches and started toward her, but she stopped him in his tracks with her don’t-you-dare glower. My heart squeezed as tight as my fists. I hated us. I hated myself especially, for breaking into her world, for stealing herprivacy.
But my money was all on her as she lifted her face and scoured us with her golden eyes. The silent countdown began in my head. Ten, nine, eight… The lines that cased her mouth deepened. Six, five, four… Her body coiled even tighter around her knees. Three,two,one…
“Okay,” she murmured. “I’ll turn over whatIhave.”
Assessment terminated. I knew right there and then. She was everything we’d learned she was, everything we’d hoped for. But she was also more. She was the one for me—no. She was the oneforus.
* * *
Zar
Damn, this woman was brave. I exhaled in relief. I wasn’t gonna have to turn her in. Now it was just a matter of assessing and eliminating the threat. I kept my eyes on her face, learning to read her expressions. But inside, I reeled. This woman dazzled me in every way. I was high on hercourage.
But she was not finished negotiating. Not by a long shot. She pushed herself off the floor, waving us off when we tried to help her. Instead, she steadied herself on the wall and straightened to her fullheight.
“I’ll give you what I have, but...” She lifted that maddening, defying chin in the air again, a gesture I could drink by the gallon with my coffee every day. “I want in. I want to be there attakedown.”
Well, fuck me. What the hell was she thinking? Did she doubt we could do the job or was she suicidal and craving to getkilled?
“No, negative.” No way in hell. “Too dangerous. Toorisky.”
“Take it or leave it, Zar.” She squared her shoulders and perched her fists on her hips. “You can’t hold me prisoner againstmywill.”
Well, technically, I could, but a quick visual check with Tanner and Aiden reinforced I shouldn’t try to make thatpoint.
“I’m not compromising your safety and that’s final.” I’d determined that she was gonna live through this. “If you try to leave, I’ll call the sheriff and have him pick you up on a parole violation.” She’d be safer behind bars than wandering around with those thugs at herheels.
Her freezing stare made me feel lower than a worm. “Youwouldn’t.”
“Oh, yeah, I would.” I would do what I always did: get the job done. “So don’ttestme.”
Defeat crossed Nina’s face, a dark shadow that killed the light in her eyes, made her dig her teeth into her lower lip, and had the acid climbing up my esophagus. Goddammit. I steeled myself against the anger in her eyes. Dealing with her should qualify us forhazardpay.
Tanner cleared his throat like he did when he wanted to get my attention. “Maybe we can find a way for Nina to be part of the takedown team,” he suggested. “Maybe we can work out some sort of acompromise?”
Compromise, sure. What a lousy, reckless word in the business of life and death. Dangerous too, like Nina. But I’d been working at the notion lately, so I gave it a shot. “You show us what you’ve got. You answer our questions if we have them. If you cooperate, I’ll try to find a way so you can be there at takedown. ButI’mthe tactical lead in charge of security on this team. You agree to followmyorders. Whatever I say. Whenever Isayit.”
“You sound like a run-of-the-milltyrant.”
That saucy mouth was gonna get her in more trouble thansheknew.
“Chain of command,” I said. “These are my terms. Don’t make me put you backinjail.”
Tanner and Aiden exchanged startled glances. They hadn’t heard me compromise very often. Not that I was happy about it, but what the hell. I couldn’t allow the woman to getkilled.
She mulled the proposal briefly, gnawing those plush lips of hers in a way that sent shivers of want down my spine. Damn, the things I could do with thatmouth.