Page 136 of Dangerous Mission

“It was reckless, but he was always that way. I never really understood how he ticked.”

My brother’s silent for a few moments and the haunted expression in his eyes makes me wish I could go to him.

Scrubbing his palm over his face, he sits back into the chair. “I failed you, A. I was too busy caught up in my own bullshit.”

Scout takes my hand in his, lacing his fingers with mine. “You’re right, Kane, you should have known.”

An unhappy sound comes from my throat. “Hello, you two. It was my secret to keep. I didn’t want you to know, Griff. I knew you’d unalive Adam and turn him into fish food.”

Griff’s expression darkens as he wraps his hands around the back of his neck. “You’re probably right.”

Scout’s looking at Griff in the weirdest way. I look back and forth betweenthem.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” They both say.

Oh my god. Twin nightmares. “How did Adam die?”

This question earns a very uncomfortable silence, one that might crush the whole darned hotel.

Oh no.My heart flops around inside my chest as a really yucky thought slams into the back of my mind. “Which one of you did it?”

They both answer. “Not me.”

Okay, this is good. But still, someone did. Argh. “Who then?”

“I thought it was you,” Griff says to Scout as he throws an arm over the back of his chair.

Scout fires back. “I was searching for Aria.”

“So was I.”

Are they really going to argue overeverything?“Boys! Boys!”

It sure didn’t take long for them both to get red-faced.

“So someone kill—killed.” My throat constricts on the word.

“Suffocated,” Griff says, blunt as a sledgehammer.

Scout rumbles, “Who then?” as my blood rushes out of my head. I don’t feel so well.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Two hours later

It’s a good thing this joint has room service. I didn’t know we were having a fucking party.

Another knock sounds at the door for the second food delivery. We’re going to need more chairs soon too. It appears operations for the team have been temporarily relocated to our room so Aria, Griff and I can be part of the planning.

And of course there’s some debriefing to be done.

Not the way we used to do in the teams. This looks more like a late night college hang-out session only it’s notlate at night, and we’re not college kids.

Beast and Camile occupy one of the oversized chairs, all lovey dovey, like I want to be with Aria, but I’m busy playing damned host.

Rory and his sidekick, Gregor, are camped out on the floor, looking as tired as the rest of us as they shove tacos into their mouths.

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