Page 22 of Tactically Acquired

Lock rolled his eyes at me. “The actress in black leather that you were just drooling over.” He walked over and slapped a folder against my chest. “Guess you’d better read up on her before she arrives. Not that you wouldn’t do your due diligence. I’m sure that was next on your list of things to do.”

“Close protection,” I muttered as Lock walked away. “We’re not even protecting them!” I shouted. “It’s more like babysitting!”

“I’m sure you’ll do great!” he laughed. “Just remember, you can look, but you can’t touch.”

Like I needed the fucking reminder. I opened the folder and looked at her picture again.

Thumper walked up behind me and clapped me on the shoulder. “This one’s gonna suck.”

I huffed in agreement. “Maybe we could just stick them in the middle of one of Zoe’s movies.”

He laughed along with me and then we both looked at each other with wide eyes.

“I’ll talk to Zoe.”

He nodded. “I’ve got Red.”

IRIS held his arms wide. “What about me?”

“Explosives!” we both shouted at the same time.

“Sweet,” he grinned.

“Picking up. This is fucking ridiculous,” I grumbled on the way to the airport. “Why couldn’t they just meet us in Kansas? Are they that fucking special that we had to pick them up?”

“You’re just grumpy because you had to fly commercial,” Thumper retorted.

I glared at him from the passenger side of the rental. “And you’re not? Why the fuck didn’t Scottie fly us out?”

“Because he had another job, asshole,” IRIS muttered.

“Yeah, an install. That was really fucking important. I didn’t even have my gun on me. Do you know what that was like?”

Thumper sighed heavily from the driver’s seat. “I imagine it was the same for you as it was for us.”

“And you’re okay with feeling naked?”

“Christ, it was one flight. Let it go,” IRIS snapped.

“He’s just cranky because he has to be close protection for the lady in leather,” Thumper grinned.

IRIS chuckled. “The lady in leather. I like it. Ooh, how about the dark princess?”

“The dark princess?” Thumper groaned. “What the fuck kind of name is that?”

I rolled my eyes, staring out the window at the traffic moving slowly around us. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was cranky over the fact that I had to watch this woman. How the hell was I supposed to keep my hands to myself with a body that tempting just inches from me at all times?”

“—just saying, lady in leather is a hell of a lot better than the dark princess,” Thumper argued.

“You didn’t even give it a chance,” IRIS snapped. “You always have to be right. You just can’t stand to think that someone else might have a better idea than you.”

A scoff came from the driver’s seat. “I can guarantee that no one would think your name is better than mine. Tell him, Slider.”

“I’m not getting involved.”

“Pussy,” he muttered.

“Sexy seductress,” I whispered under my breath.

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