Page 21 of Salvaged Hearts

“Don’t play games with me, Greyson.” She leaned forward to brace herself on the wood surface, and I did the same. “You’reon their list for crucifixion, and we’re either a team or we’re not. Answer the question.”

Interesting choice of words. “Whoever thisObsidianis, why do you think I’m in their crosshairs?” I watched as recognition dawned in her eyes. I’d used the same term to explain why I didn’t want Mattie involved in my rescue.

“I won’t pretend to have information I don’t, but give me a day or two, and I’m sure I’ll find it.” That was confidence, turning those molten gray eyes to stone. She would, too. If she kept digging, she wouldn’t stop until she had her answers. It’s what I admired most about this woman. “You could expedite the process by bringing me up to speed so I can decide how to protect the company from this.”

“Tell me what you think you know,” I countered.

She gave an irritated huff before saying, “My source only recognized their code because he’s clashed with them before. He didn’t bother to tell me their alias, but nothing good can come from getting tangled in their web, Greyson.”

“What makes you think I’m tangled in thisObsidian’sweb?”

“The fact that they have spyware in your network was the first clue.”

Well, that was news to me. Jax was going to lose his fucking mind.

I wasn’t tangled inObsidian’s web.I was the spider. They weremyprey. Only, if she were correct, they’d snuck a spy past my defenses.

“The fact that they seem to be going after something with the code nameThunderstrikewas the second. Communicating via shifter code inside an anagram was a little amateur, but it was buried pretty deeply.” God damn, she’d just lit a match, and she didn’t even know it. She must have seen it on my face or sensed it somehow because her own spider’s smile stretched her lips. “Okay. What do you know aboutThunderstrike?”

She was already tangled in this. Alessandra and whomever she’d enlisted to help her had just stumbled into a war she knew nothing about. A war fought in the shadows by men who refused to stand by complacently while innocents suffered.

This would change everything. She had no clue that she’d just changed the trajectory of her future.Ididn’t have a clue how to keep it from touching her. Slowly, tracking the way her throat bobbed, I rounded the table. Answering honestly, I said, “Classified.”

“You’re a civilian again,” she pointed out, rotating her back to the wood so she could keep me in front of her as I closed the distance.

Flashing a roguish grin, I said, “To your knowledge.”

“Medically discharged,” she argued.

Narrowing my eyes, I barked, “Did you run a dossier?”

“I have good friends,” she simply supplied, lifting her chin to glare at me as I towered over her.

“Max.”

“For starters.”

For what felt like an eternity, we just stared each other down. Her chin jutted out in defiance as I caged her against the table with my body, a hand braced on either side of her. She always smelled like those chai drinks she brought on Fridays. It was infuriatingly sweet. My proximity had me setting my jaw while I stared down at her. It didn’t seem to distract or intimidate her in the slightest, anyway. Some distant part of my mind dragged up the fact that she hadsixbrothers and was near the tail end of the lineup. Fishermen, construction workers, football players. This girlwouldbe tough as nails.

Figures. Keeping my tone level, I warned, “Don’t go digging for answers you’re not ready to find.”

“Stop assuming you know what I’m capable of accomplishing.”

Voice low, I asked, “Who replaced my demure little princess with a hellcat?”

“What?!” She burst out laughing, and I relaxed at the sound. Relieved I’d dissolved a bit of that concrete wall, I sighed and turned to pace, slowly making my way to the other side of the table before palming my face.

“What a mess.”

“You supposed to kill me now or something?”

Insulted, I glared over at her. “I’m not a hitman.”

“Max knows where I am and is waiting for my call.”

“I am not a hitman,” I snarled, irritated that she thought so damn little of me.

She shrugged unapologetically. “Thunderstrike. Obsidian. Blackwater. There’s a vibe about it.”

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