Page 77 of Trapped
“Hold up, Blaszek.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
“What?”
“Don’t, and I can’t stress this enough. Do not say anything to Ashley. Let her tell you. Understood?”
Instead of agreeing, I said, “I won’t rat you out if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not. I’m worried about you charging in there and losing your cool.” He held eye contact without blinking. “If you upset her, I will can your ass. Before you argue about not needing to be employed by SSI to help her.” Jamie uncrossed his arms, stood to his full five-eleven height, and got in my face. “Know that you’re wrong. Have I made myself clear?” His words were a promise, not a threat.
There was no sarcasm in my voice when I said, “Yes, sir.”
“Good, because she has enough to deal with, she doesn’t need you acting like a fucking caveman.” His tone was gentler, but his words weren’t.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. He was right. Ashley needed to be the one to tell me. And I needed to control my caveman instincts. The primal, chest-thumping attitude that took over whenever I thought about someone hurting her. It was like years of evolution disappeared, and I regressed to grunts instead of words.
“If you love her, don’t look at me like that.”
I hadn’t used love in relation to Ashley, not even in my mind. But I was acting like a man possessed—by a Neanderthal, apparently—so it was probably accurate.
“If you love her as much as I think you do, don’t be a dick when she tells you.”
Given my recent behavior, I probably deserved the warning. But that didn’t mean I liked hearing it.
Somehow, Jamie managed to tell me exactly what I needed to hear in the way I needed to hear it. How he knew, I’d never know, but he did. After taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling it, I said, “Damn, Sheppard.”
He smiled. “Get used to it. We have an unspoken no-bullshit policy around here.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I can appreciate that.”
“Good. Before you return to Ashley, my father wants to talk to you.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me. “How much trouble am I in?” I hadn’t exactly been a team player, or played by the rules, or been a model employee.
That changes now. Not because I needed the job—I didn’t—but because I was a better person than what I’d shown them. I’d adopted the lone wolf attitude to survive the isolation of deep undercover work, but it no longer suited me. And it wouldn’t help Ashley.
“None that I know of. But brace yourself for a lecture.”
I rubbed my face, noting the stubble on my normally clean-shaven chin. My silent sigh didn’t go unnoticed.
“Don’t worry, we’ve all gotten them. If you’re lucky, this will be the last lecture you get.”
“How likely is that?”
“Not very. AJ’s the overly protective big brother Ashley never had, didn’t ask for, but loves having.”
“AJ didn’t exactly lecture me, but his threat was less than subtle.”
“Threatened to kill you?”
“He did. And I believe him.”
“No surprise there.” Jamie grinned before adding, “Try not to force his hand because he means it, and I’d hate to lose you both.”
I was ninety-seven percent sure he was exaggerating, but AJ struck me as someone who could and would kill for those he loved.Who among us wouldn’t?
“And the rest of the team?”
“Dude, I told you, she’s family. She was Emily’s maid of honor, and she and Meg have been thick as thieves since the secondthey met. Doug and Jay don’t know her as well, but they’ll protect her because—”
