Page 62 of Dismantle & Prevail
Boone claps his hands together. “I’m going to run through the details of the case and then we will set up a plan of execution. As always, if you have questions or ideas, speak up.”
Immediately, Tucker’s hand flies up and Boone’s head falls into his hands before popping back up and letting out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Tuck.”
Tucker smiles, practically bouncing out of his chair. That damn kid is a wild child, but I love his crazy ass. He is also Taylor’s best friend and a kick-ass fighter, so I have confidence knowing she is protected if she is ever out with him and, for some reason, can’t take down the assailant herself.
“Where’s Tay? How are we gonna know where to go if she isn’t here briefing us on what to do?” He directs his question at Boone, but his focus is on me.
Sly, little asshole.
“Taylor has sent over her notes,” Boone says, holding up an iPad. “She apologizes for her absence. She is down with a migraine and will not be accompanying us on this mission.”
Groans of displeasure and disappointment echo through The Heart and I don’t know if I should be mad a group this large are up in arms at the lack of my girl’s presence or honored that she is that loved.
“I know. I know. We will miss her, but she has left very detailed notes and—” The door flies open, cutting Boone off.
Taylor storms into the room, her eyes wide and her hair looking as if she has been pulling at it for hours.
I stand, immediately trying to assess her because if she is storming into a meeting in this fashion, something must be wrong.
I have no idea what it could be. The last time I saw her was right before the meeting, and she was about to take a nap because of her migraine.
I set her up in my room since it has blackout curtains and she was almost passed out when I left.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, moving towards her.
Her piercing green eyes go wide as she glances around the room, down her body, and back up to me.
It’s as if she was in some trance and suddenly she’s realized where she is. Standing in front of all of Braveheart in one of my shirts she must have stolen, which barely covers her ass.
Anger fills me at the thought of anyone seeing her. She may not have said the words that cement her as mine, but as far as I’m concerned, she is.
“I found something!”
“You what?” Thinking I heard her wrong. The last time I caught her looking into my case, I practically had a damn heart attack and begged her to stop.
“I found something! I have a name and an event of where we can find—” I stop her by moving her to stand behind me, but she just walks around me, ignoring the fact that she is standing in almost nothing in front of the entire team.
Well, not almost nothing, but certainly less than I would like anyone here to see her in.
Taylor stares up at me matter-of-factly. “I was able to find the deed to the house and trace it back to Neman Security. Now I don’t have much because there is about a million and one men dressed in suits there, but it's a start! And! They are having an event in New York City in just a few days and I figured—-”
Pulling her into my arms, her back plastered against my chest, I cover her mouth and point to the door. “Everyone out. Now.”
The room is full of shocked faces staring at us with wide eyes.
Without a word, everyone stands and quickly exits the room.
When the latch clicks, I move to the door, pulling down the shades that cover the windows and lock the door before turning my attention to Taylor.
I’m furious. I asked her to stop for her own safety and she kept pushing. There is no telling what kind of danger she’s put herself into. All I want to do in this moment is recreate that red handprint on her gorgeous ass and make her understand I would be fucking destroyed if anything happened to her.
Fuck it. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
She hasn’t moved from her spot, but she isn’t paying me any attention, her sole focus on her laptop.
I eat the space between us in a matter of seconds, plucking the laptop from her hands.
“What the hell, Aries!?”
