Page 66 of A Worthy Opponent
“That was before.” Hook rakes a hand through his long hair. “And even then I had my doubts.”
Fuck, but I love this man.
“I was always going to play bait,” I repeat softly. “Walk me through how it should have gone.”
He doesn’t want to. That truth couldn’t be clearer. But he finally jerks his chin in a rough nod. “Cell phone tracking. We follow you in. Take him and his people out from there, burn their shit down.”
There are a thousand things that can go wrong with that plan, which I’m sure is why he’s balking now. I cup his face in my hands, his beard rough against my palms. “Then that’s what we do.”
He covers my hands with his. “I’m not risking you.”
“If Peter stays in the shadows and keeps undermining you, then youarerisking me.” I have to work to keep the shake from my voice, to sound as strong as he needs me to be in order to agree to this. “I can’t stay in this building for the rest of my life, Jameson. I can’t. At some point I’ll have to leave, and then he’ll strike. We either choose the time now, or we live with the threat of him hanging over our heads.”
Still, he hesitates.
So I go in for the kill. “Did you mean it when you said you wanted a partner in full?”
Hook tenses, already knowing where I’m going with this. “Don’t start that shit.”
I steamroll right over him. “Either I’m your partner, or I’m not. Either you want a true future with us, or you still see me as some damsel to be saved and locked up for my own good. There’s no gray area here. It’s one or the other.”
“You can’t just logic your way out of this, Tink.”
“Watch me.” I drop my hands, but he laces his fingers through mine, maintaining contact. “Answer the question.”
He curses long and hard, and I stand still, waiting him out. It’s not fun to be painted into a corner, and he’s entitled to feeling pissed. There was a time in my life when this wave of anger would make me flinch, would send me back several steps to ensure I’m out of reach. Maybe it still would with a different person, but though Hook may be loud as hell with every single one of his emotions, he’d cut off his hands before he touched me in anger.
I didn’t flinch when we fought in the kitchen, either.
Acknowledging that feels like sliding home the final piece of a puzzle I didn’t realize I was building.
Finally his shoulders drop the barest amount. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Okay.”
“There will be three teams on your location, all from different directions.”
“Sure.”
“The second we have him off the streets, I move in and handle it. You don’t play the hero, and you stay the hell out of my way and as far from him as you can manage.”
I squeeze his hands and give him a confident smile that I don’t feel. “I promise.”
Another of those world-weary sighs. “Then let’s get this shit rolling and over with. The sooner, the better.”
I only hope this won’t end up being the worst mistake of my life.
Chapter 26
Hook
Inever should have agreed to this. Watching Tink walk away from me, her ponytail swinging in the bleak morning light, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m never going to see her again. That we flew too close to the sun when we dared strive for happiness.
“She’ll be fine.”
I don’t look at my cousin. Nigel has been saying some variation of the same thing since I begrudgingly agreed to this shitty plan. The fact that it wasmyplan originally makes no difference. It’s shitty. End of story.
Tink turns the corner and moves out of sight. “Let’s go.”
