Pinto closed the front door behind him and came down the steps.The former naval medic looked pissed, a rarity for him.Usually, he was one of those guys who didn’t let much get under his skin.“What’s your problem with Sloane?”
The question caught him off guard.Of all the potential fires, that wasn’t one he’d anticipated.“What are you talking about?”
Pinto made a sound to convey his annoyance.“Don’t play stupid.You know I saw you two by the pool.”
Okay, that narrowed it down.He’d wondered whether Pinto had overheard any of their conversation.If not, there was a good chance that Sloane had given him the rundown.“There’s no problem.I just don’t want her job performance to affect our continued employment.”
Arms crossed, Pinto shook his head.“Nah, that ain’t it.There’s more to it than that.”
True, but he wasn’t about to admit it, and he wasn’t in the mood to continue this conversation.“Believe what you want.That’s your business.I’ve got shit to do.”
Pinto blocked his path when he started for the steps.“She’s a good person, Navarre.Don’t bust her chops, or we’re going to have more than words.”
The veiled threat raised Navarre’s hackles.He’d worked with Pinto for a couple of years, had been friends for nearly as long.Hell, he’d helped the guy restore his car after some assholes treated it like a piñata at a five-year-old’s birthday party.But friend or not, he didn’t put up with that shit.“Why the sudden interest, Pinto?Last I heard, you and Fiona moved in together.”
“She’s a friend, you prick.I don’t want her getting hurt.”The anger in his voice seemed genuine.“This job has her stressed out enough as it is.The last thing she needs is you giving her a hard time.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”Shit like this was exactly why he’d drawn that line in the sand.“If you really must know, I found her wandering around where photographers might spot her.When I told her to be careful about things like that, she copped an attitude with me.I returned the favor.If you have any other questions, save them for later, because I don’t have time for this shit.”
Pinto fixed him with a long, unblinking stare, his gaze sharp and assessing.Tension crackled in the air.Every second seemed to stretch.Finally, he gave a curt nod, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Just remember what I said, all right?”He didn’t wait for a reply.He strode past Navarre, bumping shoulders as he passed, and disappeared around the corner.
Shaking his head, Navarre climbed the steps.On some level, he appreciated the fact Sloane had people watching out for her.It spoke well of her character.It also drove the point home that he needed to apologize like a goddamn professional and then keep his distance.Hopefully, once he did, the rest of this assignment would go smoothly.
Sloanescrolledthroughtheofferings on the television’s streaming app, searching for a show that piqued her interest, but all she kept thinking about was what Pinto said about Navarre.
It was hard to imagine he was one of the deadliest snipers in the world when he looked so…ordinary.
No, that wasn’t true.Jacob Navarre was many things, but ordinary was not one of them.He was pretty damn hot, in a brooding, simmering-beneath-the-surface kind of way.Like a bomb primed to go off at any given moment.
Besides, she had no idea what a sniper was supposed to look like.In her mind, she pictured a guy dressed in camo, or maybe all black, nestled in a sniper’s perch with one eye peering through the scope of his high-powered rifle.Beyond that, they could resemble anybody: short, tall, black, white, male, female, and everything in between.Kind of like her job, where the stereotypical computer expert was a pasty, geeky white guy with glasses, but the reality was often different.
All that really mattered was that he was good at his job.One of the best, according to Pinto.While she was…well, she was pretty good at her job as well.She’d worked her butt off to reach that level of achievement, taking courses and honing her skills until she’d become one of the best in her field.
But her job was back at the office behind a keyboard, fighting enemies of a different nature.This was uncharted territory for her, like driving on a black highway at night, and the lack of clarity wreaked havoc on her confidence.
The sound of the front door closing caught her attention.She glanced over the back of the couch and her body gave an enthusiastic leap of excitement as Navarre emerged from the foyer, his brows drawn down in concentration.He paused at the sight of her, his brows drawing even lower, a feat she hadn’t considered possible.
In all likelihood, he’d come to give her more grief about some perceived inadequacy, and it put her on the defensive.
Bracing for the worst, she stood, cocked one hand on her hip, and shot him a glare.“What did I do wrong this time?”
“What?Nothing.I just—” For a second or two, he seemed genuinely perplexed, like he wasn’t sure what to say or do next.On the heels of an audible exhale, he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.“Look, I, uh…about what happened earlier.I wanted to—”
A chime on his phone cut off the rest of his sentence.
“Shit, I gotta take this.It’s Austin.”He swiped at the screen to read the incoming message.Then he unhooked the two-way radio from his belt and relayed the news to the rest of the team.“Riptide en route.Repeat, Riptide en route.ETA twenty-five minutes, over.”
A chorus of “Roger that” came over the radio’s speaker, an affirmation that the message was received and understood.
Sloane gave Navarre a questioning look.She had a feeling she already knew the answer but wanted confirmation.“What’s Riptide?”
“That’s the code name for Sierra.”
Yep, that’s what she’d thought.“Did she choose it?”
“No, the team assigned it.”
