“It’s classified, and you know that,” she said. “If I could tell you, I would.”
“Again, I’m your husband.”
Zayn snorted from nearby. Eagle ears was up in this conversation.
“It’s not fun when you’re told‘classified’, now is it?” he asked.
Jagger stared at him.
“Seriously? Can you stop listening to our conversation?” he asked.
The man shook his head.
“Yeah, Spanky, that’s not happening. She’s holding Tulip, and that’s my baby. Give back the mini flower, and I’ll move away. Did you use hand sanitizer?” he asked Maura, and then whipped a bottle out of his cargo pants in case she hadn’t.
She stared at him like he was nuts.
“Uh, I washed my hands,” she said. “I do know how to hold and take care of a baby. I have kids, Zayn. This isn’t my first day seeing one.”
Zayn shrugged.
“Did he use sanitizer?” he asked, pointing at Jagger next.
Jagger flipped him off.
“Not in front of the baby!” Zayn said. “I heard the profanity before, and I let it slide because she’s asleep.”
Jagger rolled his eyes.
“The baby is going to see her father shot in the ass if someone doesn’t back up and give me some space to have a discussion with my wife.”
Maura knew Zayn wouldn’t do that, so she handed him the baby, and waited until he moved away. Then, she focused on Jagger.
“Babe,” she began.
He stopped her.
“Whenever you call me‘babe’, that means I’m going to be hella pissed. Normally, it’s Jagger or J. So that tells me my irrational thoughts are well founded.”
She sighed.
“Tell me,” Jagger said. “You want me to follow you into a war againstThe BlackStone Groupas your captain, but you don’t want me to know why. That’s a problem for me. You’ve shared with me countless times, and I’ve never betrayed that information.”
Okay, so he had a point.
She was honest.
“If I tell you why, you’re going to get angry and get bitchy.”
He lifted a brow.
“I’m already angry, Maura. So…?”
Okay, he had a point.
She lowered her voice.
“Remember that mission into the southern city of Helmand in Afghanistan?”
