“You should still be resting. Did you take your pain pills today?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hyland squints at me.
“Less of the bad attitude, we’ve got enough of it in this room.”
This is precisely how I know we’re in trouble. I was not cut out to be the voice of reason between four overbearing men at loggerheads with each other.
“Nothing from the outpost?” I glance off to the side.
From their huddle, Blaine’s dark head lifts so his gaze can catch mine. He slips out from between his confidantes to approach our workstation, a thumb tucked into his belt loop.
“No, nothing yet.”
“Isn’t this guy known for being punctual?” I huff impatiently. “You know, professional assassin and all.”
“Bounty hunter,” Blaine corrects with an amused grin. “He doesn’t kill all his marks. Well, only the ones that he charges his clients a premium to quietly dispose of on their behalf.”
A cold chill crashes over me, bringing reality into sharp focus.
“Is that why you promised Axel to him?”
The sly bastard is utterly unrepentant as he shrugs like we’re discussing our favourite restaurants.
“I was merely trying to solve a problem for you.”
“By offering up my teammate as bait?” I blink repeatedly.
“His services demand a high price. Fortunately, I had something he wanted. It’s an easy trade.”
“Jesus, Blaine! You tried to have Axel killed!”
“Traded,” he counters. “Not killed.”
“Oh, sure. Because he was only hoping to take Axel on a little family picnic to reunite and reminisce about old times. Nothing more. Right?”
“Now that really isn’t a concern of mine.”
“You’re as bad as the rest of these idiots!”
“Ouch.” Blaine lays on a mock-pout. “Now that I take personally.”
“Ditto,” Hyland grumbles.
While Blaine doesn’t operate with a functioning moral compass, even for him, this situation is beyond belief. I don’t know whether to crash all their collective heads together or just walk away.
“Axel is going nowhere.” I massage the bridge of my nose, trying to breathe through the pain brewing behind my eyes. “Whatever The Hunter’s price, the previous deal is off the table.”
“He won’t like that.” Blaine’s ominous response has my fine hairs spiking.
“Well, if Gunnar Slaughter wants payment, he can bargain with Sabre Security for all the goddamn riches in the world. Members of our family are not for sale, and they never will be.”
“Yourfamily.” His smile falters, exposing a deep wound. “Not ours.”
Ignoring the multiple sets of eyes watching our exchange, I march straight into Blaine’s personal space to jab a finger in his firm chest.
“Choose a side and choose it fast. You were offered the chance to belong. Nobody is stopping you from making the right choices from here on out, only you.”
He captures my wrist before I can move, a thumb bearing down on my pulse point. Not even the razor-like pressure of Hyland’s stare into the side of my head can wrench me from Blaine’s depthless, midnight orbs.
