The hum of readiness filled the room. This was his element. This was where he excelled, his comfort zone.
But when Bás spoke again, a fissure cracked through the calm. “You’ll run comms from here,” Bás said firmly. “It’s where you’re needed most.”
Watchdog hesitated. “I want to be close.”
Silence stretched. It was the first time he’d ever questioned an order. The first time he’d ever asked to leave his station.
Bás’s frown cut deep. “You’re the best at this. You know it. We need you here, not playing watchdog in the bloody street.”
Conflict ripped through him. Logic said Bás was right. The team depended on him. His mind was the shield that kept them safe. But his chest burned with something stronger, the pull toward Clara.
Lotus stepped close, her hand brushing his arm. “I’ll be right beside her,” she said gently. “That’s why I’m dressed like this.” She flicked a finger at her plaid trousers and leather jacket, a grin tugging at her lips. “Nobody’s looking at the girl when I’m walking next to her.”
It was true. Lotus could draw every eye in the room and still slip out unseen when she wanted.
He clenched his jaw. Torn. Finally, he nodded once. “Then I’ll run comms from the van. Close enough to see.”
Bás studied him for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. “Fine. Van.”
The orders broke, team members moving to prep. Clara lingered near the wall, pale under the dim light. Her hands twisted together, the nerves written plainly in her posture.
Watchdog crossed the room before he’d thought it through. “Clara. Outside.”
She blinked, startled at his abrupt demand, but followed him into the drizzle. The air smelled of wet soil, cool against his overheated skin.
He turned to her, every muscle tight. “I shouldn’t say this now,” he began, his voice rough, “but I can’t not…not anymore.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you.” The words scraped out of him, unpolished, raw. “I wasn’t looking for you. God knows I wasn’t. But now you’re here.” He broke off, shaking his head. “It terrifies me. But I can’t look away.”
Her breath hitched, her chest rising sharply.
He didn’t give her time to answer. His hand slid to her jaw, tilting her face up, and then his mouth crashed down on hers.
The kiss was hard, fast, consuming. Not tentative like before. This was possession, desperation, fire poured into flesh.
She gasped against him, lips parting, and he swallowed the sound. His other hand gripped her hip, pulling her closer, holding her as though he could anchor himself to her.
Her fingers curled in his shirt, clinging, breathless as his kiss devoured hers.
When he tore himself back, both of them were panting, their foreheads pressed together. Her lips were kiss-bruised, her eyes wide, dazed.
“Now you know,” he whispered, his breath hot against her mouth. “Whatever happens in there, you know.”
Chapter 22
The city felt sharperthan she remembered. Every sound seemed too loud, the hiss of buses braking, the rush of traffic, the chatter of pedestrians moving past in steady streams. Her palms were damp despite the cool spring drizzle, and she rubbed them against her coat as she walked.
Lotus strolled easily beside her, hands in the pockets of her plaid trousers, her stride loose, relaxed. Clara envied her calm.
“Should I tell her?” Clara asked, her voice low, as though the whole street might hear. “Warn Lena about Oliver? Or…”
Lotus tipped her head, eyes flicking up slightly. It took Clara a moment to realise she was listening to something no one else could hear.
An earpiece. She wasn’t just here with Clara. She was with all of them.
“You need to tell her two things,” Lotus said, her tone even. “That Oliver is dangerous, and that you’re ending things. If he comes near her again, she needs to get away. Fast.”
