She was glad she didn’t take a bite—she would have choked. Stiffly, she turned her head to look at Izzy. “What way?”
Izzy’s smile didn’t move.
“We have to work together.”
She nodded, still smiling.
“Nothing is going to come of it.”
Izzy’s pretty face lit up even more. “Right. Nothing came of it for any of us.”
In that moment, Opal realized what she meant. These women had all once worked with Blackout Charlie in some capacity, and it led to so much more.
Izzy shot a soft smile at Steele, who sent her a wink in return. Alyssa leaned into Chase, his hand resting protectively over the curve of her growing stomach. And Con squeezed Sophie’s hand in support as she got what was probably her first tattoo.
But Opal wasn’t one ofthem.
She glanced across the room at the SEAL who would be posing as her husband. As she watched, he flicked his head,sending the lock of thick hair back from his forehead, the movement effortless and undeniablymale.
She didn’t evenlikeSinner.
The lie sat heavy in her chest. She took a bite of food to keep her eyes off the man at the tattoo table.
But another realization rolled through her, more unwelcome than the first.
The sound didn’t bother her anymore.
Which meant that somewhere along the way, without permission, her body decided this place was safe.
That these people were safe, including Sinner.
And that terrified her more than she would ever admit.
FIVE
Sinner had crossed a lot of lines in his career. Pretending to be broken wasn’t one of them.
He zipped his go-bag and told himself this was no different from a dozen other ops—new cover, same rules. Protect the asset. Complete the mission. Get out clean.
Except Opal Simmons wasn’t an asset in the usual sense…and he’d known that the moment she’d frozen in the doorway downstairs last night.
People who felt nothing didn’t lock themselves down that fast.
He slung the strap over his shoulder and left the room, listening to the sounds of the base waking up. The energy in the house always shifted before a departure. No one ever said the words, but they all knew what could happen if an op went sideways. Tomorrow was never promised.
Sinner reached the door of Con’s office and knocked once. His CO looked up as he stepped inside, already reading the situation before Sinner spoke.
“You ready?” Con asked.
“Packed.”
He remained standing, bag over his shoulder. This wasn’t a casual conversation between brothers before an op.
“I want more on Opal.”
Con leaned back slightly, studying Sinner the way he studied terrain, looking for places a threat could hide.
“That can be arranged.” He leaned forward, tapped the keyboard a few times and sat back again. “I wouldn’t set you up for failure, Sinclair.”
