“We let you keep an eye on our girl, and you forget about your protocol and let Fisher go with you,” Britt answered.
And this is why we’re best friends,Fisher thought.
“There’s noletwhen it comes to Miss Meadows coming with us.” Like all asswads who’d never had their dicks knocked in the dirt, Agent Dillan Douglas met Fisher’s anger with arrogance. “If we need to take her, we take her.”
“Try it,” Fisher challenged and felt Britt’s grip tighten on his shoulder.
Fisher could barely believe his eyes when Agent Douchecanoe stood and whipped back his suit jacket to reveal his shoulder holster. The idiot went so far as to thumb open the snap on the leather sling.
Guess he never got the memo ya don’t threaten a man with a bullet unless ya fully intend to make him eat it.
“I’m armed.” Douglas grinned. “Are you?”
“My dick’s in my hand.” Fisher made a rude gesture toward his crotch. “Does that count?”
“Bruh,” Britt whispered close to his ear. “There’s a fine line between tenacity and stupidity. And I think you’ve crossed it.”
“Oh, for the love of all that’s holy!” Eliza rarely raised her voice. So hearing her shout knocked Fisher out of his bloodlust. “I’mchoosingto go with the agents, Fish. And if they’re saying it’s better,saferfor me to go on my own, then that’s what I’ll do.”
He realized his gaze was a glittering knife blade that sliced into her when she stumbled back.
“Liza.” He reached for her while mentally kicking his own ass for doinganythingto make her look at him that way. Withfear.“All ya got to do is say the word and your old man will insist one of us comes with ya. Then these two can forget their protocols and?—”
“Fisher.” She placed a hand on his arm. It was soft and cool and reminded him it’d been hard and harsh the night before when she’d shoved his ass out of her bed. Not that he hadn’t deserved it. Hehad.What had he been thinking offering up friends with benefits? It was like a slap in the face considering what she really wanted was so,somuch more. “I’ll be fine. They know what they’re doing. Besides, you’re needed here.”
The look she gave him was meaningful, and he was reminded he still needed to finish doing recon and analysis on their next mission.
“I hate the thought of ya out there without any protection,” he growled, suddenly feeling like his skin was too tight for his body.
“She’ll have Agent Douglas for protection,” Agent O’Toole assured him.
Agent Douchecanoe?
The woman was bat-shit crazy if she thought that was a comfort. The idea of the pretty-boy fed locked up in a room with Eliza for hours, maybedays, made the venomous, prickly legged thing that lived in Fisher spring to life and hiss.
Andthat, that exact reaction, was enough to have him blowing out a windy breath and relenting. “I want hourly check-ins. Calls or texts or…hell…email us if ya have to. But I want reassurances she’s okay every sixty minutes.”
“Done,” Agent O’Toole said at the same time Douglass grumbled, “Fuck off.”
“It’s the least we can do,” O’Toole told her partner. “They’re right to be concerned. And if hourly check-ins will keep everyone healthy and happy, that’s what we’ll do.”
Agent Douglas whispered something unsavory about Fisher’s parentage. But Fisher acted like he hadn’t heard. Because acting like hehadheard, and then feeding the cleft-chinned bastard his fist, would inevitably end with him in handcuffs. And thelastplace he needed to be while Eliza was in federal custody was behind bars.
Instead, he told her, “I’ll keep ya company while ya pack.”
“No need,” she assured him.
“Ineed,” he insisted and then turned to Britt. “Ya okay to hold down the fort?” He slid a speaking gaze toward the two agents.
“I’m sure I can keep Agent O’Toole occupied with another cupcake.” Britt winked at the blond agent. “As for the other one.” He tilted his head toward Douglas. “I’ll try to hunt up a banana.”
Fisher chuckled at the perturbed look on Douchcanoe’s face before turning to follow Eliza upstairs.
“I need to grab something from my room,” he told her after they’d reached the top floor.
Once he was in his room with the door shut behind him, he didn’t hesitate to step to the side of his bed. He hadn’t bothered to make it. When he’d heard her softly close her bedroom door, he’d snapped awake with cringe-inducing memories of what a dickhole he’d been the night before. Determined to apologize to her as soon as possible, he’d hopped out of bed.
Well,hoppedis a bit of an exaggeration.
