Angel’s brow lifted in surprise. “That’s six or seven months? Not a lot of time.”
“Given that they’d planned to test the virus on humans, I’d say we need to clear this up as fast as we can. And with Chronos bankrolling the Burke-Ruhe and Volkov rebuilds, we’re on borrowed time.” Ford tilted his head at Jameson and Pam, who sat two chairs down. “These two’ll be on the first flight down there.”
“Yep,” Jameson boomed. “Eyes on the ground.”
“On theice,” Pam said with a giggle. The two exchanged a smoldering look.
Ford smiled. He did that a lot now.
“So.” Angel looked at the group, a little nervous now that the big moment had come. “I have a proposal. I know you’ve probably got a better solution, but I was thinking…when I’m not working on getting my nonprofit together”—she glanced at Ford, who gave her an encouraging nod—“you guys got room for a chef out here?”
“Oh thank God.” Leo whooped. “Thought you’d never ask!”
“Hold on. Hold on.” Eric put out a hand. “Did we pressure you in any way? I don’t want you to feel like it’s an obligation. We’re perfectly cap—”
“Are you kidding? This is perfect. Like the South Pole without the cold. And I’ve got my day job.” Just thinking about the nonprofit she’d decided to create gave her a warm feeling. As soon as the kitchen was set up, she’d be doing healthy, inexpensive family-cooking sessions with folks from low-income households. Helping people, making them happy, sharing her love of food with them. “Seriously, guys. Working with the families onshore and then cooking out here, being part of this gang—it’s a dream.”
Everything about her life and this moment—the man beside her, this odd band of people, their crazy HQ in the middle of the Pacific, their mission—made her feel alive and in charge of her destiny. “This is what I want.”
“It’s settled, then. Executive chef.” Eric smiled at her, then looked at his brother. “And chief science officer. Welcome to Polaris Team.”
* * *
“You don’t miss the ice all that much, do you?” Angel flopped down beside Coop on the bed in the ridiculously swank suite they’d been given in the repurposed oil platform. Even unfinished, it was nicer than anyplace he’d stayed in his life.
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look as excited as you were in that meeting today.”
Excited. Coop hadn’t known the meaning of the word until this woman had come into his life.
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side, gentle with her and himself. Their bodies were still healing after all.
“This feels right for me.”
“Being an underground global superhero living under a false identity? Yeah. The old Ford might have balked, but this guy’s into it. With your brilliant mind, you’re basically their in-house science geek.”
“I’m not a virologist.”
“No, but you know where to find one.”
“I do.” He ran a hand from her strong shoulder, along the gentle curve of her back, to the perfect dip above her ass. “And I—we—have the one thing everyone seems to want.”
“The virus.”
She stretched and rubbed her face on his chest like a cat. “Where’s your brother getting the funds for all this?”
He half shrugged with his good shoulder. “Eric’s loaded. Apparently a couple of the others are pretty well-off, too.”
“Thisloaded? Redo-an-oil-rig-and-finance-a-secret-mercenary-team loaded?”
“They prefer to be called security specialists.”
“Whatever. You know what I mean.”
“I do.” He smoothed a gentle hand down her face and thoughtI’m a lucky bastardfor the millionth time. That day. “They’ve got backers. You heard them—Polaris is more than us. It’s a coalition.”
“Mm-hm. Just a bunch of masked heroes hanging out, secretly fighting for the common good.” She sighed. “Why aren’t you kissing me right now?”
