“Morning.” He walked over and pressed a kiss on her lips, lingered longer than he meant to.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully, but when she glanced at Trace and her brother and saw their serious expressions, her smile slipped away. “What’s going on?”
Trace rose from the sofa. “Edge can explain. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
Morgan Burke rose to join him. “Glad you’re okay,” he said.
“Thanks for the help,” Skye said.
Burke just nodded. The two men grabbed their gear and disappeared out into the hall.
Conn walked over and bussed her cheek. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“My arm’s sore, but other than that, I’m fine.”
Her brother pulled his phone out and glanced at the time. “Like Trace said, we need to get going. We’ll see you at the airport.”
She waited for him to grab his gear and head out to join the other men, then turned to Edge. “What is everyone not telling me? Is it about last night?”
He took her hand, led her over to the sofa, and both of them sat down. “Last night is pretty much over. Petrov’s dead. Riggins and Ketch gave up the other drivers’ names and the location of the two meth labs, and you’re in the clear.”
“What is it, then?”
“I got a call from Grease this morning.”
Her insides tightened. “And . . . ?”
“Rumor has it there’s a big-time weapons deal going down, and Major Bradley Markham’s smack in the middle of it.”
“Gun smuggling?”
“That and more. Machine guns, grenade launchers. Might even include a helicopter.”
“Unbelievable. So you’re heading out?”
“The deal is set to close three days from now.”
“In California?”
“In Mexico. Just across the Arizona border. Once I get down there, I’ll make contact with Grease’s source and find out more.”
Skye fell silent.
“We’ve got to get back,” Edge said, wishing they could stay in Vegas a couple more days and just enjoy themselves, but it wasn’t going to happen. “The guys are meeting us at the airport. We need to pack up and get on the road.”
“So . . . back to Denver, then off to Arizona?”
“That’s about it.”
His eyes widened as she propped a hand on her hip. “And you think you’re just going to leave me back in Denver? Is that your plan? Because that isn’t going to work, Edge. You and I were partners long before we were lovers. You helped me with Callie. We brought down Petrov together. I know how much returning to the Green Berets means to you. If you’re going after Markham, I’m going with you.”
He started shaking his head. “You’ve got a bullet wound in your arm right now. You could have been killed last night. There’s no way I’m putting you in that kind of danger again.”
“The bullet only grazed me, and it has nothing to do with what you’re planning. I owe you. If things were the other way around, you’d feel the same. You’d want to repay your debt, and so do I. Take me with you. We work well together. We’ll bring Markham down.”
He felt her touch as she rested a hand on his cheek. “Let me help you get your dream back, Edge. Get back the life you deserve.”
She wanted to go with him. And as he looked at her, he realized he wanted that, too. He respected her ability and her courage. She would be a tremendous asset. More than that, he wanted to be with her. For the first time in his life, he had let down his barriers and invited someone in. It felt good. Really good.
