“It’s almost 1930.Dinner’s not ready yet, but it will be soon.”
“Then I’ll eat when it’s done.”
Kyle flattened his hands on the desk, fingers falling through color images of buildings and streets.“You need a break.You’ve been in here all day.”
“I need to finish this.”
“The next exchange won’t happen until Liam comes around tomorrow, right?”Kyle took Jamie’s silence as an affirmative.“Take a break, Jamie.Your frustration is just going to piss you off, and that’s no good for anyone.Come on.One hour.If it’ll make you feel better, you can debrief us over dinner.”
Jamie finally looked up, blinking rapidly as if to clear his vision.His blue eyes were tired and dull, brows furrowed from concentration.“Anything important I need to know?”
“Other than the fact I can’t shoot any of the bastards?No.Groundwork is coming along.”
Kyle watched as Jamie straightened up from leaning over the desk and rubbed tiredly at his face.“I guess this can wait.”
“It can,” Kyle agreed.
Jamie came around the desk and would’ve headed straight for the door, but Kyle caught him by the arm, stopping his forward momentum.Jamie turned to face him, a questioning look in his eyes.He was in a suit, sans jacket, clothes that worked for his cover but were part of his civilian wardrobe as well.Kyle lifted his hands to Jamie’s tie, gently loosening the knot.
“I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere tonight.You should probably get out of this and into something more comfortable,” Kyle decided.
Jamie managed a teasing, if tired, smile at that statement.“Is that a ploy to get me out of my clothes?”
“Nah, it’s just me watching out for you.”
Kyle tugged on Jamie’s tie and pulled him down into an easy kiss that swiftly turned into another.They were technically home, surrounded by the team despite Sean’s presence, so neither thought twice about showing affection behind a closed door.
Except it wasn’t locked, and Kyle would kick himself for that later, alone, after the fear bled out, if it ever did.
“Jamie, why is your entire team—”
Jamie jerked away from Kyle, the tie sliding through Kyle’s suddenly lax fingers as they both snapped their heads around to where Leah Callahan stood in the office doorway, with Katie and Sean standing behind her with wide eyes.
“Leah?”Jamie got out in a shocked voice.
Shit, Kyle thought weakly through the white noise static in his mind.
11
BLOOD IN THE WATER
Jamie’s thoughts screeched to an ugly halt in his head before his brain kicked back into gear.His sister’s surprise was rapidly morphing into anger, the kind of icy fury he knew well from his mother’s reaction to the decisions she didn’t approve of when it came to his life.Jamie had forgotten that Leah was more like their mother than their father in all the ways that mattered.
“What are you doing here?”Jamie asked, taking a step toward her.“Please tell me you didn’t bring any friends with you.”
“Not after Mother said you were using the Kensington house, which you never do.What is going on?”Leah’s gaze darted from him to Kyle and back again, brows furrowing.“What is this?”
“You didn’t answer my question, Leah.”
“Oh, don’t you dare give me your captain’s voice, Jamie.I’m not one of your subordinates.I’m yoursister.”
“Who should’ve known better not to interrupt a mission,” Jamie snapped back.
“I didn’tknowyou were on a mission!”
Jamie stared at her, turning her words over in his head.“Our parents didn’t tell you?”
“As if they tell me anything about your choices other than to disagree with them.”
