“Gabe, I assume you called not just to see how we were getting along.” Orion’s tone made it clear Gabrielwasinterrupting us.
“Yes, of course.” He twisted and tapped something to his left.
Admittedly, I hadn’t been around Gabriel too many times in my life, but I’d never seen nor heard of him being rattled. At that moment, however, he was quite flustered.
“We’ve, ah . . . analyzed the data you transmitted. It’s perplexing to say the least. I’ll send you the conclusions, but the bottom line is we need to neutralize it before it becomes a threat.”
I sat up straighter. We couldn’t disable it long range. “You realize we’ll need to capture it to make sure it isn’t used.”
Orion stiffened beside me. “Gabe, we’re talking about engaging Lael and his team directly. We only saw three others, but even that’s too many for the two of us. It’s too dangerous.”
I put my hand over Orion’s. Gabriel’s eyes followed where my hand rested. “You two need to lead the team. You’ve both been to the property, and Zeke has seen the operation firsthand. Frankly, none of the other scientists are trained for a field mission.”
“Neither is Zeke!” Orion slapped the table with his free hand.
“Yes, I am.”
Orion tore his attention from Gabriel’s image and fixed it on me. He never asked the question I knew he wanted answered.
“Dad trained me since I was twelve. Not like he did Jax and the others, but I can hold my own. You said I was better than you expected, and that’s because I’ve had some practice.”
“There is a big gap between ‘some practice’ and being mission ready.”
Breathing steadily, I kept my cool. His attitude came from the best place, but it still needed to be adjusted. I reached toward the image. “Excuse us, Gabriel.”
Without waiting for Gabriel to agree, I paused the transmission. “Ori?—”
“It’s too dangerous. Lael’s good. Not as good as me, but I can’t fight him off and protect you from three or more of his accomplices.”
I didn’t need affirmation of his feelings, but this shouted them loud and clear. “Thank you. I appreciate you care about me. But . . .” I held up my hand hoping he’d let me finish. He squeezed his lips shut and nodded. “I’m not agreeing to go if it’s just you and me. You’re an amazing fighter, but I won’t risk your life, either.”
I put a hand on his cheek. “I love that you’re worried for me, but trust that I have a healthy streak of self-preservation. I’magreeing to go, and so are you, but Gabriel needs to send us a team or both of us are staying home.”
“Telling me what to do, are you?” His smirk gave away his true meaning.
“Sometimes, but only when I’m wearing clothes. Once I lose those, I prefer you give the commands.”
He snickered and shook his head. “You’re going to make my life interesting, aren’t you?”
Despite the moment, a deep feeling spread through me. He’d already accepted we were anus. “For as long as you let me be in your life, you should count on it.”
Orion surprised me by pulling me closer so he could kiss me. “I already am.”
Before I could respond, he resumed the call. “Fine. We’re in, but we need to talk resources.”
Gabriel held up a placating hand. “Relax. I’ve ordered a team to support you and secure the area once it’s clear. They’ll be there in the morning.”
The idea of deliberately walking into what amounted to the perfect suicide situation made my heart thunder. Not just out of fear for myself but also the thought of Orion being hurt trying to protect me. Dad had warned me about the staggering risk of having someone you care about exposed to danger.
“That’s a good start,” I said, keeping my voice as level as possible despite my inner turmoil. “But we’ll need a plan to mitigate the danger Lael and his machines present.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said. “I’ll have our people work up a full tactical assessment overnight and we can discuss it in the morning.”
I wasn’t a warrior, so I wasn’t used to these types of situations. My hands were clammy, and I felt that tingling in the pit of my stomach that I got when I was anxious as all get out.When this was over, I needed to have a long talk with Dad about the experience.
“Can they be here by 9:00 a.m.?”
“That’s workable,” Gabriel said. The serious expression he wore most of the conversation changed in a heartbeat. “And congratulations. For what it’s worth, I think you are perfect for each other.”
