“But we have people watching the airport, including the private airstrips. I also have people at the ports, here and on Oahu.”
“Good. I know you’re just cleaning up Chip’s mess.”
Relief burst through him. He nodded. “I’m doing my best.”
Another long beat of silence. The smile sent his way had nothing to do with happiness. The warm comfort he had just felt seemed to dissolve, leaving him almost frozen.
“Just make sure you don’t fail. You know how I feel about that.”
With the wave of a hand, he was dismissed. Mason knew better than to respond to the dismissal. He hurried out of the room, planning his escape. This whole situation was going down, and he was not about to sink with the ship.
Nine
After breakfast, Lila was exhausted. It had nothing to do with her injuries. It was the interaction. She had never been someone who liked to be around a lot of people. Their expectations of her abilities always made her feel like a freak. They wanted to poke her brain. But the last few years, she’d gone full introvert.
“You should go rest,” Ian said.
He used that same bossy tone that had her entire body humming. Like, what the hell was that? It was weird. And uncalled for.
“I think we should keep working all of these names.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared. Her nipples tingled again. Again, what the hell was that? She wasn’t a virgin, but the two encounters she’d had didn’t prepare her for the hotness of Ian Smith.
“Lila, you need to rest. I have a feeling the owners of Dillon will want to talk to you. Best to have your head screwed on straight,” Sam said
She sighed and tore her gaze away from Ian. Her face flushed. Here she was objectifying his son, and Sam was being kind. His tone was a one eighty from his son’s.
“I guess you’re right.”
Ian grumbled something under his breath. She glanced at him, but his expression was placid. Damned spies. Rising, she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. How did she get so tired? She had slept a lot. There was no way she would admit she was tired, so she walked towards the bedroom. With another muttered curse, Ian stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm.
“What the hell?”
He said nothing. He just lifted her bridal style into his arms.
“You were about to fall down, you idiot.”
“Son,” Sam admonished.
“She was about to pass out.”
With that said, he marched down the hallway to the bedroom. As angry as he seemed to be with her, Ian settled her on the bed with a gentleness she had not expected.
“I’m getting you some water, then you are resting.”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Fine.”
He stomped out of the room muttering something under his breath. With a shake of her head, she slipped off the mattress and headed to the bathroom. When did he become so emotional? Where was the man they called Ice when he had been in the Elite Eight? She knew she would never come up with an answer, so she pushed those questions out of her head. She was already back in bed when he returned.
“Took you long enough.”
“My father is irritated with me.”
“That’s because he’s a softie.”
He reared back. “My father is not a softie.”
