Declan growls a string of expletives under his breath. “I rigged the shit myself. It’s fine.” He slams the briefcase closed, and I bug out. “Careful. Jesus Christ, do you want to kill us before we even get inside?”
“You, maybe.” He crosses his arms.
“Can you please get over yourself? I’ve never met such a whiny, bitchy mercenary before.” I reach for the rolled-up paper. “What’s this?”
“Bitchy?” He doesn’t like that adjective in the least bit.
“Yes, bitchy. Did I stutter?” I glare up at him while at the same time he stares down. A weird vibe flows through the air, drawing us unexplainably closer. It feels powerful, like a lit-up superhighway of attraction. I’m finding it a little too easy to get lost in those soulful green eyes. A little too tempting, and way too treacherous. I need to be smart and know there are lines that I just shouldn’t cross. Even if my hormones are screamingthis is the hottest man you have ever encountered.Why am I suddenly such a sucker for a pretty face?
“Blueprints.” Declan abruptly snatches the papers out of my hand, severing the strange connection. He proceeds to spread them out across the trunk floor. “Here is where the money is stashed.” Declan points to a small room in the corner of the warehouse. “This is where you’re going to drop the case.” He slides his finger over the schematics to the back of the building.
“I drop the bomb. How convenient.” I hate this whole plan already.
“It is convenient. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. You drop. I grab. We meet back, and then boom. Simple as that.”
“No offense, but you haven’t exactly given me any reason to trust you. So how do I know you’re going to wait for me to get out before the building goes boom?”
“You don’t.” He shrugs like the asshole he is.
“Fuck you, forget it. I’m not walking into a death trap. I’ll just tell Ronan you’re a prick and you tried to kill me. You can deal with him.” I start to walk away. I’m getting my shit and getting the fuck out of here.
“Wait.” He snags my arm, gripping it tightly, inciting a shot of pain. I don’t flinch though. I don’t show any sign of weakness. “Just chill out. I’m not going to blow you up.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” I stare straight into those fucking deep, sparkly, emerald-green eyes. They’re like a goddamn steel-jaw trap.
“I give you my word, okay?”
“Does anyone’s word really mean a damn thing in this business?” I challenge.
“Yes.” He leans into me, never severing eye contact. “It’s the only currency in this business that has value. And if I give you my word, I mean it.”
I don’t believe one syllable he says. “Fine,” I huff, ripping my arm out of his grasp. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“I’m down for that.” He pulls off his hat and tosses it into the trunk. Running his tattooed hand through his jet-black hair, he looks over the blueprints one last time.
I try to ignore the little flutter in my stomach. The growing attraction that is doing nothing but pissing me off. Declan is hot. Like, beautifully lethal and dangerously drop-dead gorgeous. A man who, if he got his hands on you, would know exactly what to do. And nothing is sexier in my opinion than an alpha male who carries himself with as much bulletproof confidence as he does hardnosed attitude. A ripped body and devastatingly handsome face don’t hurt either.
Catching me off guard, Declan grabs me and plops me on my ass in the back of the truck. “What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss.
“Gaining your trust.” He rests his hands on each side of my thighs and leans in close. I freeze, inhaling the startling effects of his aftershave, mixed with the Guinness on his breath.
If I’m being honest, I don’t hate it. But I’m not. I’m lying to myself. He’s just a coworker. Nothing more.
“All of a sudden?” I question.
“You want to get this shit over with, right?”
I nod.
“Well, so do I. I have my own problems to get back to.”
“Sounds like a blast.”
Declan grunts. “It’s not the path I had planned for myself. That’s for fucking sure.” He slides the black case over to me, opens it up, and pulls out a small detonator. He places it in my hand.
I look at him like he’s crazy. “You’re giving this to me?”
“You decide when it goes boom.”
