when he’s only a few feet away.”
With delicate eyebrows lifted, Olivia dipped her chin. “Are you really trying to pull that on me? I know you. For the last few months now, you’ve pretended you like how things are between the two of you. Now that you’re going undercover, it’ll be different. You know, pretending to be a married couple, you’ll be with him up close and personal every waking moment. This is your chance to see if what you two had was real.”
“Hey, I already know it was lust and nothing else.”
“If that was true, it wouldn’t bug you so much to see him with Nic.”
“It doesn’t bug me.” She turned away, hoping the shadows concealed her flushed face.
“Liar.” Olivia grinned. “Just go with it and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll have him out of your system and show yourself to be an excellent operative willing to go the extra mile.”
“Have you and Jack been talking?”
“Jack? Hell, no.”
Seeing Olivia’s reaction, Abby decided to ask, “Is it true that you and Jack hooked up for a short while before he came to work for The Circle?”
“Who told you that?”
She shrugged. “Just something I heard and figured you wouldn’t mind me asking.”
“You of all people should know you can’t believe everything you hear.”
Abby stared at her for a few more seconds. Olivia hadn’t really answered her question. Not that it was important. She just liked to deal with the truth. Often it helped her understand people’s reasoning for saying the things they did. A person’s past influenced their every thought, including how they reacted to situations and their expectations of how others would react.
A pop followed by a whistling caught her attention. Then an explosion of light lit up the darkness nearby. The sharp smell of burned skin and hair filled the air as it rained thick blobs of something. In seconds, everyone ran low to the ground, straight for the shelter of the SUVs. Abby slid to a stop next to a wheel for extra protection. Rex bumped into her as he landed on his knees beside her. At the other end of the SUV, Ryker hunched over Marie, protecting her with his body.
Abby shook her head. Why had the woman gotten out of the vehicle? Marie would be so much safer back in the SUV—that was, if the person or persons shooting resisted firing on the vehicles. Then she heard Charlie cussing on the other side of the passenger door. A smart woman to drop to the floorboards, but they needed to find out who was shooting before someone was killed.
“Where’s Olivia?” Panic raced through her body. She pulled out her Sig from the holster at the small of her back.
“She can take care of herself. Were you hit?” Rex eyed her with concern. Moisture on her face and arms warned she would need to take an extra-long shower that night.
“I’m fine. Where’s Olivia?” Oh, God. She prayed the pieces of burning flesh hadn’t been anyone she knew.
Rex jerked his head toward where they’d parked earlier.
Abby stretched her neck to peer over the bumper. Olivia and Collin crouched at opposite ends of another SUV. So far only one person had been hit. No sight of the guard who had been standing near the vehicles. She guessed it was him. Where was the second one?
Several more pops echoed in the air; then the ominous whistling sound zipped overhead and struck the second guard, who was kneeling behind an overturned firing range table. His body exploded and scattered chunks of flame over several yards. Abby heard choking near her. Marie threw up in the grass while Ryker held her hair from her face.
A sick feeling clutched her stomach.
“That whistling, is it what I think it is?” She kept her voice low, not sure if she did so to keep the enemy from hearing her or to listen for that horrible sound.
“Yeah. We heard a case reached Inferno. They’re pissed and want the rest. They must have the software to program the chip.”
“You’re sure it’s them?”
“We
With delicate eyebrows lifted, Olivia dipped her chin. “Are you really trying to pull that on me? I know you. For the last few months now, you’ve pretended you like how things are between the two of you. Now that you’re going undercover, it’ll be different. You know, pretending to be a married couple, you’ll be with him up close and personal every waking moment. This is your chance to see if what you two had was real.”
“Hey, I already know it was lust and nothing else.”
“If that was true, it wouldn’t bug you so much to see him with Nic.”
“It doesn’t bug me.” She turned away, hoping the shadows concealed her flushed face.
“Liar.” Olivia grinned. “Just go with it and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll have him out of your system and show yourself to be an excellent operative willing to go the extra mile.”
“Have you and Jack been talking?”
“Jack? Hell, no.”
Seeing Olivia’s reaction, Abby decided to ask, “Is it true that you and Jack hooked up for a short while before he came to work for The Circle?”
“Who told you that?”
She shrugged. “Just something I heard and figured you wouldn’t mind me asking.”
“You of all people should know you can’t believe everything you hear.”
Abby stared at her for a few more seconds. Olivia hadn’t really answered her question. Not that it was important. She just liked to deal with the truth. Often it helped her understand people’s reasoning for saying the things they did. A person’s past influenced their every thought, including how they reacted to situations and their expectations of how others would react.
A pop followed by a whistling caught her attention. Then an explosion of light lit up the darkness nearby. The sharp smell of burned skin and hair filled the air as it rained thick blobs of something. In seconds, everyone ran low to the ground, straight for the shelter of the SUVs. Abby slid to a stop next to a wheel for extra protection. Rex bumped into her as he landed on his knees beside her. At the other end of the SUV, Ryker hunched over Marie, protecting her with his body.
Abby shook her head. Why had the woman gotten out of the vehicle? Marie would be so much safer back in the SUV—that was, if the person or persons shooting resisted firing on the vehicles. Then she heard Charlie cussing on the other side of the passenger door. A smart woman to drop to the floorboards, but they needed to find out who was shooting before someone was killed.
“Where’s Olivia?” Panic raced through her body. She pulled out her Sig from the holster at the small of her back.
“She can take care of herself. Were you hit?” Rex eyed her with concern. Moisture on her face and arms warned she would need to take an extra-long shower that night.
“I’m fine. Where’s Olivia?” Oh, God. She prayed the pieces of burning flesh hadn’t been anyone she knew.
Rex jerked his head toward where they’d parked earlier.
Abby stretched her neck to peer over the bumper. Olivia and Collin crouched at opposite ends of another SUV. So far only one person had been hit. No sight of the guard who had been standing near the vehicles. She guessed it was him. Where was the second one?
Several more pops echoed in the air; then the ominous whistling sound zipped overhead and struck the second guard, who was kneeling behind an overturned firing range table. His body exploded and scattered chunks of flame over several yards. Abby heard choking near her. Marie threw up in the grass while Ryker held her hair from her face.
A sick feeling clutched her stomach.
“That whistling, is it what I think it is?” She kept her voice low, not sure if she did so to keep the enemy from hearing her or to listen for that horrible sound.
“Yeah. We heard a case reached Inferno. They’re pissed and want the rest. They must have the software to program the chip.”
“You’re sure it’s them?”
“We
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