Whatever It Takes by Dixie Lee Brown Page A

toward the doorway, then back at Nate. “You know me. I like choices, and I’d really like to have both options available until we see how this goes down.” Joe paused and the room remained eerily quiet. “But, if you’d rather not, just say the word. We can always switch it up.”
    A low murmur drew his gaze to the doorway. Alex stood between Walker and Jim. Body stiff, disappointment darkened her features as she pursed her lips and rubbed the palms of her hands against her legs. At least Jim should be happy with Nate’s assessment of the situation, but it was impossible to read his deadpan stare. The meaning of his I-­warned-­you smirk, however, was pretty clear. Shit! Nate couldn’t catch a break. He met her gaze, knowing he owed her an explanation, but Alex spoke first.
    “I can do this.” Her voice was quiet and earnest as she searched Nate’s face. “I have to. Marco is waiting. Please give me a chance. You won’t be sorry.” She took a step toward him, then stopped and glanced at Joe.
    “I’m sorry, Alex. It’s Nate’s call,” Joe said.
    Nate studied her hurt expression and glanced at the bristling man beside her. Just what he needed. A knife-­happy, unpredictable, emotionally crippled partner with a bodyguard following her around, ready to beat the shit out of anyone who touched her.
    He scowled. If he was honest, there was way more to his reluctance than that. His attraction to her was like a persistent itch—­one he couldn’t quite reach, and it bugged the holy crap out of him. He was totally unprepared for the consequences of scratching that itch, yet her unique blend of strength and vulnerability drew him like no other woman ever had. He’d already screwed up, pushed too hard, and stolen a kiss she wasn’t ready to give. If they spent two days together in a motor home, Lord help them. He might as well figure on getting his ass kicked, physically and emotionally, because, sure as hell, he wasn’t coming out of this unscathed.
    He turned toward Joe and resettled his cap on his head. A deep breath escaped, and he found Joe watching him. “Alex is with me.”
    Surprise flitted over Joe’s face, and all Nate could do was shake his head. He didn’t know why he had to give her the chance she asked for or why he couldn’t stand the hurt that shone from her eyes. It didn’t matter why because he’d made up his mind.
    Joe glanced at his watch. “Okay. Liftoff in two hours.”
    Everyone headed for the door, including Nate, but Joe held up a hand that stopped him until the others had left the room. “I teamed you and Alex because you seem to work well together. The last time we were here, you coached her and she ended up doing a damn good job. The other night when she found you, she did what you asked her to do, right? She listens to you, but more than that—­she trusts you. You appear to have a calming effect on her, but if you’ve got another take on it, now would be the time to speak your mind.”
    Nate crossed his arms over his chest. He wouldn’t give two bits for any calming effect he might have on her, but, hell, he’d backed himself into that corner. It might end up being a mistake, but he wasn’t about to tell Joe the real story now. He heaved a sigh. “The last time you guys were here, Ty told me a little of Alex’s history. He said you pulled her out of a brothel in Hong Kong where she’d been held for years . . . that she was only a kid.” Nate’s body vibrated with rage at the image those words conjured in his mind. “He also told me she killed seven men the night you rescued her. True?”
    Joe held his gaze for a moment before he nodded. “My team was pinned down. They would have picked us off one by one. She’s silent and deadly, so don’t underestimate her. In case you feel bad for any of those men she killed, I could tell you what they did to her—­the things they made her do.”
    Nate’s gaze drifted over Joe’s shoulder to where Alex talked with Rayna