Page 77 of Thaddeus

“Emmy,” he warned.

“Thaddeus,” I whined.

“Not yet, baby.”

“Thad!”

“Patience. We have a plane to catch.”

“We can be quick.”

“No, agápi mou, the first time I take you again will not be in a rush. I want to take my time and confirm I remember every inch of you. As much as it pains me, I will not be taking you in a quick fuck against a wall the first time we’re together again.”

“Ugh.”

“It will be worth it.” He chuckled.

“I know it will, that’s the problem.”

His chuckle turned into a laugh and I was captivated by the sound.

God, I’d missed him.

Missed his laugh. His smile. His arms wrapped around me making me feel like I was the luckiest girl in the world.

“Hop down, grab anything you need for the suitcases, and let’s burn the rest of that shit before we leave.”

“Burn it?”

“Yeah, baby, we’ll take it out back, catch it on fire, and watch it go up in smoke.”

I liked that.

“But the stuff in there costs a mint. Maybe we should leave it and let the locals have it.”

“This may sound selfish, and you’re right—there are people who could use what’s in those suitcases—but I want that shit set ablaze. I want that for you and I need it for myself.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

It was wasteful and selfish on both our parts, but I couldn’t deny it. I loved the idea of watching my past go up in flames.

* * *

“You straight?” Declan asked Tatiana.

We were in Manicore, in a small, mostly dirty hotel room. We were also thirty miles to the south of Jefferson’s property. This was by design, the team was leaving Tatiana and me behind and they wanted us firstly to be away from what Thaddeus called ‘the action.’ But most importantly, they wanted us near the airport we’d flown into. If you could call the airstrip an airport. I had serious doubts we were making it back to the ground safely when the pilot had circled the area and I saw where we were landing. Thaddeus assured me the pilot was more than capable. I didn’t know how he’d known that and I didn’t ask. I just closed my eyes, held his hand, and prayed he was right.

He was.

We landed with a bounce, and taxied to a stop. There was an old SUV that again I had serious doubts about, but she’d started right up and Declan drove us, albeit cramped, to the hotel.

Now the guys were getting ready to leave.

The team had walked Tatiana—and me by extension because I was within earshot—through the main plan and backup plans no less than five times.

Thad, Declan, Kyle, Max, and Brooks were dressed head-to-toe in what I understood to be their uniform—black cargos, black tee, tactical vest with a bunch of stuff strapped to the front, a holster at the hip and the thigh. I’d seen Thad secure a knife at his calf and assumed the rest had done the same. None of them had slung their rifles over their shoulders or donned the black mask, but both items were on the bed waiting for the men to claim them.

“I’m straight, Dec. For the fifth time,” she replied.