Page 23 of Fallen Hero

No hesitation, Calista was all in.

“Tonight. Shep has a helicopter on standby to get her out of the UAE as soon as we can get her to a helipad.”

Fallon let out a low whistle. “Doesn’t give us much time to plan.”

“We’ve had less,” Pete reminded him.

“True,” he agreed. “But that’s us. Not us with a strap.”

Calista’s left eye twitched, and I couldn’t hold back my chuckle.

That twitch turned into squinty eyes. “Something funny?”

“Yeah, you,” I told her.

Another twitch, and my smile couldn’t be helped either.

“What’s funny about me?”

Seriously, the woman was hot when she was pissed and going toe to toe with me.

“Just find it amusing Fallon called you a strap, and you immediately went into that pretty head of yours and started plotting murder. For the record, you need to leave him in one piece. He wants a casket and the whole nine yards. It’d help if Pete and I didn’t have to collect body parts when you’re done with him.”

“Figures a guy dumb enough to piss off an assassin would want a funeral. Bet he wants ‘Amazing Grace’ played on the bagpipes while a roomful of mourners blow sunshine and tell stories about how kind and generous he was.”

I also found it hilarious she was talking about Fallon like he wasn’t in the room while staring me dead in the eye when she admitted she was a gun for hire.

No prevarication.

No hiding who she really was.

No using words like ‘allegedly.’

No shame.

No bullshit.

No games.

All things I respected.

All the more reason to get this job done and get the hell away from her before my control slipped.

“Yes on the bagpipes, no on ‘Amazing Grace.’ And I am a kind, generous person,” Fallon returned with a smile.

He was kind and generous unless you crossed him or someone he cared about, then Fallon Harris was ruthless and demonic.

“What else would bagpipers play? ‘Scotland the Brave’?” Calista quipped.

“‘Thunderstruck.’”

Of all the topics Calista could’ve possibly hit on, she had to stumble onto one that would lead to me wanting to poke my eardrums with ice picks.

“What are the chances?” Pete muttered, mirroring my thoughts.

“There’s this hot chick on YouTube who does rock ’n’ roll covers. I’ve set money aside to have her flown to my funeral,” Fallon said while pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Here we go.