Page 82 of Fallen Hero

“Nothing’s happening,” I wheezed.

But something was. The evidence of Mason’s claiming was right there on my breast.

His mark.

I clenched my thighs at the sight.

If Pete hadn’t interrupted, would I have begged him for sex? Yes, absolutely. Yes, without question, I’d been ready for more.

“Calista,” Atlanta snapped. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

“What’d you say?”

“Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on? Did Amir do something?”

Shit, I knew that tone, it was Atlanta’s I’m going to ruin your life with a few keystrokes voice.

“No. Dinner went fine. He’s slimy, made a few passes, but I made it clear I was uninterested, and he let it go. Mason was there the whole time. Fallon too. But . . . Jason was there.”

“What? At dinner?”

“At the bar. I saw him as I was walking out.”

“Fuck, Calli.”

Fuck was right. I’d lost my advantage.

“It’ll be fine. I lost the element of surprise in the sense he knows I’m in Dubai, but he’d never imagine who I’ve turned into. The only thing he’s going to find on me is that I’m a freelance journalist. Most of my articles are about crimes against women and children. With my background, that won’t raise any red flags. I’m proceeding as planned. Which reminds me, did you get ahold of Tanner?”

Atlanta blew out a harassed breath. “Yes. I gave him the information on Sparkle.” I didn’t miss her chuckle slash sneer. “He said it would take him a few days to get a team together, but he’ll take care of it.”

“And my kit?”

“He’s got a Steyr DMR and two Colt M-nineteen-elevens for you.”

I would’ve preferred a Knight’s Armament SR-25, but a beggar can’t be choosy.

“What kind of glass on the Steyr?”

Her pfft made me smile. “Like I’d let Tanner give you shit optics. He sighted in a Leupold Mark 5HD for you at a thousand yards, just in case. But it’s not like you’re gonna use the Steyr.”

She was correct. The long-distance rifle was a just-in-case backup. This particular mission would be up close and personal.

“Thanks.”

“On a scale of a little mad to super-extra-double mad, where are you now?”

My exhale felt like I’d let out a breath I’d been holding for twenty years. Maybe it was because I was so close to finally getting peace for my sister, or maybe it was the three glorious orgasms Mason had given me, or maybe I was just tired of my life, but I felt like I could almost taste my freedom.

“A few notches up from a little mad but nowhere near really mad.”

“Okay, now that we got the fun stuff out of the way, tell me why, when you answered, you sounded . . . strange.”

“I thought you said I sound squeaky,” I reminded her.

And why am I having this conversation in only my undies?

I snatched a towel off the bar and wrapped it around me.