Page 52 of Direct Action

Ryan’s eyes roamed my face for a moment, then, like we didn’t have company and he hadn’t just dangled my wildest dream in front of my face when I couldn’t reach out and grab it, he made it worse.

“Damn, you’re gorgeous in the morning.”

I hadn’t looked in the mirror before I left Ryan’s room, but I felt like a mangy cat who’d been out in the rain all night and was in desperate need of a bath, and I was pretty sure that was what I looked like.

“Listen—”

“Get some coffee,” Ryan interrupted. “Then we’ll shower and head to your house so you can change your clothes. We’re meeting Poppy at Pete’s place in a few hours.”

Poppy at Pete’s place.

That was a mouthful of Ps in one sentence. It was also confusing, and not because of the Ps.

“Why is Poppy at place Pete’s?” I shook my head and started again. “Pete’s place.”

I heard Gavin chuckle.

Damn. I totally forgot he was in the room.

“Next up we’ll be eating a peck of pickled peppers with Pete and Poppy at Pete’s place.” Gavin snickered.

Ryan rolled his eyes, ignored his friend, and answered me. “She’s not there. Jack and Cat are going to pick her up there for the meeting.”

“Meeting?”

I was never fond of anyone speaking to me like I was a child, but I found when Ryan did it, I became incensed. “Did you forget yesterday?”

“No, Ryan, I didn’t forget yesterday. But yesterday was yesterday and it doesn’t explain why there’s a meeting at Pete’s and why Poppy, not to mention me, will be attending this meeting.”

“Poppy’s friend is missing,” he unnecessarily reminded me. “We’re looking into that. The we in that is me and the guys. To do that, we need information from Poppy. You’re going to be there because your friend was freaking out yesterday and, today, she’ll be no less freaked. We also might need you to fill in some blanks about the Vault. Then when we’re done with that, we’ll talk about when Poppy’s giving notice and you quitting and how that’s going to work.”

Dread hit my stomach like a boulder.

“I’m not—”

“I swear to Christ, if you tell me you’re not quitting, I’m gonna cuff you to my goddamn bed until this is over.”

I jerked back in surprise. Not at what Ryan said but at the sincerity I saw blazing through his anger.

“You’d cuff me to your bed.”

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?”

“No, baby. You’re the one who’s fucking insane if you think there’s anything in this world worth continuing to work at a place where women have gone missing from. Women who, honest to God, I pray are dead, because if they’re not, they’re living in a nightmare and I don’t wish that shit on anyone except the monsters who force them to live that shit. And since I wouldn’t wish that life on my worst enemy, I sure as shit will do whatever I have to do to keep you from going back and putting yourself in danger.”

He was right, but he was also wrong. There was something worth risking my life for.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Seriously. Did you not pay attention to any-fucking-thing from yesterday?”

“Oh, I paid attention. But you sure as shit didn’t.”

Gavin cut into our argument. “I’m gonna go get dressed.”

“I am too,” I announced. “I work at noon. Would you mind dropping me by my place so I can get ready?”