Page 72 of Colombian Chemistry

“Are you getting any?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe I’ll get your name tattooed across my ass. ‘Property of Irene.’”

With a grin, he tickled me and pulled me back against him.

I sighed and closed my eyes, so grateful to be back in his arms again.

“What time are we meeting Knox and Piper?” I asked.

Marcus glanced at the clock. “One hour. We should get up and get dressed.”

Piper, Knox, and Marcus had talked last night, and all agreed I needed basic defense training if I was going in. We had plans to meet outside the city, where they’d teach me to protect myself in the event things went south.

After dressing, Marcus and I jumped in his rented Jeep and drove to a quiet area far from the prying eyes and ears of the city. Knox and Piper sat side by side on the front of their Jeep.

“You ready to learn how to kick some ass?” Piper asked as she jumped off the hood.

Her beauty was otherworldly, like some superhot supermodel with legs that went up to my neck. She’d intimidated me when I’d first seen her, and not just because I’d known she was a capable killer. For a moment, I’d thought there was no way Marcus wasn’t attracted to her. Heck, even I was dumbfounded by her beauty. But she’d come to our room last night to go over her plan, and I’d quickly seen the platonic bond between them and realized that she wasn’t as terrifying as she first seemed. Well, she was still a lethal super-killer spy, but she didn’t feel dangerous to me, at least.

“I don’t know about kicking some ass, but I’m certainly ready to learn a little about defending myself.”

“When we’re done with you, you’ll be a one-woman-wrecking machine.” Knox grinned.

His smile was warm against the other features about him that looked downright threatening. His sheer size was enough to make me swallow down a lump in my throat the first time I’d seen him on the runway. Between his height and the size of his muscles, he looked like he should be playing pro football, or maybe even that wrestling stuff I’d seen once or twice on TV. But when the plane was safely away and we’d gotten to talking, I’d found that the man who looked like a deadly grizzly was actually as soft and sweet as a cub.

I listened closely while they each took turns teaching me about the three types of guns I’d encounter. How to load them, how to turn off the safeties, and how to shoot. Even though I knew I could never in a million years take a life, I still paid attention to every word they said.

“Just aim the sights on that tree and pull the trigger,” Marcus said as he stood behind me, helping me aim the pistol.

“Oh, I don’t think I can shoot a gun.”

“You got this, girl!” Piper cheered. “Teach that tree a lesson!”

“What are these bullets made of? Trees are very sensitive to metals in their trunks. Did you know a tree can die from one single nail being pounded into it? It’s really a tragedy more people don’t know that when they nail signs into them without a thought. Trees are the most important part of our ecosystem, and I don’t want to be responsible for killing even one. The Amazon is already under enough stress from deforestation. Statistics show more than twenty-five percent of the Amazon will be gone in the next decade. Twenty-five percent. That’s a startling number because we can’t survive on this planet without the Amazon.”

I was about to go on when I realized they all just stood staring at me, blinking.

“Jesus fuck,” Knox breathed. “You weren’t kidding when you said she was smart.”

Marcus chuckled. “That’s my brilliant and beautiful Irene.”

“Sorry.” I sucked the air through my teeth. “I didn’t mean to go on a tirade. I’m just really passionate about doing less harm to the environment.”

“A very commendable quality,” Piper said. “I think that’s really cool you’re so committed to something. Here. What about this mound of dirt? Anything wrong with shooting dirt?”

I looked to the heap of dirt she pointed to and shook my head. “No. Dirt isn’t a living organism. Though I suppose there are some bugs in there that could be killed.”

Marcus started chuckling and placed a hand on his head. “So now we aren’t killing bugs? You did kill some mosquitos in the jungle, if I recall.”

“I’ll shoot the dirt. The world can survive without a few bugs. Unless they’re bees.” My eyes widened. “You all know the importance of bees, right?”

“Yes, Sweetcheeks.” Marcus grinned as he spun me around to face the dirt mound. “We all know to help save the honeybees.”

“We’re doomed without them. Doomed.” I cast a stern glance between all three of them and noticed how hard they struggled not to laugh.

“Let’s first make sure you know how to use this gun so you can be alive to save the honeybees and the trees, okay, baby?”

I mused over his words, then nodded. “That is a noble reason for staying alive.”