Page 57 of Lethal Salvation

“Because he wants something,” Gideon spat.

“Yes, but even so, the fact he wants something from us could still work to our advantage. We should divide and conquer. Lotus and Damon can keep Marsha busy while we try and talk to Carter.”

Lotus gave Damon a grin before draping herself over his shoulder. “What do you say, lover, can we pull it off?”

Damon rolled his eyes. “I can handle it if you can. But you’ve got to promise not to fall in love with me.”

“Ha, as if.”

Lotus moved away and Duchess got the distinct feeling she was missing something with those two.

“That’s settled then. We’ll keep the plan the same, but you guys know what to do.”

“Do we have an update on Hansen’s whereabouts?”

“Germany was the last sighting.”

“We really need to pin this fucker down,” Reaper growled.

“Agreed. This has gone on long enough.”

“Something tells me this is coming to a head.”

Something about the way Bás said it made Duchess shiver. The time was coming for her to have a chat with her boss and find out just what he was hiding from her and the team regarding Hansen.

“Well looks like it’s time to go dress shopping.”

Lotus grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs that led to an upper floor where an array of provisions was stored, including clothing, props, disguises, weapons, and spare comms.

Duchess groaned and glanced at Gideon, who’d rushed to catch up. She wanted to be with him, to go back to the little bubble they’d created in Italy but real life was pulling them apart already. He pulled her from Lotus gently with a wink and gave her a grin that made her body go up in flames. The things that look conveyed should be illegal.

“I’m going to catch up with Damon, but I’ll see you later.”

His head descended and he kissed her, his hand cupping the back of her head and moving her exactly where he wanted her. If he hadn’t stopped when he did, she was sure her legs would have buckled.

“Jesus, that was hot. I need to go call Lucía.” Reaper jogged past them and Gideon smiled.

“Your friends are weird.”

Duchess laughed. “Yeah, I guess they are.”

Chapter 16

Gideon waited at the bottom of the steps in the main room of the warehouse they were calling home for now and paced. The last twenty-four hours had been crazy. From arriving here, to the discussion about Carter, to the chilli that despite burning away his tastebuds had been delicious, and not, as he’d suspected, poisonous.

“Stop pacing, Gideon. This isn’t fucking prom.”

“We didn’t have a prom, dickhead.”

Damon shook his head at his remark and leaned against the wall where they were waiting for Nadia and Lotus to meet them for the damn party.

He hated parties and this one was shaping up to be the worst in history. He had to walk into the viper’s pit with a woman he cared about knowing that at least one person in the room wanted him dead and had tried to kill him.

Worse was the realisation that if another attempt was made, she’d try and defend him again. He’d tried to talk to Bás about it but the man shut him down, telling him that Duchess was too good at her job for him to undermine her. He grudgingly respected the man for it, but it didn’t help his nerves.

A noise at the top of the stairs had him glancing up with a gasp. His chest contracted and for a second, he couldn’t draw enough air into his lungs, his heart seemed to swell taking up all the space. He knew if he died now he’d never get the chance to tell her how stupidly in love with her he was. “Wow.”

He took her hand as she reached the bottom step and the world around them fell away. Her dress was dark green with a heavily beaded square neckline and no sleeves. The skirt was full, in satin material the same shade as the beading and fell to the floor. Her hair had been pulled away from her face and her make-up was smoky and sultry and screamed sex. Her tattoos only enhanced the overall effect, elevating her to a level that was, in his humble opinion, unparalleled. If he were in any way inclined, he’d spout poetry about her beauty but he was not.