Page 120 of Elite Metal: Warriors

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

It was for the best.

Really, it was.

She didn’t know what kind of man he was. She didn’t realize he was not capable of giving her what she needed. And they were too different.

That was important to remember.

She was an Elitnyye Voiny agent and he was committed to the Elite Metal team. She lived on the other side of the planet. It was better this way.

It was.

With a heavy sigh, he headed back into the living room and dropped into a chair.

Gregor frowned at him, but this was nothing new.

Cooper frowned back.

“What did you say to her just now?”

He shrugged. “Nothing.” Literally. Nothing. “Why?”

“You should have seen her face when she walked by.”

No. He shouldn’t. It was the last thing he wanted to see. “Was she angry?”

The old man narrowed his eyes. If he’d been a kitten, he’d probably have hissed. “She looked…hurt.”

Nonsense. “She’s tough as nails.”

“You know nothing.”

Honestly, the man was a puzzle. He hated Cooper, didn’t want him anywhere near his little darling, but got mad when Cooper blew her off. Pick a side.

Gregor’s expression tightened. “She sacrificed everything to save you.” Damn. He sounded pissed.

“What do you mean?”

“She was close to finding Nurelnikov, but blew her cover to get you out of there.”

Cooper glanced in her direction. She sat at the dining room table, ostensibly checking her weapons. “I appreciate that.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“Um. I’m pretty sure I do. I would have died if she hadn’t come.”

“No, I don’t think you understand what she gave up.” Why did he have the sense that he was being flogged by a disapproving father? And why did he care?

He never cared. He never allowed it.

“What did she give up?”

“Her lifelong dream to kill a man.”

Hookay… Yeah. He’d certainly never met a woman with a dream like that before. “Who is it?”

“The man who killed Boris Petrova.”