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"I do agree that Riley shouldn't be doing this," Rhoan added. "She's not trained for undercover work."
"This won't be dangerous," Jack said impatiently. "And Quinn will be there to protect her."
"None of us have been doing a very good job of protecting her so far." Rhoan met my gaze. "It's your call."
Which meant he'd back me, no matter what I decided. Even if it meant going up against Jack's orders. I smiled, loving my brother more than ever.
"It's Liander doing the disguising, and I trust him." I looked at Jack. "I need an end to this madness. I want to get back to a normal life."
He didn't say the obvious - that for me, the chance of a normal life had well and truly slipped by. But he was thinking it. I could see it in his eyes.
"Good," was all he said. "Kade, Quinn, and Riley, get some rest. Rhoan, you go back to town and get Liander. Take a couple of men with you."
I waited until the three men had left, then met Jack's gaze. "There's one thing you seem to have forgotten. My nightly appointments with Misha start tomorrow."
"I haven't forgotten it. The function is early evening. A car will pick you and Quinn up at ten, and deliver you back to the airport. Quinn's using his own plane, and the jet will have you back in time for your meet with Misha."
"If all goes according to plan." And so far, nothing had.
"Things are starting to fall our way, Riley. It'll be all right."
I rubbed my arms, and hoped like hell he was right, because it wasn't only my life on the line tomorrow, but Quinn's as well. Jack seemed to have forgotten that Quinn had already been the target of several assassination attempts. Or maybe he simply didn't care.
"Here's an image of the general and his wife." He swung the com-unit around so I could see the pics. The general was tall, solidly set, with salt-and-pepper hair and a craggy face. His wife was tallish, thickish, with a nondescript sort of face and dull brown hair. The sort of couple you wouldn't even look twice at.
"Go get some rest," he added. "You look beat."
I was. But as I stood outside the door, sniffing the air to sense which direction Kade and Quinn had gone, it wasn't sleep I had on my mind. But luckily for me and my need for sleep, my hormones weren't running the ship just yet. I found an empty cell, stripped down, and went to sleep.
But it could hardly be called rest.
Not when my dreams were invaded by a faceless man who took his fill of me and left nothing in return.
A man I'd once known intimately.
A man whose name hovered close enough to taste, but not remember.
woke to the awareness I was no longer alone. The air was rich with muskiness, and stirred frustrated hormones to life. I opened my eyes.
Kade sat in the chair opposite the bed, and smiled when he saw me watching him. "Thought I'd wander in and offer you an apology."
"Not to mention enjoy the view." I thrust the blankets away and stood up.
His gaze slid down me, appreciative and warm. "Well, there is a whole lot to enjoy."
"As long as you look and don't touch. There's work to be done, and very little time."
"There's always time for sex, sweetheart."
My hormones hastily formed a cheer squad at the prospect of some horse-shifter loving, but I managed to ignore them. "Is Liander here?"
"Yep."
"Then there's no time."
He rose and walked toward me. I pressed a hand against his chest, stopping him before he got too close. "I said no, Kade."
He took my hand, and raised it to his lips. His breath was warm on my fingertips, his kiss soft, sweet. "What if I promise to be quick?"
