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“So you wrote a program to become a cat whisperer,” Coy said.
“I guess you could look at it that way. I was genuinely curious, and if it were a child, we would all… try to fix it,” Killion said with a straight face. “So I gave the cat the same courtesy. It felt like the right thing to do. Nobody likes to be disliked.”
The men huddled around the exit shared knowing looks. This was Killion. Who he was. What he did. And how he did it. He approached life differently than the others, but usually, that’s what brought a lot of light to the dark worlds they all worked in and why they respected him so damn much. He cared. A lot. Even if he himself didn’t understand why.
“We’ll, uh, leave you to it, then,” Ronan said, offering his cousin a nod and smile.
As the room emptied, Cane grimaced at the change in Killion’s demeanor. His poker face was well played, but now his expression told a different story – one of worry and maybe even defeat.
“You got something, brother?” Cane asked.
“No? Maybe?” Killion was clearly battling something internally. “I didn’t want to put this out there for the whole team without having details –– specifics –– or know what any of this meant.”
“Okay. So tell me what it is.”
“I’m not done working this angle, but…” Killion paused, scratching his head, bothered by something.
“It’s okay, brother. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out,” Cane assured Killion, understanding emotions and the like were different for his brother and tended to be the only real obstacle his endless intelligence couldn’t help him through.
“His family—” Killion began.
“If you tell me all that uncle cousin shit is real…” Cane interrupted.
“He doesn’t have a family,” Killion blurted. “No one. He has no one.”
Cane stroked the day-old scruff on his chin as he often did when the tables turned and the picture blurred. “Shit.”
5
“You wanna tellme what the hell happened back there?” Wit questioned.
“That depends.” The woman smirked. “You still want to kill me?”
“Nah, darlin’, I’m goin’ to marry you,” Wit said, taking a step closer. “Now, what the hell happened back there, Ayelish?”
Ayelish O’Reilly was an enlisted operative whose cover was blown when her path crossed with that of her family’s business on a case gone bad. She’d discovered that the off-books unit she’d been employed by wasn’t exactly what she thought it was –– and Chalice was using her. Since then, she’d been working with BK Security as one of their most skilled and resourceful operatives helping the family business take down the international crime syndicate, Chalice.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Well, let’s see if I can recount this here thing back correctly.” Wit crossed his arms in amusement, finding her coy behavior humorous. “Some unfamiliar jackasses with bad intentions bound me, walked me into the middle of a gunfight –– after takingmygun, and leaving me no way to defend myself –– with a damn hood over my head, no less. Like I was playin’ dodgeball with bullets. Then you… you grabbed me? You with those assholes?”
“Right. I was there for all of that. I meant what do you mean about the getting married part.” Ayelish grinned.
“You’re feisty.” Wit took her into his arms and kissed her hard.
After giving in for a moment, Ayelish was quick to pull away. “You’re not charming. And no.”
“No, you won’t marry me?” he asked.
“No, I wasn’t with them. I didn’t grab you. I rescued you,” she added, moving farther inside the house that had seen better days.
Wit followed. “You rescued me from my own team?Ourown team?”
“I rescued you from those agents who had the worst of intentions, if I’m being honest. Our team was blindsided, and I had no way to intercept other than drive right into the middle of it and hope I got there on time to save your ass,” she said, looking at his ass before she smacked it.
Wit looked over his shoulder as if getting a glimpse of his backside too. “You like that, don’tcha?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ayelish said. “All playfulness aside, we need to be serious for a moment.”
