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Wit read her tone and the concern in her expression. “What do you know?”
“All I know at the moment is those agents that blindsided you and your team don’t work for anyone,” she informed.
“Muscle for hire,” he replied, and she nodded. “Dirty Dozen?”
“No. They did show up, though. I might have been made thanks to them.”
“Whoa.” Wit’s eyes widened with surprise, and he put his hands up in the air to interrupt her. “The Dozen was there too? And what do you mean bymadeyou? Who are you worried about finding out you were there? Surely, our team saw you too.”
“Nope. They were trapped inside while all those bullets flew. Bozz and his people took on the guys who had you. Honestly, if not for them, you probably would be tied to a chair in a warehouse somewhere… or worse.”
“Shit. They said they were arresting me –– flashed some bogus shields and roughed up the team a little,” Wit told her. “I didn’t do what they said I did, Aye. I’ve done a lot of fucked-up shit that comes with this job, but I didn’t kill anyone.”
“I know.” Ayelish was sympathetic, noting the accusation didn’t sit well with Wit. “Those guys aren’t official anything. They weren’t arresting you.”
“Some private army?” Wit questioned as he began to pace. “Bad branch of rogue government? Black ops? Something off the books? It wouldn’t be the first time, and this seems to be an ongoing trend. You’re sure this wasn’t the Dozen?”
“Definitely not. Quite opposite, actually,” she shared. “They gavemecover to getyouout of there. That’s when I was made. They were acting as a friendly and had the team’s back.”
“So they’re in the biz of protecting Keepers?” He chuckled.
“Honestly couldn’t tell you why they were there or what brought them there, but thank God they were,” Ayelish admitted as she went to a nearby wet bar and poured a drink, raising the bottle to Wit as if asking if he’d like one too. He shook his head no, so she continued. “Thinking back, it was all very spontaneous and off the cuff. I think they were just as surprised to see our people as we were to see them.”
“Someone is playing both of us, then,” Wit assumed.
“Think back to all our encounters with the Dirty Dozen, even before I joined the ranks,” Ayelish said.
“Yeah, less of an enemy, more of an ally?”
She nodded. “And we keep chasing the same enemy, so a lot to unpack there. I’m sure the team is already chasing down leads to figure out why you were the target.”
“You know I like bein’ the center of attention, darlin’,” Wit teased.
Ayelish tossed back a hefty gulp of liquid amber, her expression revealing the pleasurable burn. “Don’t I know it.”
“While everyone’s tryin’ to figure out why I’m the star of this show and why those assholes came for me, maybe you can answer me a question?” he asked.
“What’s that, Wit?”
“Whyyoucame for me,” he deadpanned.
Ayelish moved his direction, a certain sway to her hips and sultry stare fixed on Wit. “Had a lead. Your name came across the wire when I was working my case.”
Wit met her in the middle, toe-to-toe they stood as he looked down into her eyes, searching for truth. “You sure that’s all, darlin’? I know I’m wearin’ on you. My mama always said I’m an acquired taste, and I think you just might be cravin’ it.”
She bit her bottom lip as he swept a lock of her fiery red hair off her shoulder and tucked it behind her ear. “You’re definitely wearin’ on me, Cowboy. On my last nerve anyway.”
He chuckled and ran his hand down her cheek, then cradled her neck. “Maybe you can answer another question for me?”
“What’s that?”
“Who was in the car with us, and where are they now?”
6
Wit sat near the window,peeking through the curtains every so often as the sun set beyond the umbrella of trees and darkness settled in. Ayelish was in the kitchen, where he could hear her stirring around. He wasn’t sure what she was doing in there. Wit was watching. Watching outside. Watching for someone in the trees, a threat lurking in the shadows. Anything. Everything.
Ayelish denied that anyone else was in the car with them, and despite her stone-faced expression as she insisted on her truth, he knew she was lying. Giving away nothing gave away everything. He couldn’t wrap his mind around why she would lie. What was she hiding, and did it make her an enemy and no longer his ally? She was good. Too good. This was the kind of shit they were trained for. He’d met his match.
