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Eli cuts him off. “I’m sure it was, but—” his dark eyes narrow on Brady, and when Eli speaks next, his voice has a silver wire sharpness that’s cut me a time—or ten—before. “Your statement to Jeb just now clearly points to an overestimation of your abilities. For the success of our future working relationship, I can only hope your rudeness is based on ignorance rather than groundless delusions of superiority toward him.”
Eli is defending me. No one has ever done that before. Never.A warm, shimmery fullness invades my chest.
“I-I,” Brady stutters
“Because,” Eli says, continuing his attack. “If you’d had any real field experience, you’d know any tech, no matter how cutting edge it is, turns to cruft without implementation in the field. And Jeb, here,” Eli nods at me. “Is a brilliant, natural tactician who is capable of real-time, multiple-scenario execution.” He gives me a look of admiration that I swear makes me feel three feet taller. “Without him, you and I are just glorified data analysts, and treating him as anything less than a crucial part of operations is unacceptable.”
Brady turns to me, red-faced and obviously miserable at upsetting his crush-slash-hero. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sorry if I was rude.”
More like he’s sorry Eli called him out on it, but I don’t care. I’m so warmed by Eli’s defense of me that I’d probably wave it off if he’d shot me point blank.
“No problem,” I tell him, settling back into my seat. “Why don’t we forget about it and have some of those meatballs?”
“Actually,” Eli says. “I’m not hungry, and I think we discussed what we needed to today. Anything else can be handled remotely for now.”
He turns toward me. “Is there still time for your original plans for this afternoon?”
I can’t help grinning while I look at my watch. “We can just make it.”
Eli nods and rises from the table and nods goodbye to Brady. I give him a salute and don’t bother to drop off any cash on the table for Eli’s soda or the beers I had.Bye Chump. Hope you manage not to fuck up your next date before the food is served. And oh yeah, let your lucky companion know it's a date.Then I follow Eli out of the restaurant.
We have some horses to go see.
Chapter14
Eli
Tennessee
“Ya ready?” Jeb asks as he drops a red trucker hat with the Patriots Now logo emblazoned across it on my head.
Leaning back, he studies me critically and flicks the hat slightly to the right. “Cute,” he says and gives me one of his winks.
I should be used to his casual flirting by now, but each and every time he does it, my body goes warm and clamors for more of his attention even though I know Jeb flirts as easily as he breathes and making hearts flutter is just a habit of his.
I cover up my response with an irritated grimace. “I still don’t understand why you insist on these ridiculous outfits.” I point to my shirt that has an AK-47 across it and then to his shirt, that declares ‘Might Is Right’.
“Because,” he says, examining our reflection in the bathroom mirror. “These outfits will do most of our work for us. I could get up there and spout hours of bullshit, but most of the customers and staff won’t remember a goddamned word I said. They’ll remember the outfits, though, and the fact that they were robbed by two devastatingly handsome men.”
I give a disbelieving snort and unlock the door to the bathroom we’d used to change in and follow a long hallway until we approach a heavy door. “Here we go,” Jeb says, pulling his gun and kicking open the door to the store we plan on robbing.
It’s one of Nashville’s oldest and most prestigious jewelry stores. It has excellent security, but not today. I disabled it. No flashing lights, alarms blaring, or bars coming down to cage us in.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the show,” Jeb calls out, crossing the length of the store so everyone can see his gun while I guard the door with my fake automatic weapon. “My partner and I’ll be taking a little of your time today while we fund a revolution.”
He nods at the older, attractive woman wearing a tight bun standing behind the counter. “Care to show me your uncut diamonds?”
The woman looks at Jeb coolly, but does as he asks, and lays a tray of glittering diamonds out in front of him.
“Pretty,” Jeb says, picking one up. “But I said the diamonds, sweetheart, not the moissanite and cubic zirconium that you add the carbon spot to fool the locals who don’t know any better.” He shoves the tray so the gems scatter across the floor. “I want all the VS Ones you have in-house.” He leans over toward the lady in the tight bun. “And before you try to fuck me over again, I’ve been tracking your deliveries, so I have a good idea of your inventory.”
This time, the woman appears more ruffled, as she goes to a safe and pulls out another tray
“Much better,” he praises her, and rewards her with one of his hundred-watt smiles, and even though she’s being robbed by him, she reflexively smiles back.
Unbelievable.
He places the diamonds in his backpack, which is my signal. I drop my backpack to the ground and kick it across the floor and move to cover the store’s other entrance. Jeb looks to me, and I flash him a two-minute sign.
