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He stomped over to the open back door where Selma most likely fled. He stepped outside onto the back patio and pulled his gun, gaze searching the expanse of empty beach. “Where the hell are you?”
Stepping off the edge of the deck, he circled the house, reaching the front just as a sporty, red convertible shot out of the garage and roared headlong into the street.
Seething, head full of doubts, Ryland watched Selma Santiago make her escape.
And he was more confused than ever.
???
The ride back was tense and Harper could feel the change in Ryland. That sneaky bitch. Selma had managed to rock his faith in the very people he should trust the most. Granted, Harper didn’t know Ryland’s team very well, but what she saw told her they were a good group of people.
She wished she’d been able to meet Tanner. Losing him had hurt Ryland immensely—she could see it in his eyes every time his friend’s name came up.
By the time they arrived at the bungalows, Pharaoh and Saint had already returned. They informed the others that Tillman was MIA and they had no more information on him. Meanwhile, Ryland and Bruja filled them in on the conversation with Selma Santiago and how she’d revealed her husband was also a part of The Agency. Then how she’d run off after tasing Bruja.
“Thatputahad it hidden in the drawer. By the time I realized it, she’d hit the trigger.”
“You think she’s hiding something?” Pharaoh asked.
“Definitely,” Ryland said. “Why else would she run?”
“Maybe she went to warn her husband,” Saint offered.
Or maybe she was lying about everything,Harper thought. She hardly seemed like a trustworthy person.
“I’m going to run searches on Marcus Santiago and see what else I can dig up on Tillman,” Banshee said. “Hang tight.”
“I’m starving,” Bruja announced. “Nothing like fifty thousand volts to send your metabolism into high gear. Harper, you want to help me throw some food together?”
“Sure.” Harper looked over at Ryland who nodded.
“Just no mango, okay?” he joked.
“No mango,” she agreed, and Banshee made a scoffing sound.
The women moved into the kitchen and started chopping up the fresh fruit Banshee had brought in earlier. The more time she spent with Bruja, the more Harper liked her. But she held her cards close to her chest like the rest of his team. She knew they’d been ordered to, but it sure made it harder to get to know them better.
“You mentioned you were in the Army?” Harper asked.
“That’s right,” Bruja stated, slicing up a pineapple.
“What made you choose a military career?”
For a moment, she thought the other woman wasn’t going to answer. But then she said, “I’m a military brat. It’s all I ever knew.” She gave a shrug and dumped the pineapple chunks into a bowl.
“Did you like it?”
“I like how it challenged me. Of course, it’s never easy being a woman in a male-dominated world and the military can be filled with a lot of testosterone. So I learned to be tough and not take anyone’s shit. And, somehow, I managed to maintain my femininity.”
“It must be hard being on a team of just men.”
“I prefer it, actually. Women can get catty and hold grudges while men might argue or get in a pissing contest but, at the end of the day, you have to trust your team. And, in my experience, men work out their differences more quickly and easily than women.” Her face darkened and Harper had a feeling there was more to her story.
“Well, I admire you and can’t help but be a little jealous,” Harper admitted as she peeled an orange.
“Jealous? Of me?” Bruja asked, her voice laced in amazement. Then she let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Don’t be. Besides, you’re the gorgeous blonde sporting a hickey, Harper. Not me.”
Her face reddened and Harper immediately reached up and laid a hand on her neck. Right over the spot where Ryland had sucked and kissed hard enough to leave a mark. Her blood instantly heated at the memory. “Oh, God,” she mumbled. “Do you think everyone noticed?”
