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She grimaced. “My problem is I hate going into things unprepared. It never works out well. I like to know what I’ll be up against, to be ready for the worst-case scenario.” God knew she’d been forced to walk into enough bad situations as a child, never knowing what to expect. But she wasn’t that helpless little girl anymore. She was an adult, in control of her life.
“You went in unprepared with Nick.”
“Yeah, and look how well that turned out.”
The minute the words left her mouth, Natalie regretted them. The color drained from Kyle’s face, and her heart lodged in her throat.
“That didn’t come out the way I intended.”
“No? Because it sure as hell sounded like you regret marrying my brother.”
“No.” She shook her head and slumped into her seat. “I never regretted a single moment I had with Nick. We were best friends. I loved him with all my heart. I miss him so much it hurts to breathe.”
Kyle watched her for several seconds before lowering his head. “I miss him too.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” He looked up at her again, his gaze angry. “Because you don’t act like it. All you’ve been these past couple of months is a pain in my ass. First with that damned book and its coded files, and now with your Agency rules and attitude. I made a vow the day my brother died in my arms, a vow to find his killer and bring him to justice, no matter what. That’s what I’m trying to do here: capture Nick’s killer and make sure he pays for what he’s done. Yet you seem determined to stand in my way at every turn.” He leaned forward, a small muscle jumping in his clenched jaw. “This is getting us nowhere. Either we agree to a true partnership, where we discuss any differences like grown adults, or we go our separate ways. We’ll see who triumphs in the end.”
Natalie held his gaze. Much as she’d like to tell him where to go, she couldn’t. Truth was, they could make a good team, if she gave him half a chance.Shewas the one who was screwing this up, and it wasn’t because she didn’t respect his abilities and skills. It was because she didn’t trust herself around him when they were getting along. She needed the bickering to keep them at a distance.
Still, she couldn’t risk the Agency’s mission by letting Kyle run free in search of Arrieta. He’d put a bullet between the terrorist’s eyes, and they’d lose the chance to mine the man for information that could save countless lives.
The best thing for everyone involved was for them to stick together. No matter how hard it might be to resist this growing attraction between them. Natalie sighed and lowered her head. “Fine. Our partnership stands. But you need to compromise, too, Kyle. I get that you like to charge into danger without a second glance, but there are times when holding back is good. We go in later through the ventilation tunnels and hit the servers before they change security at midnight. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” He frowned. “The rest of my team should be in position at their locations by then, too, so we should be good to go, coordination-wise.”
“Great.”
“Perfect.”
“Here you are, sweetie,” the waitress said, placing their check on the table, her gaze lingering on Kyle while she ignored Natalie completely. “You can pay me whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks.” He gave the older lady another dazzling smile, then pointed to Natalie’s empty mug. “Want more coffee? We’ve got some time.”
“Maybe one more refill.” She waited until the waitress filled her mug and left before stirring in more cream and sugar. “How long will it take us to get to Savannah?”
Kyle checked his watch. “It’s almost one now. If we don’t hit any more snags, we should get in around seven thirty. Plenty of time to rent a room and get a few hours of shut-eye before our break-in.”
The thought of sharing a motel room with Kyle filled her head with all sorts of naughty thoughts, but she tamped them down fast. “Yeah, that’ll be super.”
“Yeah.” He took a sip of his soda, not meeting her gaze. “Look, I’m sorry for being such an ass. It’s just that this mission is really important to me.”
“I know. It’s important to me, too, Kyle.”
He nodded, his expression pensive. “You know, when I first saw you in Nashville, I wasn’t exactly excited about it.”
“Hmm.”
“But I have to say it’s better than I expected.”
“Thanks, I think.” She gave him a wary look.
“I want you to know, I’m done.”
“Done?”
“Yeah. Done with the blame and the hurt and the pain. Nick wouldn’t want us fighting, and I don’t want it anymore either. I’d like us to get back to the way we were before Nick died. Back to being friends and trusting each other. Does that work for you?”
