In For the Kill (McClouds & Friends #11)(8)

“Don’t bother,” Sveti said. “Sam was just keeping me company. I seem to remember you bullying and threatening him to do so.”

“I didn’t tell him to get whisker burn all over your tits,” Tam said.

“Oh, shut up,” Sveti flared.

There was an awkward silence. Val spoke, his voice modulated to soothe. “Go on out, Sveti. Our uninvited guest has left the premises.”

“Um, who’s that?” Sveti kept compulsively smoothing her hair.

Tam rolled her eyes. “Who, she asks? You were having a seizure about Oleg fifteen minutes ago.” She gave Sam an appraising glance. “Never thought I’d say this, cop, but it appears you’re good. Who knew?”

He didn’t dare reply. Acknowledging that dangerous compliment could be his definitive bolt-cutter moment.

Sveti tossed her hair back. “Good, then. I’m glad he’s gone.”

“So are we all,” Tam said. “Time for you to call it a night. I’ve told Josh to get your coat. He’ll—”

“I’ll give her a ride home,” Sam said.

“No!” Everyone in the room, including Sveti, said it in unison.

Sam sighed. “Or not.” Fuck him. Whatever.

Cattrell strode in. “I couldn’t find her jacket. Tell me which—”

“No, you stay here,” Sveti said. “I’ll go alone.”

“Alone?” Cattrell looked confused. “They said you needed a ride!”

“I’ll get home by myself,” she said. “Give the ride to the lucky girl from the catering staff. Whichever one you pick for the night.”

Cattrell looked huffy. “We’ve been through this. I told you that I’m not interested in—”

“She knows,” Tam cut in. “Don’t flatter yourself. Puppy.”

“Stop interfering, Tam!” Sveti snapped. “It’s okay, Josh. I appreciate the thought, but I can call my own car.” Her eyes flicked to Sam. “Thank you all for a truly memorable evening.” She swept out.

Shit. The point of coming here had just walked out. The point of staying away was arrayed before him, between him and the door.

Josh Cattrell whistled softly. “Jeez. What’s up with her?”

Tam pointed at Sam. “Him,” she said. “He’s up with her.”

“Him?” The guy’s eyes got round. “You mean, you’re the cop?”

His fists clenched. “You were supposed to scare me off, right?”

“Didn’t work very well,” Nick observed.

“Sure didn’t,” Sam agreed. “The human shield here was too busy playing grab-ass with the catering staff to do his f*cking job.”

“You sound like you are blaming him.” Val’s faintly accented voice sounded amused. “It was lucky for you that he failed, no?”

“No, love.” The sweetness in Tam’s voice made his neck prickle. “He’s not feeling lucky. Maybe if we’d arrived five minutes later.”

He would have made it last longer than five minutes, but this hardly seemed the time or the company for that particular assertion.

“What the hell are you doing, Sam?” Nick’s voice was menacing.

“Minding my business,” Sam said, from behind clenched teeth.

“Sveti is our business,” Tam told him.

“Sveti’s an adult.” He barrelled through them, promptly disgusted at himself for stating it, which implied that it needed to be stated.

“I’m not comfortable with this,” Nick growled.

“Nobody asked you to be.” Sam struggled not to cringe as he brushed past Tam, who could poison him with an earring post. Tam’s exclusive jewelry line was named Deadly Beauty. Costly bling loaded with blades, explosives, or poisons. Sam wished he didn’t know about it. Not that he currently represented the law, but ignorance was bliss, if you could maintain it with any sort of credibility.

He slunk out of the place like a whipped hound and drove one-handed, to keep the hand that had gotten inside Sveti’s sweet body right under his nose. He would have licked it clean, but then her heady scent would be gone from his finger too soon.

And that kind of waste was criminal.





CHAPTER 2

Rome, Italy



Sasha peered out from behind the recycling bin at the pastry bar across the street. Tables were out beneath the striped awning, but it was too cold to sit out there. The guy was now ten minutes late.

He could still change his mind, and run like hell.

It scared him shitless, to choose the meeting place. Too much responsibility. He had no faith in his own wits. He’d failed to cover his tracks before. Sonia had trusted him, believed in him, and made him believe in himself. She’d shown him a way out of this black hole—and he had let her down. Let her die. He’d been paralyzed ever since. Afraid to move a muscle, or even think a thought for himself.

But it was Sveti in danger now. Careless, brainless idiot that he was, to have watched her online lecture with Josef in the room. He was so used to pretending he was alone while they guarded him. So used to being ignored. He tried to bore his guards into a coma, and mostly he succeeded. Being guarded upstairs was far preferable to being locked in the hole downstairs. More air. He’d been watching Sveti on the tablet on autopilot, just to look at the face of another human being who did not despise him. Just to listen to her soft, musical voice. It soothed him.