Rose made a face at him and turned away without arguing, which, in his opinion, she should have done in the first place. It would have saved a hell of a lot of time. What kind of man did she think he was? He protected his own. She was his woman, and when she put her life at risk, he was going to be guarding her precious little ass whether she liked it or not.
Mack leaned close. “You have steam coming up out your ears.”
“Why the hell do they have to be so fucking unreasonable?” Kane demanded.
Mack shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong man, Kane. I haven’t figured out anything yet, and I doubt if I ever will. None of them make sense to me, but I have to give you kudos for trying to discuss it with her. There were a couple of times I thought you might explode, but you didn’t show it.”
Lucas, you in place? Javier’s voice filled their minds even as he walked beside them, trailing behind the three women at a more leisurely pace. “Personally,” he told them aloud, “I think the only answer is to lock them up. It’s a matter of sanity.”
“Then what was that bullshit about Rhianna?” Kane snapped. “It wasn’t helpful.”
“Hell. What difference did it make? It got the argument over, and everyone knew, with the exception of Rose, that she wasn’t getting out the door without you.” Javier shrugged. “It saved time. And it’s the truth, not bullshit. Rhianna can get the job done.”
Kane knew it was the stark truth. Rhianna had grown up on the street, a hard, brutal life, and she was a survivor. She grew up clawing and fighting her way through the worst kinds of criminals as a child. Her body was a killing machine and her mind cool and brilliant. Everyone underestimated her in the same way they did Javier. She looked a certain way, and they took her at face value. No one would ever think she could be lethal. It was generally the last thought they had before they died.
Kane kept Rose in his sight, strolling down the street after her. She paused, and he saw her face light up. She threw her head back and took a deep breath. Had he been keeping her prisoner? It probably felt that way to her. He hadn’t deliberately locked her away from the world. The sun was out, and her hair shone almost blue black under the blaze. He loved the way she moved, flowing silk over concrete.
Fan out a little. Mack’s voice brought him up short. He was getting lost in Rose’s wonder, in the way she absorbed the outdoors and her freedom. She actually threw her arms out once, as if to embrace the world around her.
I should have seen how much she needed this, he confided to Mack.
Laughter floated back to him, turning heads around them. His body tightened. The three women were attracting a lot of attention. His eyes narrowed and his stomach settled. He loved watching her have fun, but that wasn’t his job. Keeping her safe was all that mattered. His attention had to be on the crowd, on their surroundings, not on Rose, as much as he would have liked to see her experience the freedom of having fun with friends.
Rose nudged Jaimie. “When do you get to the point of not being hyperaware of the team surrounding us?”
“Honestly,” Jaimie said, “it’s usually only a couple of them in the crowd and one on the roof. They’ve been at this since we were kids. Mack and Kane never wanted us to walk through a park without an escort. We lived in a pretty rough neighborhood.”
Rhianna nodded. “It was nice back then to know someone cared enough to look out for us. Jaimie had a mother, but she worked all the time. We spent a great deal of time alone.”
“What is it like having a mother?” Rose asked. “I never had one.”
Rhianna shrugged. “Jaimie would have to answer that. I never had one either.” She shifted her gaze to the crowd, her eyes seeking out a familiar face.
“My mother was awesome,” Jaimie said. “A best friend when I was young. I grew up too fast for her. Sometimes I felt as if I was a terrible disappointment, although I know in my heart I wasn’t. It was just that I never did the things most moms think about.”
Rose laughed. “I don’t know what moms think about. Me, I think about how fast I can take apart a weapon and put it back together again. Nice legacy to pass on to my child.”
“Your child will need it,” Rhianna pointed out. “Teaching him survival is the best thing you can ever do for him, Rose. Don’t let the rest of the world tell you any different.”
Rose smiled at her. “Thanks, Rhianna, that’s a nice thing to say. I’m totally winging it as far as the mother thing goes.”
“He’s beautiful,” Rhianna said. “I’ve never held a baby before. It was very different than I thought it would be.” She sent the other two women a wry smile. “I never even held a doll. Did you?”
Rose burst out laughing again. “Can you imagine Whitney giving us dolls? Hell no. You met him. He wouldn’t understand why a girl might want a doll. We were learning hand-to-hand combat, not playing with toys.”
“Not much preparation for his breeding program,” Jaimie said. “What did he think you were going to do once you had babies?”
“I think he planned to take them away from us and give them to professionals who would raise the ultimate soldier under his guidance,” Rose said.
“Someone needs to put a bullet in that man’s head,” Rhianna commented.
Rose loved the feeling of life pulsing around them in the marketplace. She identified half a dozen languages as they moved through the crowd. The place was alive with laughter. Two vendors argued politics. A husband and wife examined wares holding hands. Children raced down the rows, and parents chased after them.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Rose asked.
Rhianna grinned at her. “You really love this, don’t you?”
“Yes. It’s wonderful. Real people.”
“They’re real, all right. You see that man over there? The one lounging around looking hot with sunglasses and tight jeans?”
“Very hot,” Rose agreed.
“He’s looking for girls. Young girls with nowhere to go, starving for attention, hungry and scared. He’s a hawk, Rose, and he can spot one a mile out. The one over there, just in front of the row with all the flashy cool jewelry to draw kids is a drug dealer. That man over there beats the hell out of his wife, and those two kids are shoplifting, even though they’re wearing shoes that cost several hundred bucks a pair.”
“Rhianna!” Jaimie frowned at her.
“That’s what I see. I’m sorry, Rose. I shouldn’t have pointed them out to you. Just because it’s how I view the world, I shouldn’t put those images into your head.”
“Yes you should. How will I teach Sebastian if I can’t tell him what dangers to look for?” Rose objected. “How in the world did you learn to spot those kinds of things?”
“Hard experience,” Rhianna’s voice was strictly neutral.
Rose heard the warning. Rhianna didn’t want to talk about her past. She glanced at the set face and remained silent.
Jaimie put her hand gently on Rhianna’s arm. “Rose was in a breeding program, Rhee. She’s been forced to do things and see things neither of us has ever had to face.”
Rhianna flashed Rose a small smile. “Sometimes I have a chip on my shoulder. You know, the woe-is-me-I’m-such-a-martyr complex. Ignore me.”
“Nice to know you’re human. When we train, I swear you’re a machine.”
Rhianna’s smile widened. “If any one of us is a machine, Rose, it’s you. You just had a baby, and you run circles around us.”
It was the first time any of them had complimented her that way. Kane endlessly told her how beautiful she was, but no one had mentioned her abilities in the field. No matter how hard she’d tried, how much she embraced the things they taught her, how fast she learned, or how many times she hit the target without a miss, no one had commented. She tried not to let the glow she felt show on her face. These women—and Kane’s team members—viewed their lives matter-of-factly. They didn’t give compliments; they took it for granted that if you trained and worked with them, that you were elite.
She
found herself smiling. They’d accepted her not only into their family but as a member of their squad. She should have known. She had never been told she’d done a good job, she’d never been praised. If she succeeded or excelled at something, she moved on to the next task. Sometimes she felt being a soldier was bred in her bones, the very legacy Whitney wanted for her son. It was who she was, what she was, and she would never know anything different ... But Sebastian was going to have a choice, if she could possibly give it to him.
“Hey!” Jaimie threw her arm around Rose’s neck. “Stop thinking so much. We’re out here having fun. I want to go to that wicked cool boutique just down the street. I can’t believe I live next to it. It has the hottest boots of all time.”
“Of all time?” Rhianna’s eyebrows shot up. “I’ve got to see that. I’ve been around the world and visited every shoe shop I could find along the way. This shop has a lot of competition.”
“I love the boots you sent me from Milan.” Jaimie dropped her arm and walked in front of Rose, turning to walk backward so she could face her as she talked. “Rhianna and I both adore boots.”
“She has boot emergencies,” Rhianna explained. “Every now and then I get a frantic SOS from her, and wherever I am, I go out and find her a pair of supercute boots.”
Rose laughed. “I wear combat boots.”
Jaimie rolled her eyes and dropped back to her side. Rhianna closed in on the other side. “We noticed,” Jaimie said. “Hence the boot boutique. Seriously, Rose, you need us. We’re going to show you the true code all women should live by.”
“A pair of boots?” Rose asked skeptically.
Rhianna and Jaimie looked at each other and then burst out laughing, shaking their heads. “Not just a pair of boots,” Jaimie corrected. “The boots. Hot boots.”
Rose frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Just say it,” Rhianna advised. She leaned close to Rose and whispered in her ear. “Fuck-me boots.”
Rose’s mouth fell open in a gasp. “You two are terrible.”
“Try walking up to Kane in the boots we find you and nothing else,” Rhianna advised. “See what happens.”
“I think the same thing would happen if I walked up to him naked,” Rose pointed out.
Jaimie and Rhianna laughed again. “I think you’re right,” Jaimie said, “but it’s so fun to see that look in his eyes when you come striding in and sit on his lap. He’s so very appreciative.”
Rose bowed. “I’m willing to take direction.”
“Every woman should have a sexy red dress in her closet,” Rhianna added solemnly. “And a black one. It’s not only necessary to your soul but to your arsenal. And so are very hot boots.”
Rose laughed. “However did I survive without knowing this?”
“I have no idea,” Jaimie conceded. “But thankfully, you’re with us now, and we can show you the way.”
Rose looked down at her combat boots. “I can see I have a lot to learn.”
Jaimie touched Rose’s arm, and they moved into the shadows just outside the store, Jaimie positioning herself just in front of Rose, partially hiding her from the crowds of people on the street.
Rhianna didn’t break stride. Entering store now. Dove is outside. Eagle, it’s on you.
Roger that. Gideon’s voice was calm. She’s covered.
Rose choked back a protest at the ghastly name they’d given her. That had to be Kane’s idea of her. She was no dove, no matter that he persisted in underestimating her abilities—until they were in actual combat.
Mama Bear is much more appropriate!
Jaimie’s muffled laughter followed by Rhianna’s snort as she pulled open the door to the boutique and disappeared inside changed her mind. They were teasing her, offering her the tight camaraderie that only came when you relied on another to watch your back in a life-and-death situation.
It was only a minute before Rhianna spoke again. All clear.
Jaimie stepped forward and pulled open the door. Rose went through, and they were inside. Immediately they were just women again, having fun shopping for shoes. Rose found it comforting that the other two women slipped easily in and out of their roles. It meant she had a chance, someday, to be able to walk through a crowd and feel normal. If she could achieve that, maybe Sebastian had a chance after all.
The shoes were amazing. She’d never paid any attention at all to shoes, and now Rhianna and Jaimie were pointing out everything from elegant heels to really beautiful boots.
“You’ve got the money,” Jaimie pointed out. “Lily put money in a trust for each of the girls she grew up with. That includes you, Rose. It’s just sitting there. Granted, we’re using big bucks to buy up all the buildings around us and renovate them, but you have plenty to purchase a few special items for yourself. Like these awesome, never-to-be-found-again boots right here.” She held up a pair of butter-soft leather boots in a swirling olive green with a square cut toe and a bit of a heel. “What do you think?”
“Or these?” Rhianna held up a pair of bloodred boots that snaked up to the knee. “Short skirt or a pair of skinny jeans. Really dramatic.”
“You’d look dramatic in anything,” Jaimie pointed out, blowing her a kiss. “Try these on, Rose, they’ll go with a sexy outfit.”
“Sexy outfit?” Rose echoed faintly. “I don’t have a sexy outfit.”
“Lingerie,” Rhianna said. “You know, thong, corset, a see-through camisole.”
Rose shook her head. “I don’t have any of that.”
“Oh, girlfriend, you need help desperately,” Jaimie said, putting the boots down. “We’re in the wrong shop. We need to go somewhere else.”
You’ve got company. Two women. Both young. Look harmless enough, Gideon warned.
Look alive, Javier warned. One had a tattoo on her wrist. I just barely caught a glimpse of it, but it could be the Lopez cartel. They’ve spread through Arizona, Texas, and especially California.
“It would be a coincidence,” Rose said aloud.
Javier warned us some time ago that they had a hold close to here. It makes sense their women might shop here, Jaimie answered as the bell tinkled, signaling they weren’t alone.
Rose kept her back to them, while Rhianna and Jaimie turned slightly, observing the newcomers. Both girls were young, no more than early twenties, with dark, curly hair and sunglasses pushed over their faces. They talked low to each other, but all three women were enhanced and could hear the whispered exchange. Evidently one was certain her boyfriend was sleeping with another woman and wanted her friend, Imelda, to ask around. They ignored Rose, Rhianna, and Jaimie completely.
I think they’re more interested in what their boyfriends are doing than us, Jaimie said.
We could go to the lingerie store, Rose suggested, sticking with telepathy. How far away is it?
A few blocks, three more, I think, Jaimie said.
Over my dead body, Kane snapped. We’re not prepared yet. Buy your boots and get out of there.
Rhianna sighed. Have you ever noticed certain people are killjoys?
Rose laughed out loud. She couldn’t help it. Kane was always going to be Kane. His idea of safe was anywhere close to him. She reached for the olive green boots, loving the feel of them. One of the newcomers reached for them at the same time. Rose smiled at her and let go.
“Go ahead. They’re beautiful.”
The girl’s smile was brief, but she took them to the attendant to ask for her size. Rhianna was already trying on the red boots, and Jaimie had chosen a pair of chocolate brown ones. Rose wandered around the store, looking at everything, a little shocked at the prices and how high the various heels were. “Can anyone really walk in these things?” She turned, lifting them up in the air.
Jaimie laughed. “Rhianna can,” she said.
“Really?” Rose asked, whirling around. Rhianna just grinned at her as she pulled off the red boots. “Without stumbling?”
“Piece of cake.”
“Look I
rma,” Imelda said as she walked around the room, showing off the green boots.
Irma barely glanced at her friend; her attention on her cell phone, texting like crazy. Rose felt sorry for the girl. “They really are hot on you,” she commented. Even as she said it, she spotted the boots for her. She loved the look of them. Soft gray, a leather braid around the ankle and the top of the boot, knee high, with just enough of a heel to be called dress boots, but not so high she’d break her neck, she had to try them on.
“I love these,” Rose said with a sigh.
Rhianna broke into an approving smile. “So do I. Try them on.”
Rose didn’t need any other encouragement. She had the clerk get her size and sank down into the plush chair to replace her combat boots with the soft leather ones. Never in her life had she had such a luxury. The boots were ridiculous for someone like her to own. Where in the world would she wear them? She ran her hand over the soft leather. But she really, really loved them. They felt wonderful, caressing her feet, surrounding them with sheer elegance.
She looked in the mirror, while Jaimie and Rhianna made approving noises. “I have nowhere to wear them, and nothing to wear them with, but I absolutely love them.”
Jaimie and Rhianna grinned at each other. “Major shopping time, Rose. Get the boots, and the next time we go out, we’ll find the perfect dress. Kane can take you out to dinner, and we’ll babysit.”
“And dancing,” Rhianna added.
“I don’t know how to dance,” Rose said.
“We’ll teach you,” Jaimie offered as Rose sat down to reluctantly remove the boots.
Get them, Kane said. If you want them, Rose, we’ll find somewhere nice to go.
She took a breath and looked at them. She had a child to care for, a home to keep safe. Did she need the boots? No, but she really wanted them. The temptation was extraordinary. Whitney would have been disgusted with her. That thought tipped her right over the edge. She had to get them, if just to prove to herself that she rejected fully his brainwashing.
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