Edge of Reason (EDGE Security Series Book 2)

by Loye, Trish

  Rhys faced Marc, his anger snapping. “Back off. I know the score. I’m not messing with anything. Or anyone.”

  “Make sure it stays that way.”

  Cat leaned over to them across the table. “You two doing okay?”

  Marc slung his arm around Rhys’s shoulders and tightened hard, digging his fingers into his arm. “Fucking fantastic. Right, Lucky?”

  Rhys saluted Cat with his beer bottle, shaking off Marc’s arm. “Just awesome.”

  Cat watched them both for a moment more and then nodded. “Okay. If you need to work something out, then hit the gym tomorrow. I know—”

  “Are you their mom or something?” Tania asked. “Cause you’re certainly dressed the part.”

  The Asian woman beside Marc tittered. He straightened away from her. Both Rhys and Marc opened their mouths to speak, but Cat held up a hand. She looked at Tania, her eyes glittering like ice chips.

  “You’ve been trying to get my attention since I walked in here. You’ve got it. What do you want?”

  Tania stepped back, her eyes wide. Rhys had to smother his amusement. At least she’d finally stopped touching his arm.

  “Nothing to say?” Cat said. “I find that’s typical of women like you. Petty behind a person’s back, but as soon as you’re confronted you act shocked.”

  “No… I… Well, yes,” she finally said. “I am shocked. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Cat tipped her beer back and swallowed the last of it before setting the bottle on the table. She stepped close to Tania and whispered something. Tania’s eyes widened and her face drained of color.

  Cat stepped back, tilted her head as if inspecting her work, then she nodded. Tania swallowed. Her eyes flicked from Cat to Rhys and then the other men as if searching for help, or maybe her backbone, before her eyes settled back on Cat.

  “Crazy bitch,” she whispered, and then stalked off.

  Cat smiled. “Sorry about your date, Rhys.”

  “She wasn’t my date, and you don’t look sorry at all.”

  Cat laughed. “I’m not. Well, I’m off, guys. Goodnight.”

  She strode away from them and Rhys let himself watch her walk away. He didn’t care what Marc said—a woman with a body like that was too much of a temptation for him not to look a little, even if they were teammates.

  Then he saw Marc watching her too, and he almost growled. Mine.

  They both stiffened when they saw the man walking out after her, his eyes focused on her like a target.

  It was the asshole.

  Rhys put his beer down and started to move to the door.

  “Trouble?” Marc asked.

  Zach perked up at the question.

  “Nah,” Rhys said. “It’s her ex. I just want to make sure he’s not hassling her. She’s too nice to him.”

  Zach swung around and stared out the door. “That was the Liam guy?”

  “She told you?” Rhys said, startled that Cat would mention what had happened.

  Zach narrowed his eyes. “She only told me he was boring.”

  Both Marc and Zach straightened and put their drinks down. If they followed him out because Rhys had opened his big mouth, Cat would shoot him. She didn’t need help with the asshole, and she’d just be embarrassed if the situation got out. He held up his hands. “Guys, it’s good. If we all go out there, we’ll make a scene and she’ll hate that. She’s probably already gone. I’m just gonna do a quick recce.”

  Zach and Marc relaxed only slightly. “Make sure it’s just a quick recce on your teammate,” Marc said.

  “Of course,” Rhys said with a smile. Then he strode out of there to find Cat before the asshole did.

  CHAPTER 14

  Cat crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the man who swayed under the streetlight in front of her. They stood on the blessedly empty sidewalk in front of the Chien Noir. “What planet are you from that makes you think I owe you an apology?” she asked.

  “You embarrassed me.”

  “Good,” Cat said. She didn’t walk away because she didn’t want this fool at her back.

  “I could file an assault charge against you,” he said, lisping slightly from too many drinks. “I have witnesses.”

  Cat sighed. This day really couldn’t get any worse. She’d just come back from one of the worst ‘successful’ missions she’d ever been on, then walked in on Rhys flirting with another woman-Cat still wanted to rip Tania’s fingers off, but she couldn’t because teammates didn’t do that to teammates’ lovers-and now her ex whatever-he-was was stopping her from getting home to her couch and TV.

  “You won’t be getting an apology from me, Liam. I suggest you head home and sleep off those drinks you had.”

  “You know I’ve been waiting at this bar every night for you.”

  “Now that’s a bit creepy, even for you. It’s time you left.”

  He took a deep breath and drew himself upright, as if bracing himself for something. Or getting ready to attack.

  She almost rolled her eyes. So not my night.

  Liam took a step toward her, his hands clenched into fists.

  Someone came out of the bar. Someone tall, with sandy hair and eyes that widened.

  Dammit. Why does he have to see all of my humiliating moments?

  “Don’t do whatever it is you’re planning, Liam,” she said. “You won’t like the results and they’ll be much worse than last time. There are no witnesses now.”

  “You fucking bitch,” he said, raising his fist. “I—”

  She slammed her fist into his gut and his alcoholic breath whooshed out of him. The next punch struck his throat and he dropped to his knees gasping like a trout on dry land. “That is the second time tonight someone has called me that, and it’s the last,” Cat said quietly. “Don’t come near me again or I will put you in the hospital.”

  Rhys came to stand behind her. “And again you’re being too lenient,” he said with false cheer. He put his face close to Liam’s. “Go near her again, asshole, and I will bury you.” He straightened. “Alive.”

  “Now get the fuck out of here,” Cat said. “And don’t come back to this place. My friends and I come here.”

  Liam scuttled off, wheezing.

  What the hell had she seen in him? Cat shook her head, trying not to laugh. She looked at the anger etched onto Rhys’s face and that opened the dam. Giggles bubbled out.

  Rhys frowned at her. “Are you okay?”

  She clutched her sides and nodded, now unable to stop. How could she explain that she was laughing at her own love life? That bit of embarrassment only made the laughter come louder.

  Rhys slowly smiled, as if unable to stop himself. “What is so funny?”

  She shook her head as her laughter died down. “My life. Between him and Steve, I really couldn’t pick any worse losers to date.”

  Rhys didn’t smile like she expected. He looked away. She almost sighed. Now she’d embarrassed him with talk of her love life. “Look,” she said, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. “It’s not a big deal. I’m not looking for sympathy or anything. I just thought it was funny.”

  His gaze caught hers. “You deserve so much better than those losers. I just don’t know why you can’t see that.”

  She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Her throat had tightened with his words. What did he want from her? Was he saying this as a friend?

  The door to Chien Noir opened. Marc and Zach stood there. “Hey, Cat,” Zach said. “You good? We saw that guy follow you out.”

  “I’m all good,” Cat said, moving away from Rhys and breathing a bit easier. “He just had a few complaints about my behavior that I had to take care of.”

  “All cleared up?” Zach said. Marc stood silent, but he watched Rhys with narrowed eyes.

  “Yes, but if you see him around here again, you can tell him that you’re friends of mine and I said you could have fun with him.”

  “Excellent,” Zach said. “Wel
l, I’m going back in. There’s a pretty brunette that wants to practice her massage technique on my aching shoulders.”

  “Go,” Cat said, laughing. “See you Monday.”

  Marc let him pass, his eyes still on Rhys. “You coming, Rhys?”

  Rhys’s jaw tightened. “I’m done for the night.”

  “Okay, teammate.”

  Rhys nodded. Marc said goodnight to her and then went inside.

  She put her hands on her hips. “Are you going to tell me what that little bit of testosterone mudslinging was for?”

  “He thinks I want to be more than friends with you,” Rhys said in a low voice, his eyes on hers, wishing he could just take this woman to bed again and get her out of his system.

  She took a step back. “But you don’t.”

  He snorted. “Of co—“

  She held up her hand to stop him. “You can’t. There can be nothing between us.”

  That made him scowl. “But there is something. You feel it just as much as I do.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re teammates. And maybe friends. But that’s it,” Cat said. “So there’s no problem, is there?”

  “Nope,” he said with gritted teeth. “No problem.” Besides the fact that he wanted to strip her naked and have mad monkey sex with her, there was no problem. This woman was going to drive him insane.

  She frowned a little, almost as if she’d expected him to protest, but he wouldn’t. Not until she did, anyway.

  Hmmm. Could he somehow get her to compromise? Maybe they could be friends with benefits?

  “What is that sneaky smile for?” she asked him.

  “I’m thinking of ways to make you let me walk you home.”

  She waved a hand. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

  “I know that, chère,” he said laying on the drawl. “But my grand-mère would roll over in her grave if she knew I’d let a lady walk home alone.”

  Cat snorted. “Have you used that line on a lot of women?”

  He shrugged. “A few. That doesn’t make it any less true.”

  She lifted her chin, a dangerous sparkle in her blue eyes enticing him closer. “Okay,” she said. “But you have to answer some of my questions.”

  He smiled and started to speak, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “And you’ll give me serious, truthful responses. Deal?” She stared at him, a small smile on her lips, obviously confident he wouldn’t take her deal.

  “Deal,” he said, and almost laughed at the look of consternation on her face before she smoothed it away. “Lead on, oh fearless leader.”

  The humor drained from her face. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think I proved on the mission that I’m neither fearless nor a real leader.”

  “Are you serious?” He shook his head. “What would—no, what could you have done differently? We had a mission to complete. You completed it with no loss of life.”

  Her voice was low and bitter when she spoke. “So you think it was a success?”

  He sighed and started walking. After a moment she caught up to him. “To our superiors it was a success, Cat. You know we can’t save everyone.”

  “Dammit, Rhys. I know that.” She strode ahead, setting a fast pace. It was at least a minute before she spoke. “This was different, though.”

  “I know,” Rhys said. And he did.

  They walked in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Rhys wanted to lift the darkness from Cat’s eyes. Being in command weighed heavy on a person, and he could see how this last mission affected her.

  He needed to distract her, and he had a few ideas about how to do that. Unfortunately, she’d already vetoed the way he’d have chosen. So they’d have to talk.

  “Are you going to ask your questions?” he finally said.

  She startled slightly and then looked at him, not slowing her pace. “Fine. Why did your grandmother raise you?”

  “Whoa, pulling out the big guns right away,” he said. He hated talking about his past, but if that’s what it took to get her out of her own head, then he’d lay his miserable life story before her.

  “I’m okay to walk by myself if you don’t feel like answering,” she said.

  So that’s how she wanted to play it: she was trying to drive him away. Well, he always liked a challenge. So let’s see how little Miss Perfect Family dealt with this.

  “My mother was a crack whore,” he said. He ignored Cat’s quick gasp and plowed on with his story. “She didn’t know who my father was. My grand-mère raised me from the time I was a baby. My mother would only come around when she needed something. Usually money.”

  “Damn,” she whispered. “Is she still alive?”

  He shrugged, knowing it looked callous but unable to dig much deeper into that scarred area of his soul. “I tried to find her after grand-mère died, but I couldn’t.”

  “Why did you end up on the street?”

  Her steps had slowed and he matched them, but he didn’t look at her. He didn’t want or need her pity. “The foster system couldn’t find me a family and wanted to ship me off to some dinky town. So I left.”

  “That must have been hard.”

  “The hardest part?” he said staring at the cement sidewalk. “Was watching another family move into my home.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “You wanted the truth.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t mean to drag you down into my depression.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Besides, I have family now.” When she raised her eyebrows in question he continued. “The military is my family. Has been since I joined when I was seventeen.”

  Her brows drew together in a slight frown, as if this wasn’t a good answer for her. But what did she expect? Besides, the guys on his team were his brothers—she’d said it herself. Why did he need anyone else?

  They kept walking, but the silence was no longer comfortable, more like a heavy weight to be endured. It bowed their shoulders and kept their eyes down.

  Hell, she felt sorry for him now. That hadn’t been his intention. He never should have opened up to her and dragged her into his issues. He was supposed to be cheering her up. He stretched his legs, lengthening his pace, forcing her to keep up. This wasn’t how he’d seen the night going.

  Cat stopped. He debated for a half second whether to just keep walking. Maybe he should go back to the Chien Noir and find Tania. He could lose himself in mindless sex for a night.

  He stopped and looked back at the woman who plagued his thoughts. He could still see the blue of her eyes in the streetlights, which glinted off her white-blonde hair. There was no way Tania could compare to her. He was fooling himself—and not very well.

  Cat pursed her lips. “Well, we’re gloomy tonight,” she said.

  He sighed. “Maybe I should head home.” He didn’t want to, but he’d respect her wishes.

  She gave a little shake of her head. “That would probably be the smart thing to do,” she muttered. Had he heard her right? He stepped closer.

  “Time to live a little,” she said softly, and this time he definitely heard her. She looked up at him and smiled. His heart skipped a beat at the reckless look in her eye.

  “I’ve got something that will cheer us up,” she said. “You up for it?”

  Rhys’s pulse jacked up a notch. Visions of her naked immediately dispelled his black mood. “They call me Lucky, remember? I’m up for anything.”

  Cat sucked in a breath. Rhys’s eyes glowed golden with heat as he watched her. She’d better nip that in the bud before the heat grew as wild as Rhys himself. That brought thoughts of their one night together, and the explosive kiss they’d shared in Niger. Her heart sped up.

  Calm down, Cat.

  She held up her hands as if to hold Rhys back. “Get a grip on those thoughts, Lucky,” she said, deliberately using his nickname to put some emotional distance between them.

  “What thoughts?” h
e said in a low voice, even as he stepped closer to her.

  She wanted to close the distance between them. She knew how good it would feel to lose herself in his strength for just one night, but she couldn’t. He was like a drug for her—the more she had him, the more she seemed to want him.

  But we can be friends.

  She had the discipline to make it through special operations training. She sure as hell could deal with a hands-off policy with Rhys Lafayette. Failure wasn’t an option.

  She stepped back and smiled like a friend would. A friend who didn’t want to strip him naked and lick her way down his body.

  Stop that, Cat.

  “We need to laugh,” she said. “And I have the perfect thing to help us.”

  His face scrunched up like he’d found a Brussels sprout in his beer. “Laugh?”

  Her grin widened. “Yes. You’re coming to my apartment.”

  “Now you’re talking,” he said quietly.

  “As my friend.”

  “I’m really beginning to hate that word.”

  Cat laughed and he smiled at her, his hand reaching up to brush a piece of her hair behind her ear. “It’s good to hear you laugh,” he said.

  Emotion welled in her with his simple statement, but she refused to name it, let alone give in to it. “Come on,” she said. “We’re almost there.”

  “I know,” he said, still in the low voice that set the butterflies in her stomach whirling.

  Three words described her apartment. Basic, cozy, and colorful. A one bedroom that took ten steps to cross, it had a galley kitchen, an alcove for a dining room, and a tiny living room with an overstuffed couch, a TV, and a small, blue painted desk with her personal laptop. The personality came from the electric blue couch and the purple and green pillows on it. Her brother always said it looked like someone had stuffed a peacock and turned it into a couch, but she liked it. The rest of the place followed the theme. Colorful art, pillows, and a plush throw rug. Heaven. Her bedroom was done in oranges, pinks, and reds.

  The elevator let them off at her floor. As she put her key in the lock, memories of the first time Rhys had come to her place raced through her mind. He’d called her apartment fun and exotic. Her lips twisted as she realized Rhys was the only man she’d brought home to her apartment in the last six months.