Live Wire (Ramsey Security #2)

"Yeah, that's the scary Saskia I know and love."

Realizing she's messing with me, I admit, "I don't want to do this job anymore."

"Then quit, but not until we find out what Marx knows."

"And if I can't extract the info?"

Unable to come up with an answer, Minka only frowns. Harlow is still writing notes on the board while Darla plays a puzzle game on her phone. Staring at the other killer in the room, I wonder if I can ever pick up my extraction tools again. Do I have the stomach to tear a person apart slowly, even if it means protecting Brad?

"I know you're in a weird place," Minka says, sitting next to me on the couch. "I've gotten emotionally involved on jobs and had trouble thinking straight. I do get what you're feeling, but Marx knows the answers. He's the key, and I'm sure he'll break easy, but trusting what he says is something I can't be sure about. You know how to read a person when they're stressed for info. That's your wheelhouse, and Brad is your man. So you need to suck up those bad feelings you're dealing with and tuck them away until the job is done."

Minka is right, but I feel sick when I recall the sounds of the drill, the smell of blood, and the cries of pain. I can kill to protect Brad, but I don't know how easily I can come back from the violence. Not after knowing tenderness and acceptance from Brad. Committing these violent acts to save the man I love might end up with me losing him forever.





29


Brad

Not Going to Happen

Saskia is gone only an hour before I begin pacing. To hell with rational, I want her back at the house. She is happier here with me. I think of how emotional she's been the last few days and know she needs to return to me. I offer a path away from her life as Little Maven.

"It's good for them to get out," Rafael says, watching me pace on the front porch. "Women need to talk about women stuff like shopping and their periods."

I frown at him and he shrugs. "I don't know what they talk about. Makeup, maybe."

"We compare notes on our lovers," Nell announces while passing by the door.

Rafael and I frown together. I don't want Saskia talk about our sex life with her friends. I'm less concerned about being compared to Rafael. He's a big guy, but so am I. Wait, now I'm wondering how I come out of the competition.

"My woman needs more girlfriends," Rafael says, looking at the rustling trees. "Back in Kentucky where she grew up, Harlow had a lot of friends. It's good for women to have someone to talk about us with. If they can't bitch about us to their friends, they'll complain to us. I'm not looking for any conversations about how I forget to put the seat down or never wash my plate."

"Why not just remember to put the seat down or wash your plate?"

Rafael narrows his eyes. "You're a little bitch, aren't you?"

"Or do I adapt better to their needs than you?"

"Let's play nice and say we're both right."

Giving him a nod, I begin pacing again. Time slows down while I wait for Saskia to return. Rafael comes and goes, checking monitors and making calls. He jogs around the property with the dogs following him. I refuse to leave the porch until Saskia is back in my arms.

All the waiting makes me tense as hell by the time her gold SUV pulls down the drive. Rafael is already packing up to leave and doesn't even wait until Saskia parks her car before he's out of the door. They signal each other, and I sense they know something I don't.

Saskia won't look at me even after stepping onto the porch. When I lean down to kiss her, she steps back and crosses her arms.

"What?"

"Do you remember how I said Marx was a suspect?"

"Yeah, kind of hard to forget," I say, mimicking her by crossing my arms. "He called earlier, and I ignored his message like you said."

"Well we now think the director of the show, Fred Lorn, was the man behind the cult."

"Fred is dead," I say, frowning harder when I hear the rhyme in my words.

"Yes, but we can dig into his life to learn if he's connected to Marx or the others like Stein."

"And this is why you're being distant?"

Saskia shifts from one foot to another before finally taking a step back. "If we go after Marx, we'll need to know who else is involved. We can't assume the danger will end for you once he's gone."

"By gone, I assume you mean dead."

"Yes, unless you want us to have him arrested if we find something. That would mean you'd have to testify against him."

Frowning, I don't know what I want to do with Marx. I only care about Saskia standing away from me. I step closer and cup her jaw. Saskia doesn't want to kiss me. She even pulls away, but I hold her still with my other hand. My lips taste hers. A single moment of heat passes between us before she shuts it all down.

"No," she mutters, breaking free of my grip and ducking under my arm. "I need to stay focused on the job."

"And you can't do that if I kiss you?"