"No."
A long minute passes while Troy stares into my eyes begging for the game to end. The entire time I struggle not to laugh. Finally, I grin, and he knows I'm messing with him.
Troy stands from his spot on the couch and leans over to kiss me gently. Minka stretches nearby.
"I don't want to cramp your love life but leave the bedroom door open. If there's trouble, I don't want to waste time worrying if you can hear me."
"Sure, boss. Anything else you want to put your foot down about?"
"Hey, I'm all about teamwork, but I'm planning to live a long life like Sammy Popsicle."
Troy sits behind me on the couch and plays with my blonde hair.
"Who's Sammy?" I ask, glancing back at him.
"He's still an assassin even at 73 years young," he explains.
Minka laughs. "The guy's quite a character. He's been in the business for longer than Troy and I have been alive."
"He claims to be unkillable and says he's been shot, stabbed, electrocuted, drowned, and hung."
"Don't forget poisoned," Minka says, laughing. "He showed me the bullet wounds, so I know he's not completely full of shit."
Troy grins. "The guy is a legend."
"I'm assuming Popsicle isn't his real last name," I say.
"No, it's because he used to keep bodies on ice for other killers. That was during his family man period. He's had a few of them, but no Missus Popsicle ever lasted."
Frowning, I assume they mean he killed his wives, but Minka shakes her head.
"Apparently, Sammy ain't much of a lover. The women get bored and leave him. He's too big of a softie to kill his kids' moms."
"Unlucky in love," Troy says softly while staring down at me.
"If you ask me, a guy in his line of work shouldn't have a family. It's why I retired."
"Yeah, you're a fucking pussycat now," Troy mutters.
His expression makes me smile. Minka grins until the crack of thunder. Now she wears a cold mask that would scare the shit out of me if we were strangers and hadn't talked about feminine products two hours earlier.
Troy says nothing before leaving us to check the cameras. I turn my gaze to Minka and study the expression on her beautiful face. Ready to kill someone, she's forced to wait for her target to come into view. She and Troy are predators before a hunt. In their presences, I feel like a baby gazelle barely able to stand, let alone save myself.
"Do you think something will happen tonight?" I ask.
Minka nods. "I don't know why, but I feel it. Something about the silence online. Locke's lackey was very chatty online before suddenly going silent. In my gut, I feel them coming."
Troy returns to the living room. "The weather will give them better cover."
"They'll likely set off the fire alarm and force everyone into the halls and stairwells. In the chaos, they'll kill us and take you."
I glance at the front door. "What will we do?"
"We can't stay in the apartment if they set a real fire. In that case, we move you to the roof where we'll have the upper hand."
Instinctually, I look up at the ceiling and imagine us on the roof. "What then?"
"We kill them."
"What if there are too many?"
Troy caresses my head. "No worries. Minka took out half of a prison all by herself."
I look at her and then back at him. "What do I do?"
"Move when we say move. Hide when we say hide. Don't panic and don't run unless we tell you to."
My fear is in stark contrast to the vibrant excitement radiating from them. They want to fight, spill blood, and take lives. Troy and Minka are two sides of the same coin. I don't belong in their world. Or in Troy's bed, let alone his heart. Yet he looks at me as if I am the answer to the question he didn't know he asked.
43
~~~
Troy
Trouble Comes Knocking
Just after midnight during the height of the thunderstorm, Locke's minions set off the fire alarm to force everyone into the hallways. The sound startles awake a fully dressed Darla from her spot on the couch. I help her strap on a bulletproof vest and helmet. Her big eyes staring at me, she says nothing while I guide her down the hallway and into her bedroom where the small safe room waits.
"Lock the door and stay in here until I get back."
"I thought we were going to the roof."
"They didn't set a fire, just hit the fire alarm. Rafael and the team are only blocks away. The cops are on the way too. You'll be safe in here."
Darla's face twists up, and I know she's about to cry. I cup her cheeks.
"Trust me, Darla. I need to leave you, but I'll be back."
Swallowing her fear, she nods. I hand her a gun and step back.
"The team knows the code to the safe room. If you hear someone on the intercom claiming to work with us, and they ask for the code or want to come in, don't even answer."
Before I change my mind, I lock Darla into the safe room. I hurry back to the front hall where Minka waits for me.