“Have you told Quinn about the switching of materials?” It was Mason who asked.
“No. I wanted her to spend this last week resting, rather than worrying about Hylar coming after us in retribution. I’ll tell her tomorrow.” The woman was damn strong, and she’d been doing better than he expected.
“At what point do you think Carter and Hylar will realize we switched out the materials?” Kye asked.
It was Jason, Sage’s brother, who answered that question. “Only an experienced lab technician who’s worked with the materials before would be able to tell the difference between what we gave them and the real thing. I made sure the substitutes were chemicals of a similar look and smell. Carter would have been trained on what they looked and smelled like, but the difference is too subtle for someone who lacks experience in the field.”
Jason had studied Pharmaceutical Science at MIT. The team trusted that he knew what he was talking about, so no one questioned whether he was capable of making such a switch.
Luca shook his head. “This might be the final straw that forces Hylar to hunt us down. He’ll want the materials. Hell, he might also want revenge for swapping the drugs out, for the demolition of their main facility in Valley Spring…”
“Not to mention we’ve killed five more of his men, including two members of Carter’s team—Troy and Alistair,” Oliver added.
“And you freed our team,” Logan said.
There was a heavy pause before Eden spoke. “This could be it. The moment we’ve been waiting for.”
Wyatt was counting on it.
Chapter 30
Bodie stood in front of Inwood Bar in Keystone. From what he’d seen, the place was busy most days and evenings. But not tonight. Tonight, he estimated there were maybe half a dozen customers inside.
That was good. Fewer customers would give him a better chance of speaking to Maya.
Bodie had been watching the bar for a few days now. Ever since Maya had stepped foot inside the place and been hired as a waitress.
Tonight, it was finally time to go in and meet her.
Pushing through the door, Bodie immediately scanned the large room. Seven customers were scattered around the open space. Two waitresses. Maya was down at one end of the bar while a woman who looked to be in her fifties worked the other.
Bodie moved to Maya’s end and took a seat a few feet away. She didn’t look up. Her entire concentration seemed to be on the two glasses she was filling with beer.
The worried look on her face wasn’t a surprise to Bodie. Since he’d been watching her, he’d learned the woman wore a constant mask of worry and fear. She also couldn’t walk down a street without a half dozen glances over her shoulder.
Which told Bodie one thing. She was paranoid.
Not that he needed to see the fear on her face or the backward glances to know that. A person doesn’t just up and disappear unless they’re running from something. And that something was clearly Project Arma. After all, she had witnessed a crime committed by the organization.
Bodie watched from his peripheral vision as she carried the beers to a booth at the back of the room.
She stood at average height—maybe five-seven—and had long brown hair and sad hazel eyes. Her experience working in a bar was clearly limited. Not only had she needed to empty and refill one of the glasses three times, but she also walked slowly across the room. Overly cautious as to avoid spilling the drinks.
“You watching my new waitress?”
Bodie looked up to see the other waitress in front of him.
Damn. He’d been so distracted with Maya, he hadn’t even noticed her coming. The fact the woman had noticed him watching Maya—from his peripheral vision—made it even worse.
“Just waiting for a drink.”
She leaned a hip on the bar. “Right. I’ll pretend I believe you…for the moment. What will it be?”
“I’ll have a Bud Light.” Not that he intended to drink much of it when he had a job to complete.
The lady grabbed a bottle from the fridge and removed the lid. “She’s new.”
Bodie kept a neutral expression on his face, not wanting to give anything away. “Good to know.”
“Terrible waitress,” she continued, planting the beer in front of Bodie. “But the girl needs help. So, I’m trying to be that help.”
Clearly, this woman was one of those people who told everybody everyone else’s business. It almost made him annoyed for Maya.
“How do you know she needs help?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I know that look on her face. Used to see it in the mirror every day until I pieced my life back together. You’re scared every minute of every day because you expect the person you’re running from to find you.”
Bodie’s muscles tensed. He suspected she was talking about a man—likely an ex. It made Bodie see red. He’d been raised to believe it was a man’s job to protect his woman. Any man who abused that trust, who used their strength against the person they were supposed to protect, were the lowest scum on Earth.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
She nodded. “Appreciate it. My demon’s gone. Hers clearly isn’t.”
“Has she told you any of this?”
The woman laughed. “No. And I haven’t asked. If someone had asked me about it when I was in the thick of trouble, even if they were in a position to help me, I probably would have run from them before they’d finished their sentence. Fear does funny things to people.”
That’s exactly what Bodie was afraid of. That the woman would attempt to run. She wouldn’t be able to. Not now that he’d found her. But he needed to put her at ease first. He wanted to help her, not scare her further.
“Why are you telling me this?”
She lifted a shoulder. “You have a look in your eye.”
“A look?”
Before she could respond, a loud crash sounded behind him.
The woman looked over his shoulder. “Oh, dang it.”
When Bodie turned his head, it was to see Maya standing with an empty tray, her face red with embarrassment. She immediately dropped to the floor and began collecting shattered glass.
Bodie didn’t hesitate. Pushing away from the bar, he headed toward Maya. Along the way, he heard snickering and laughter from the men at the table she’d just served.
Not one of them stood to help. Assholes.
Dropping to his haunches beside Maya, Bodie began moving shards of glass to the tray. “You okay?”
Maya’s gaze shot up. There was fear and apprehension on her face. Also surprise. Surprise that he’d offer to help?
He took a moment to study her features. Even though her eyes were hazel, there were also golden flecks. Her lips were full and pink. Her skin so creamy, his hand itched to reach out and touch her.
Holy hell, the woman was stunning.
“I’m okay. You don’t need to help me.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “I know. I want to.”
Her mouth opened, like she was about to argue, but she didn’t. A few seconds passed before she nodded. “Thank you.”
It annoyed Bodie that she seemed surprised by his offer to help. Like she wasn’t used to kindness.
“They say you’re not really a bartender until you’ve broken a dozen glasses. You’re only a couple away,” Bodie joked.
He wasn’t actually sure if that was a saying. But it sounded about right.
Maya gave a tight smile. The strain on her face was clouding just about every other emotion. “I already broke some this morning. Gosh, I’ve only been working here a week and I’ve broken a heck of a lot more than twelve.” Maya shook her head as she moved more glass onto the tray. “Trish will fire me for sure…”
She’d started to ramble. He had a feeling the words were more her internal thoughts than conversation.
“Is that Trish at the bar?” Bodie nodded to indicate the woman he’d just been speaking to. She was now laughing with an elderly custome
r.
“Yeah. That’s Trish.”
Nope. There wasn’t a chance that Maya was fired. “She doesn’t look bothered. I think you’ll be okay.”
When Bodie reached for the last piece of glass, his hand brushed across hers. Her skin was as soft as it looked, and the touch sent a shot of electricity through his system.
He was almost certain she felt it too, because she immediately pulled her hand back. Touching the very spot he’d touched.
Christ, what the hell was going on?
“I’m Bodie Ryan, by the way.”
“I’m Maya Ha—” She shook her head. “Johnson. Maya Johnson.”
She’d almost slipped up and told him her real last name—Harper.
It was good she’d kept her first name the same. Smart. It would be too easy for her to accidentally ignore another name. Particularly working in a busy bar.
“It’s nice to meet you, Maya Johnson.”
He was tempted to hold out his hand. Mostly because he wanted to touch her again. But the woman was already retreating into herself. Pulling away from him physically and mentally.
They both stood at the same time, Maya immediately taking a step back.
“Well, thank you, Bodie. I really appreciate your help.”
Bodie smiled. “It was nice to meet you, Maya.”
And it really was. He watched her walk away, still feeling that same pull toward the woman.
He didn’t know what was going on with his body, just that being around her, touching her, had heat unfurling in his gut.
Bodie had a feeling he was going to enjoy getting to know Maya Harper. This might be his favorite mission yet.
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Also by Nyssa Kathryn
PROJECT ARMA SERIES
(Series Ongoing)
Uncovering Project Arma
Luca
Eden
Asher
Mason
Wyatt
Bodie
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About the Author
Nyssa Kathryn is a romantic suspense author. She lives in South Australia with her daughter and hubby and takes every chance she can to be plotting and writing. Always an avid reader of romance novels, she considers alpha males and happily-ever-afters to be her jam.
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Wyatt: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 5) Page 23
