by Diana Gardin
She lifts a brow. “Interesting. That all I get?”
I grin. “I answered the question, didn’t I?”
She scowls, and the chuckle I can’t seem to help when I’m around her flows out of me. “My turn. What’s your favorite drink?”
Indigo sighs, placing her elbows on the table in front of us. “Beer. Not the light kind. I like mine dark and full-bodied.”
I burst out laughing. “That sounds like innuendo. You realize that, right?”
A flush creeps up from her neck to her cheeks, and my eyes are pulled there. It’s sweet and innocent, and so contradictory to Indigo’s apparent character that I lose my breath.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Shaking my head, I sip my coffee. “Sure it isn’t.”
“Fucking hell, Snyder, I swear to God.” She’s getting all riled up, and it only makes me want to tease her more. But I swallow down my amusement with effort. “You go.”
Her lip curls, eyes flashing. “Fine. Why don’t you drink?”
I shrug. “Bad things happen when I do. I used to get into a lot of…bar fights. I’m better when I’m sober.”
She tilts her head to one side, studying me. “Hard to imagine you losing control.”
Glancing away, I note that the guys are having their own conversation over their coffee. But when I catch Thorn glancing our way, I know they’re still paying attention. “It’s not pretty. How long have you been a detective?”
“A little over a year. I’m one of the youngest to make detective on the force. There are a lot of people who aren’t happy about it. They say shit like I haven’t earned it and that Russ favors me. He doesn’t. If anything, he’s probably harder on me than anyone else.”
She sounds pissed about the judgment, but not about the fact that Russ rides her harder than her male counterparts.
“Because he wants to push you?” It’s another question, but I hope she’ll answer it anyway.
She nods. “Yeah. He knows that I have to be twice as good as anyone else to succeed because of my gender and my background. He’s been nothing but good to me.”
My fingers twitch with the urge to tuck the piece of hair that hangs down beside her face behind her ear. “You two seem close.”
“We are. How’d you end up at NES? Did you always know you’d do that kind of job when you were done with the Navy?” As if she senses my attention to it, she brushes the hair back from her cheek.
Casually, I let my fingers stroke her shoulder again. “Nope. The plan was that I was supposed to go back and get my law degree. That’s what my father does, back in Nebraska. I was supposed to join his firm.”
Her brows lift. “Wow. You’re a little far from that plan.”
This time, my chuckle is darker. “As far as I could get, actually. Sometime between leaving home to go to college, going active duty, becoming a SEAL, and…and experiencing the things I did while deployed, I figured out that I didn’t want to be a lawyer. Never would. Probably never did.”
Indigo’s gaze is shrewd as she turns her head and holds my gaze. “And Daddy was okay with that?”
“Not at all. Haven’t spoken to him since I told him. It’s been years.”
She blows out a breath of sweet, warm air. “Wow.”
“It’s okay. I have a twin sister who lives out here now. We’re close. We lost our mom to breast cancer when we were teenagers, so she’s all the family I need. When I joined NES, it was because one of my best friends recommended me to Jacob. Grisham already worked for the company, and now he’s married to Jacob’s daughter. So they’re all like my family now too.”
A wistful expression skates across her features, there and gone before I can be sure I saw it. “Must be nice.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes while we finish our coffee. Ben gives me a salute as the guys get up and leave the shop, and Indigo and I follow five minutes later.
Using my badge to scan us back into the office, we find them all waiting for us in the lobby. All three men start clapping when we walk in.
“What the fuck were you guys talking about that whole time? It was like you were a couple who’s been together for years, man.” The admiration in Ben’s voice is plain.
I grin, patting him on the shoulder as Indigo and I pass him by. “That’s why this is my assignment, not yours.”
Thorn coughs to cover up his laugh, and Bain rolls his eyes.
Ben just grins. “Cocky bastard.”
6
INDIGO
Sayward adjusts her black, full-rimmed glasses as she peers at us from her spot in the front seat. Her fiancé, Bennett Blacke, is behind the wheel of the NES company SUV, and I watch his gaze flicker to us in the rearview mirror before checking the road in front of him again. I also note that his gaze hovers over Sayward every so often, too, like not looking at her hurts something deep inside of him.
From what I can tell, a lot of the guys at NES are locked up tight, and none of their women stray very far. Hell, the receptionist who mans the front desk is married to a member of the team. I’ve tried hard to figure out whether it’s something in the water or what, but the way these men love seems to be just as fierce as the black-ops training.
I’ve spent the past week in and out of the NES building, training with Lawson, spending hours in powwows with his team and the other members of the task force, and I have to admit I’ve been impressed by their togetherness, by how legitimately badass the whole outfit is. The head of it all, Jacob Owen, is as steady as they come. He actually reminds me a lot of Russ, and that’s not a comparison I make lightly.
As much as I wanted to find fault with them, to roar out loud that I don’t need them and I’m better off running this assignment on my own, I couldn’t do it. Not after spending time there.
“I’m only going to be able to loop the footage for a minute.” Sayward’s voice is devoid of inflection as she speaks in the flat way she has, and I find myself wondering about her story the same way I do every time I’m around her.
The woman is seriously good at what she does, just like the rest of them. Her specialty is hacking, and she does it with a style all her own. She melts into her man Bennett when he’s around, but for the most part she stays detached and aloof in every situation, and it makes me want to know more about her. I’m used to being the only female in any work situation, but having Sayward around changes all of that.
“That’s all?” I ask, not with attitude, but because I’m genuinely curious. “That’s not a lot of time.”
Sayward’s dark gaze holds mine for no more than a second when she answers, glancing away quickly. “It’s not that I can’t do it for longer,” she retorts. “It’s that anyone with an ounce of sense will be able to detect the loop if it goes on for longer than that.”
Lawson nods, pulling my attention from Sayward with ease. He has that way about him, commanding attention without even trying. He’s actually not the cocky bastard I expected, and trying to figure him out has exhausted me all week.
Bennett’s pretty blue eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “That gonna be a problem for you? To get the job done in under a minute?”
My lips pull into a firm line. I can feel Lawson’s gaze on me as I answer. “Hell no. Get us close enough to the target, and there won’t be any problems.”
Bennett smirks, and Sayward’s indifferent, but when I glance at Lawson out of the corner of my eye, his attention is directed out the window beside him.
He’s been that way all week—ever since our fake coffee date. Not unfriendly, but cool and aloof. Held at a distance, which would be fine, except I need someone to watch my back for the foreseeable future.
I never wanted a partner in the first place, but since I’m being made to have one, trust is vital.
Lawson Snyder and me? We don’t yet have that trust.
“I can’t believe we’re really about to do this.” Lawson aims his serious, scouring gaze forward. “She’s a cop. She’s putting herself on
the line, stealing a car.”
He doesn’t glance at me when he speaks, and every muscle in my body goes tense where I sit beside him.
“Excuse me?” The words that escape my lips are sharp as knives, the blades aimed directly at Lawson. “This is our only way in. I’m good with this. So when voicing your fears, speak for yourself.”
I aim a hot glare in his direction, and he finally turns his head to meet my gaze.
Something in his gaze arrests me, stuns me, stops me where I sit.
From the minute I laid eyes on Lawson Snyder, I took note of how handsome he was. His eyes are the deepest, darkest green I’ve ever seen, and the combination of them with his light brown skin almost stole my breath. Thick black lashes frame his wide-set eyes, and heavy brows convey emotions I don’t think he’d ever be comfortable sharing aloud.
Right now, a gray knit skull cap covers his head, but underneath that he keeps his hair shaved close. His broad shoulders ripple as he turns toward me, the expression on his face conveying something I didn’t expect—genuine concern.
“We want them to trust us? This is what we have to do. Stealing this Bugatti, one of the rarest, most expensive cars in the world, and handing it to the organization on a silver platter is our ticket. They’ll have to trust us.”
Lawson blows out a breath, exasperation rippling from him in waves. “Yeah, Indigo, I get why we’re doing this. I just think there had to be another way.”
I shake my head, opening my mouth to argue, but Bennett cuts me off. “Sleuth, let it go. This is what your team came up with, right? Trust them. Get the shit done, and we’ll see you on the other side.”
I chime in. “My intel here is good, Lawson. This guy is as close to the ring leader as possible—he’s Eli Ward’s cousin. He’s been my informant for over a year now. I trust Brandon.”
Lawson holds my gaze for another moment, forcing my breath to catch in my throat with the intensity of those emerald eyes. Then he turns away again. Bennett’s truck turns onto a street in the heart of one of the wealthiest areas in Wilmington. Trendy shops and restaurants line the road, palmettos swaying in the breeze on either side. The Carolina blue sky overhead provides us with a pretense of calm, of rightness, when we know damn well all hell’s about to break loose.
Bennett pulls into a parking garage, cruising down to a deserted basement level. This is the start of our plan, and my heartbeat kicks up in anticipation of going undercover again. Adrenaline is something that fuels my veins, something that I’d be lost without. It’s the reason I do what I do, and it’s why I’m so damn good at it.
Bennett pulls into an empty spot in the residential garage, cutting the engine on his big truck as Sayward’s fingers fly over the keys of her laptop. There’s never been a moment in the short time I’ve known her that her computer hasn’t been in her hands. The team tells me that her skills as a hacker are unmatched, that she’s the real deal, and I believe them.
“All garage cameras are now running on a loop. You two need to get in that car and get the hell out of here. We’ll be gone before you are, and as you requested, there will be no coms. We’ll expect you to check in every day, but we won’t have constant communication. Good luck.”
Bennett reaches over the seat to shake Lawson’s hand. His expression is serious as he holds my new partner’s gaze. “Good luck, bro.”
Lawson nods, exiting the car. I lift my chin toward Bennett before I follow Lawson out of the truck. We scurry to the pearly white car, the coveted and rare beast that lies in wait for the taking. Its sleek shape hugs the ground, giving off a flirty and powerful vibe.
Lawson squats down beside the car as I lean casually against the side of it, scoping out the landscape of the garage. The dimly lit enclosure is calm, quiet. But I’m not lulled into peace; I speak in a low tone to Lawson where he’s perched beside me.
“Let’s move, Snyder. Get us in that car.”
Lawson doesn’t glance up, his voice grinding through his teeth. “I’ll get us there, honey. Just chill.”
I lift a brow, aiming a razor-sharp gaze down at him while he works. He tenses, and I know that somehow he feels my glare. “Call me honey again, and I’ll be shoving that screwdriver down your throat.”
Keeping my voice sweet, I add an edge to my tone that lets him know how serious I am. And the irritation climbing inside me makes it easy to ignore the swarm of insects dancing around in my gut. It’s a feeling completely foreign to my body, and it’s easy to shove way down deep.
I have a job to do. And no handsome face is going to distract me from it. I have a chance to help drag a group of car-thieving bastards off the streets of my city, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Lawson’s deep chuckle sends a shiver down the center of my back, and I straighten my shoulders even as I try to keep my slouch against the car casual. That chuckle…its rich honey drizzled over rough granite, something that makes me want to pull it from him again and again.
There’s a quiet clicking sound just before the quiet whir of the car door unlocking.
Glancing down at Lawson, my gaze falls on his full, full lips, which are tipped up in a satisfied smirk. “We’re in. Let’s go.”
Walking around the back of the car with unhurried steps, I pull myself into the passenger’s door and sink onto the buttery-soft leather.
“Holy shit, that feels good,” I moan quietly as I draw the seat belt over my chest.
Lawson shuts his door and reaches under the steering wheel. Pulling two wires from where they’re nestled beneath the dash, he brushes them together and the car’s engine roars to life. Lawson backs out of the space in the garage and I check the smart watch on my left wrist. We beat Sayward’s time limit by five seconds.
We did it.
Adrenaline floods my system as Lawson drives us out of the garage and onto the Wilmington streets.
“Indigo.”
I suppress another shiver as my name rolls off of Lawson’s tongue. What is it about this man that affects me this way? Not only is it distracting and baffling, but it’s also confusing as hell.
“What?”
I glance at him, and his eyes flick toward me before landing back on the road in front of us. He drives like he does everything: calm, sure, and in a way that assures those around him that he’s in complete control. One hand rests on the toffee-leather-wrapped gearshift between us while the other rests atop the steering wheel. He shouldn’t look so right, driving a car that costs seven figures. Not dressed in worn jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt. But somehow, he does.
Lawson Snyder looks right doing just about anything.
“I’m going to ask you a question. You answer it honestly. And then you can ask me one. Just one question each this round.”
My eyes narrow as I study him. “Why do you want to do this now?”
Lawson doesn’t miss a beat. “Because in a few minutes, you and I are going to be thrown together in an undercover situation. Everyone is going to have to believe that we’re together, that we’ve been together for a while. And yeah, we’ve come up with our cover and learned the basics about each other. But I don’t feel like I really know anything about you.”
The car eases to a stop at a red light while I contemplate. “I guess you have a point. Can we pass the question if we don’t want to answer?”
He shakes his head. “No passes. You only have to answer one this round. But you have to answer it. No matter how tough it is to be forthcoming.”
Saliva builds in my mouth and my heartbeat picks up. But there’s a challenge in Lawson’s voice, one I refuse to back away from. I hate answering questions about myself.
“Fine. Shoot.”
Two bold lines furrow on his brow, a sign of true concentration as he sifts through whatever’s running in his head. “What side of the bed do you sleep on?”
I freeze, taking him in with my mouth hanging open for a full two seconds. Then laughter bubbles up from my belly, causing me to double forward.
>
“Holy shit,” I croak through a fit of giggles. “Are you fucking serious right now? You get one question, and that’s what you want to know?”
Lawson’s mouth quirks into a full-on smile before he answers, and I find myself stuck staring at his mouth, my laughter dying on my own. “It’s a burning question. And something I should know about you if I’ve been sleeping with you for over a year now.” The light turns green, and he guns the engine. The car surges forward, responding to Lawson’s handling like they were meant to be together.
When he says sleeping with you, my cheeks burn. And I’m pretty sure I’ve never blushed a day in my life.
“So what’s the verdict?” he asks, more serious now. “Right or left?”
I think about my bedroom in my tiny apartment, filled with my king-sized bed. It was one of the first purchases I made when I had a steady job, because I never had a bed as a kid. I always slept on a pallet on the floor of whatever apartment my mom had us parked at, or on the couch.
“I want the right side in this room. And that’s because it’s closest to the door. I like a quick getaway.”
Lawson’s brow goes all wrinkly again as he watches the road in front of us. “Why would you need a quick getaway from your bedroom?”
Memories try to invade my brain, but I shut them out in a quick, practiced way before aiming my gaze straight out the front windshield.
“Just in case. You can never be too safe.”
7
LAWSON
Just in case.
Her words replay in my brain as I drive the rest of the way to the garage on the outskirts of Wilmington. The place where the luxury car theft ring sets up shop and holds their inventory before shipping it all across the country and overseas.
What the fuck?
When she says those words, her voice is matter-of-fact. Cool. Calm.
But inside me, they incite a riot.
I know less than nothing about this woman’s background, but the words that just fell calmly from her lips send alarm bells ringing in my head. There’s something there, buried down deep. Indigo Stone has waded through some deep shit in her lifetime. I knew she had depth from the first moment she walked into the bar that night. But I’m just starting to realize just how far inside her that intensity reaches.
