Page 33 of Lethal Salvation

“Maybe but until we’re sure, we have no choice.”

Duchess glared at him, even knowing he was right, but they could have gone about it better.

“There’s always a choice, Bás.”

“Maybe but sometimes all the options are shitty, and you just have to pick the one you think is the best and hope it doesn’t backfire on you.”

The car was silent the rest of the drive, except for a text from Lotus to the group confirming they had Damon and were headed their way and about an hour behind them.

Duchess felt exhaustion pulling at her but was too wired to sleep. She needed answers and right now the biggest one was what the hell was she going to do about this attraction between her and Gideon.

She knew other members of the team had met their partners on the job and made it work. Bein and Aoife had met when the barmaid had been hiding from her father, the King of the Irish mafia. It had worked out well for them in the end despite some hairy moments and they were happy and building a life. Same for Snow and Sebastian, the Judge she’d been undercover with. They were married and adding a baby to their family. Then there was Reaper and Princess Lucía, a bona fide Spanish Princess, her father was the King of Spain and they’d found a way too.

Even Charlie and Bishop, a couple who’d been through absolute hell to get where they were now were making it work. Her heart clenched at the love she saw between all those couples, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want the same. For a man to look at her as if she was the sole purpose he breathed air.

The questions, among so many others rattling around her brain, was could she take the chance on it? Did she want to and did Gideon even feel the same? He wanted her, that was clear from day one but did he want more? She just didn’t know, and perhaps now was the wrong time but she couldn’t seem to compartmentalise like she had on other missions.

Arriving at the safe house, Bás and Titan cleared it before she eased herself out of the vehicle and stepped back, allowing Hurricane to lift Gideon over his shoulder and carry him inside. The house was a four-bedroom farmhouse with acres of land around it, giving them the privacy they needed. To anyone looking, it looked abandoned, but inside was a different story.

Each door and window was fortified, it also had a weapons and comms room, and a fully stocked kitchen with everything they’d need to survive for a prolonged period. Not that she thought they’d be here long at all.

Following Hurricane down the hallway and up the stairs, she rushed to open the door so Hurricane didn’t bounce Gideon’s head off it.

“Watch his head, dumbass.” Hurricane smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”

“What? I’m happy for you.”

Hurricane placed Gideon on the bed, and she bent over, making sure he was comfortable and checking his pulse. It beat strong beneath her fingers, his skin warm and her heart skipped at the feeling of home he gave her even now when he was unaware of everything.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She almost winced at her haughty tone, which was a dead giveaway.

“Sure you don’t.”

Duchess locked eyes with Hurricane, turning her body and crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s nothing. You heard him.”

Her friend tilted his head, his eyes focused on her as he folded his arms across his chest, mirroring her. “We all know the biggest lies are the ones we don’t voice, Duchess. He may have said that but not a person in that room believed it and neither do you. Just be careful. He seems like a good guy, but we all know people hide shit and we still have a question mark over his involvement.”

“He isn’t involved in this.” Her staunch denial was swift, but she knew in her heart it was true. Gideon was being used as a fall guy in some way. She didn’t know how, just that it was happening.

“I hope not, Duchess. I like him for you, and you deserve to be happy.”

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself, Hurricane.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

She wasn’t usually candid about her feelings, even to the people who meant the most to her in the world, but she found herself wanting reassurance that she wasn’t sure anyone could give her. “What if it all goes wrong? What if this is just lust caused by the circumstances we’re in at the moment?”

“Listen, Duchess, I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know this. Life is about risk, and putting your heart on the line is the biggest of them all, but it also has the biggest pay-off.”

“You sound like you know something about it.”

The man in front of her looked sad, lost, and, not for the first time, she wondered what was going on with him and vowed to get to the bottom of it.

Hurricane blinked, dropping his head, and when he looked back up the intensity from seconds before was masked behind a wall of a smile. “Nah, just been forced to watch too many romantic comedies with my cousin growing up.”

Duchess smirked but was stopped from responding by the sound of a groan behind her. Spinning, she dropped to her knees beside the man on the bed who was consuming her thoughts more and more. “Gideon, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

His sluggish head lifted, drugged eyes trying to focus and make sense of what was happening to him. He’d come around quicker than she expected but she was glad for it. She didn’t like seeing such a vital strong man weak.