A Perfect Storm
Page 102

Relief rolled through Spencer. He dragged in a breath, and nodded. To maintain his own role, he said, “If she stays out of trouble, she doesn’t need to hold her own.”
“No guarantee that she’ll do that.”
“Not with her skill set,” Dare added, doing his part to ease the situation. “She lacks strength, but she makes up for it with speed.”
“And daring,” Trace added. “If what she showed us just now was accurate to how she’d be in a real battle, then she’s not a cautious fighter. That’s both good and bad.”
Arizona pushed back her hair—and took a firm step forward. “I’m standing right here, you guys.” Only a faint trembling gave away her lack of composure.
“What Chris said makes sense. She’s going to be around danger. It’s in her nature. You know that.”
“What did Chris say?” she asked, but no one gave her an answer.
In that moment, Spencer’s respect for each of the men doubled. They were ruthless when need be, but they were also kind and caring. “There’s danger, and then there’s danger.” Without looking at her, Spencer reached for her hand and tugged her into his side.
And she let him.
“You said it yourself, she lacks the strength to go toe to toe with a psychopath.”
“It’s my decision, Spence.” She looked up at him. “Not yours.”
“Actually it’s theirs.” He nodded at the men—and prayed they’d find a way to let her down gently. What she’d just gone through proved she wasn’t ready, emotionally or physically, to run the risk of getting caught again. “And they don’t look like dummies to me.”
Jackson said, “Don’t push your luck.” His smile was mean.
Trace shouldered Jackson aside and spoke to Dare. “Now might be a good time to ask him.”
Spencer smoothed his thumb over Arizona’s chilled knuckles. “Ask me what?”
“If you’ll join us.”
Proving he wasn’t really pissed at all, Jackson nearly felled him with a whack on the back. “The pay is a shitload better than what you’re used to, man. And you get to exercise your alpha dog.” He winked. “A real win-win.”
Well, hell, Spencer thought. He hadn’t seen that one coming.
He looked down at Arizona and found her beaming—with pride. Huh.
No jealously. No resentment.
Never the expected from her—because she rose above the expected, over and over again.
Incredible.
He’d think about her astounding acceptance later, but for now, she’d been distracted from her fear, and that was what mattered most.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
NEEDING A FEW MINUTES, Arizona excused herself and went inside. In the bathroom, she splashed her face, straightened her ponytail, put a little more makeup over the bruise on her jaw.
And she took time to breathe.
But honestly, excitement for Spencer overshadowed everything else.
They wanted him to sign on.
Damn, she was soooo proud of him. She couldn’t imagine a bigger compliment or a better testament to Spencer’s ability and his honor. They trusted him, and that meant so much.
And if he worked with the guys, then maybe she could convince him to partner up with her. Yeah, he wanted to cut their time short, she knew that. She hadn’t forgotten his motives or what he’d told her from the get-go.
But now she had a good excuse to try to talk him around.
She now had hope—and wow, hope was a scary thing.
On her way back out, she heard the women talking in the kitchen, laughing and chatting so amicably. At least they weren’t gossiping about her—yet. If she got the opportunity to stick around long enough, though, she knew they would.
She pasted on a smile and stepped into the room.
Priss immediately asked, “Did you bring a suit? We’re getting ready to go down to the lake.”
“Yeah, it’s under my clothes.” And with any luck, it’d stay there.
But luck wasn’t with her today.
“Soon as the guys are done talking, we’re all heading down,” Alani told her. “I think Chris wants to ski, and I wouldn’t mind cooling down with a swim.”
Molly rinsed a glass and put it in the dishwasher. “I’ll be ready in just a minute.” She left the room.
Priss stood. “I need to find the sunscreen. Trace gets apoplectic if I burn.”
“I have some,” Alani told her.
“You two go on.” Arizona had other interests than swimsuits and sunscreen. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
“You just want in on the conversation out there,” Alani teased, but without any insult. “Go on then, and we’ll join you soon.”
But when Arizona stepped out, the yard was empty. Frowning, she followed the sound of low voices over to the side yard—and overheard Dare and Spencer talking. Curiosity got the better of her, and she hoped to glean a few details about the offer.
Wearing a half smile, she inched closer.
“You shouldn’t fight it,” Dare said. “I can tell you from personal experience, it’s impossible once you’ve met the right one.”
That didn’t sound at all work-related. Arizona started to interrupt, and then Spencer replied.
“Unfortunately, I had to bury the one that was right for me, and I’m not looking for a replacement.”
Arizona staggered back. Her heart dropped and her stomach cramped.