Page 54 of Altered By Lead (Undercover Sinners 2)
"What do you mean he brought the new recruit?" I ask, and Hawke stiffens up at my side. I'm surprised. I didn't think the man's muscles could get any tighter. At this point, it's going to take a skilled surgeon to remove the stick he's got shoved up his ass.
"Well, this is a simple job briefing. As the least experienced on Hawke's team, I just didn't expect to see you here." Janet's gaze travels between us and then flicks back to her laptop screen. My lips purse and I give Hawke a look that he ignores.
"What’s the job?" he barks, and I'm at least happy to see that he's as much a dick to other people as he is to me. "We're already working two active cases."
"Understood, but something's come up, and we don't have enough resources to shift another team to this ... area." The way she says that last word, and the way her lip curls, tells me that Janet most definitely doesn't enjoy the remote Oregon wilderness as much as Mace or Arsen. Janet glances up, her eyes straying to Hawke yet again. A small pit forms in my stomach, but I ignore it. Or, at least, I try to. "Shady Cove Motorcycle Club is preparing to move a large shipment of product this coming weekend, and our client isn't happy about it. She wants them dealt with sooner rather than later."
Hawke grits his teeth.
"We're doing the best we can; we have an injured team member and a green-ass newbie who doesn't know how to take orders. Add this shit on top of our Konstantin problem, and we're spread a little thin here."
"I understand that, which is why I'm stepping in to assist."
"What?!" Hawke roars, and I cringe. I notice that Janet doesn't skip a beat. "We don't need assistance, we need time."
"Well, you don't have it. Our client is afraid that product is going to kill more kids, like her own. We need to move now. I'll be heading back with you to the Rogue Elk to prep for this weekend. You and the recruit can pack up my equipment while I gather my personal belongings."
"You called me all the way over here to help pack up your shit?" Hawke snaps, gritting his teeth. "Jesus Christ, Janet."
"I ..." She pauses and glances my way before turning back to glare at him again. She's pretty, with those strange alien-like features you always see on the runway, just a little weird, just a lot gorgeous. That pit in my stomach grows three sizes too large, and I start to feel nauseous. You're jealous as fuck, Natalia, I tell myself, but I refuse to admit it. "I was thinking you might come alone," she whispers, and my brows go up. A cold chill goes through me as Hawke shoots a nasty glare in my direction.
"Out," he barks, but when I open my mouth to protest, I notice that Janet is watching me, too, and I decide it's not worth my dignity. I don't need Hawke—and I especially don't need Janet—to know that I actually, maybe, almost, sort of, kind of like the asshole.
I do as I'm told, and the door slams so fast and so hard that it hits me in the ass, and feels like a spanking. I actually ... sort of like it, too. Damn, I have problems.
Instead of moving away from the door like a proper human being would, I eavesdrop. Seriously, I can't help myself.
"This is bullshit, and you know it," Hawke growls out, his voice so loud and booming that I could probably hear it from the fucking Rogue Elk. "You called me over here because you're jealous of Natalia."
Jealous ... of me? What the fuck?
"Hawke," Janet begins, and there's a distinct pleading in her voice that I can't fathom how I missed before. That pit in my stomach becomes an abyss. "We could be good together, you know that, right? Honestly, we'd make a perfect team—in and out of the bedroom."
My eyes widen, and I realize suddenly why it was so damn important for Hawke to bring me out here. He was parading me in front of his ... his ... lover? I almost choke on the jealousy surging through me. This place isn't so far from the Rogue Elk. What if he came up here yesterday and slept with Janet? The thought makes me see red.
"Don't make it out to be anything more than it was—a convenience fuck. Now, I have shit to do. If you're coming with us, then hurry up."
"Hawke ..." There's the sound of footsteps, and then a quiet, awkward span of time that has me shaking with fury. When the door opens a few minutes later, I've excused myself to a leather couch in the fancy living room, my breath coming in harsh pants.
