Page 95 of When He Lies
“You seemed to have healed nicely from that gunshot wound in Vegas,” Logan allowed. “Glad to see you up and about, but hey, how about you put some clothes on, asshole?”
Growling, Ryan slapped down his gun and hauled on a pair of sweatpants. Then he picked up the weapon again and aimed it at Logan.
But she stepped right between him and Logan. “You were shot in Vegas?” Simone asked Ryan. When she’d been, um, exploring and following his tats with her mouth, she had noticed a few scars. She just hadn’t realized that she was licking bullet wounds.
“Simone? I hate to point out the obvious, but the man was shot here in London, too,” Logan chimed in to say. “I was watching the Arch drama from a distance. Plus, I can see the fresh bandage on his arm. He gets shot a lot. That would be a hazard in his line of work. Or, maybe he’s just careless, who knows? And, damn, but that is one hell of a shiner near his eye. The man obviously attracts far too many enemies.”
Another growl came from Ryan.
“He has to be careless,” Logan decided, “considering that he’s allowed not one but two attacks on your life, and I was able to just sneak right inside the suite here. Hey, quick question…why the hell haven’t you taken Simone far away from here and put her in a new, safer location?”
“Because I’m bait.” Simone shifted from her left foot to her right.
Logan’s face darkened. “The fuck you are.”
“Because you’re taking her away,” Ryan fired back at the same moment. “That’s why I rolled out the welcome mat and was patiently waiting for you to arrive.”
“Rolled out the welcome mat?” Logan laughed. “Dumbass, I crawled through the air ducts and tight tunnels in this place for damn near an hour. I bypassed every bit of security you have and?—”
Ryan laughed.
She was just thrilled they were having themselves a good time. Meanwhile, she’d gotten stuck on Ryan’s words. Because you are taking her away. What had that BS line from Ryan been about?
“You didn’t need to crawl through air ducts,” Ryan informed Logan. “As soon as I realized who Simone’s friend was, I understood that you weren’t a threat. The guards in the hallway were told to let you pass. To put up a minimum amount of effort, of course, but you could have slipped in…without crawling around the walls of the hotel.”
“Oh, I will show you a threat.” Logan surged forward.
So did Ryan.
“Enough.” Simone slapped a hand on each of their chests.
And her sheet slithered to the floor.
“Do not look down,” Ryan ordered in a tone gone coldly lethal. “I will break every bone in your body if you look down right now, Logan.”
“She’s like my sister. Relax, man. Relax. I’m not looking down.”
She grabbed the sheet and yanked it around her body. “You two are idiots, and I have no idea why I love you both.” Oh, wait, no. She had not just said those words. They had not come out of her mouth.
“Simone?” Ryan pounced. “Simone, did you just say what I think you said?”
“I do not function well when I am woken up after so little actual sleep time!” A huff. “Dammit, Logan, you were not supposed to break in! I planned on meeting up with you, after the mission is complete.”
“What mission?” Low. Hard. Demanding.
Typical Logan.
She turned her head toward him. The fireworks were about to start, she could feel them igniting. “The one where I’m bait, and I pull in an international killer.”
“Fuck, no.” He dodged around her and flew at Ryan.
Sighing, Simone hooked her ankle under his leg and sent him tumbling to the floor.
“Marry me,” Ryan urged her. “Really, let’s do it. Marry. Me.”
Ignoring the pain in her heart, she glared at him. “Oh, fine, now, you make the proposal.” With a shake of her head, she focused on Logan. It was easier to focus on him than to look at Ryan. “I appreciate you rushing to the rescue for me and all, but I’m afraid I must insist you climb back into the air ducts and get the hell out of here.”
Still holding his gun, Logan hoisted himself up. “Not happening.”
