Page 55 of Snow

Nova shot a look toward Snow and grinned. “Is he talking about your Mary Poppins bag?”

Bear coughed, trying to cover his laugh. “His what?”

Nova laughed as she leaned against the wall. “I call his little bag of tactical goodies his Mary Poppins bag. I mean, every time he reaches into it, something new comes out. A flashlight, zip ties, a first-aid kit, two knives, another flashlight, because apparently one wasn’t enough, and I’m pretty sure if I gave him another minute he would have pulled out a toaster.”

Snow heard the muffled snorts through the speakers and knew his teammates were ready to lose it.

Wanting to move on, Snow cleared his throat. “I didn’t expect you back so soon,” he said, looking at Nova.

She pushed off from the wall, walked over to her bed, and sat down.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to be back so soon. But I ran into Brett, the rig supervisor.”

That seemed to sober everyone up. Snow sat up straighter in the chair.

“You met Brett?” He asked.

She nodded, then told them about her brief conversation with him and how Clint interrupted them.

“Did you feel threatened?” Bear asked, looking concerned.

“No, not really. I took his words more as a warning.” She glanced at Snow. “Especially the way he said that you and I would be looked after while we’re here. And if you thought Clint was checking me out earlier, Brett made him look like an amateur. I've already nicknamed him The Collector.” She grimaced. “He has that polished, charming exterior, but the way he watched me, it felt less like admiration and more like possession.”

Snow felt a knot start to form in his stomach. He hadn’t met Brett yet, but he had learned long ago not to dismiss someone’s instincts, especially not someone as observant as Nova. If she was uneasy after one conversation, there was probably a reason.

“I don’t like either of them being around you,” he admitted. “But, unfortunately, we both have jobs to do, and we can’t spend every minute glued to each other’s side.”

Nova offered him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve dealt with my fair share of arrogant assholes. They don’t intimidate me.”

“Maybe not,” Bear said, folding his arms. “But the arrogant assholes you’ve dealt with don’t usually spend weeks trapped on an oil rig offshore.”

Snow rubbed the back of his neck. “For what it’s worth, Nova’s not exactly defenseless.”

Everyone got quiet and turned their attention to him through the screen.

Snow looked at Nova to make sure it was okay to tell them. She nodded.

“She’s a kickboxer.”

Playboy let out a low whistle. “Seriously?”

Nova shrugged as if it weren't worth mentioning. “It’s just a hobby.”

Snow barked out a laugh. “No, knitting is a hobby. She could compete.”

“Wait.” Joker leaned forward. “You’re telling me our attorney can legally beat the hell out of someone?”

“Within the rules of the ring,” Nova corrected with a grin.

“That’s unexpectedly awesome,” Duke said, shaking his head in appreciation.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” Jay Bird joked.

Nails smirked. “I don’t know. Between Snow and a kickboxing attorney, I think I would be more afraid of her.”

Snow couldn’t help but smile as the tension eased with the team’s laughter. It didn’t erase the concern gnawing at the back of his mind, but it reminded him of one important fact: Nova wasn’t someone who needed rescuing. She was smart, capable, and more than able to hold her own.

Even so, if Brett or Clint crossed a line, Snow had a feeling they were going to discover that being a kickboxer wasn’t the most dangerous thing about Nova Hart.