Perfect Chaos(9)

I remember the second our eyes met, locked, and then his cool mask of unemotional glare seeped into me.

I must have looked a sight with coffee spilled down the front of me. It had burned my skin, yet I didn’t feel the pain; only emotional pain was filtering through me. Then came the pissed off, and I kicked one of the empty coffee cups next to my foot.

“Why the fuck not?” I’d yelled.

Deck, in his usual calm manner, merely said because he said so—period. Well, the period became an abrupt dash when I freaked. My control on my emotions was still a work in progress at the time. I walked straight up to Josh who’d been standing beside the stock shelf and kissed him.

Josh’s hands came to my hips and I felt the slight push, but then his mouth eased under mine and I heard him groan. It only lasted a few seconds before we both pulled back at the same time.

I had no interest in Josh or any of Deck’s men. It was the point. It was then my anger turned to disgust with myself for being so weak when I’d been trying hard for the last two years to get past these feelings I had for Deck.

The guys had made themselves scarce as Deck and I stared at one another and then he said, “My men are off-limits to you because every mission we go on, there is a good chance one of us might not come back. Your brother never wanted that for you.” Then he left and we never discussed it again.

Deck ran his hand over the top of his head, then down his face. The flicker of uneasiness in his eyes was unusual for him. Steady as a rock, but something was different in him. I noticed it over the last few months. He was gone most of the time and when he was here, he was distant. Well, he was always distant, but something wasn’t sitting right and I had yet to figure it out. What worried me was if it had anything to do with me, and I wasn’t talking about the drinking.

Deck shook his head. “Jesus, this shit is fucking with me.”

“What shit?” I looked between both men, but they remained quiet. Fear skidded like little skipping pebbles across my skin. I hated this. I hated that Deck could be taken away from me just as quickly and suddenly as my brother. It fucked with my head … the only thing that still did. “What’s wrong?”

Tyler put his hand out as if to pat Deck’s shoulder and backed off, lowering it again. “We’ll get it done.” What would they get done? He nodded to a camera up in the corner of the stock room. “Oh, and the security feed … nine pm last Monday. We can watch it on the plane later. I’ll bring popcorn.”

Shit. My dance. Tyler winked at me then grabbed his empty cup and walked back out to the front of the coffee shop where I heard him asking Rylie for a refill.

“I’m not going to like it, am I?” Deck said.

“No.” Deck hated my choice in clothes, hair, and the way I flirted. He was really going to hate me doing a sexy dance for the camera knowing Tyler had watched it. “You’re leaving again? You just got back.” I asked, but I already knew he was going to New York.

“Just a couple days.”

“You mean you can track down, torture and kill a guy in a couple days? Impressive.” Whenever he came back from something bad, he had a dark, cold look in his eyes, which took a few days to get back to normal. I knew this trip to New York wasn’t like that.

“No. Just business. I need Tyler with me and the others are still overseas, but they’re meeting us there. So that leaves you alone.”

My brows rose. “Seriously, Deck. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Then act it.”

Jesus, sometimes I just want to… Before I could react, he reached for me and cupped the back of my neck, drawing me in close. My breath hitched and I knew he heard it because his dark walnut eyes blackened.

“The drinking, partying … you’re right, you’re not a kid. That shit has to stop and …” He sighed and his hand on my neck tightened. “Georgie, things might be changing. I need you to be ready.”

Fuck. Did he know? I didn’t think he did. He couldn’t. I was careful. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I shivered as his fingers slid into my hair and for a second, I was thinking he was going to drag me up against him and kiss me. Stupid thinking. I should be thinking of what the hell he meant by things changing.

He suddenly let me go and stepped back. “It means I need all my men with me, and we can’t be around if you get into trouble. So get your shit together.” He paused and I was still reeling from his words. I hate my life. “And I find out you dated Tristan, things will change more than you may want them to. The fuckin’ guy has a revolving door of women coming from his place. Stay away from him.”