otherwise.
Heat that had nothing to do with the summer sun climbed up Josie’s neck. She was unfamiliar with being the other half of a couple, particularly around a friend intent on teasing her to death. His target might be Daniel, but she was the one embarrassed. She knew without looking that he wasn’t blushing.
She threw out the first verbal sally she could think of to change the direction of the conversation. “And I’m not going anywhere, even if you’d all like me to.”
The other two had joined Daniel in trying to convince her to stay behind. It made no sense to her. She was one of the best soldiers they’d ever worked with, and she didn’t have to be arrogant to think so. They’d said it. They’d also brought her in on more than one independent mission. Their desire to keep her behind this time baffled her.
“We don’t want you gone. I like watching Daniel squirm around you. It humanizes him,” Wolf said, proving he could be just as irritating as Hotwire.
Lise elbowed his stomach. “Behave.”
He smiled down at her. “If I behaved, you’d be real disappointed, honey.”
Lise’s gaze went unfocused in a way Josie understood very well. “Yes, I guess I would.”
A disgusted sound erupted from Hotwire. “Would you two stop it? You’re bad enough back home, but I thought you’d at least try to behave in front of company.”
Josie had to smile. Beginning a start-up company around a couple of newlyweds no doubt had its challenges.
“Nitro and Josie aren’t company,” Wolf said, still looking at his wife with enough heat to singe her.
“Which is precisely why Josie shouldn’t be going on this mission,” Hotwire said, proving he’d gotten the gist of her words from the get-go.
“That’s ridiculous.” She’d been friends with the three mercenaries before when they were on missions together.
Wolf transferred his gaze to her, his brown eyes serious and compelling. “No, it’s not. Look at how Nitro is with you. A soldier with his focus on anything besides the mission ends up a dead soldier.”
Hotwire nodded, his own expression grim. “His first priority is going to be keeping you safe.”
“Of course it isn’t,” she denied.
“He cares about you. That changes things,” Wolf said.
“Are you trying to tell me that he tries to baby-sit you two on missions? Because I’ll tell you right now, I don’t buy it. I’ve seen the three of you in action. You cannot deny you care about each other, but the mission always comes first.”
Hotwire made a choking noise, and Wolf stared at her as if she’d said something rude while Daniel laughed. “We’re men.”
“And I’m a woman. Are you saying you don’t think I’m a good soldier?”
“That’s not what this is about.”
“Then what is it about?”
“Me not wanting to see you hurt.”
The sentiment was nice, but she wasn’t accepting it as an excuse to leave her behind. “Ninety-five percent of the jobs you took as mercs included protecting someone, and that never got in the way of your ability to fight or do your job.”
“It’s not the same thing.” Wolf hugged his wife to his side. “There’s protecting someone and then there’s keeping someone you love safe.”
“Which is why you did such a terrible job on your mission to capture Lise’s stalker?” she asked tongue-in- cheek.
Wolf had the grace to look uncomfortable. “But it was a lot more stressful than a normal assignment.”
Lise glared up at him. “Thanks a lot.”
“So, you’re saying Daniel’s too much of a pansy to handle the stress of worrying about me?”
Both Wolf and Hotwire looked chagrined at that, undoubtedly as aware as she was that such an idea was ludicrous.
“Not.” Daniel squeezed her. “This is not about me; it’s about you and you staying safe.”
“Lise’s not going.” Wolf said it as if that was some kind of irrefutable proof Josie shouldn’t either.
This was getting nuts. “Can we take a reality check here? Lise is an author, a really great author, but definitely not a soldier, and she’s pregnant.”
“You’re having your woman’s thing,” Daniel announced with a total lack of tact.
“It’s not even remotely the same thing, and may I remind you that even without being pregnant, she is still not a soldier and I am? A darn good one, too.”
“I thought you wanted a more normal life.”
She rolled her eyes. “That does not mean I’m going to ignore a threat to my dad’s life or that I’m going to let you all go in and risk your lives while I stay behind and paint my toenails again.”
“Damn it, the job only needs a four-person unit.”
Technically it could be done with four people, but five would be better, and he had to know it. “Then one of you stay behind.”
“Nitro…” The censorship in Hotwire’s voice would have been funny in other circumstances.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel growled. “I’m trying, dam—darn it.”
“What are you trying?” Lise asked, her expression saying everything happening right now was great fodder for her imagination.
“Not to swear in front of Josette.” Daniel rubbed her shoulders as if apologizing again. “She’s a lady, and it’s not polite.”
Wolf smirked. Hotwire nodded, and Lise smiled. “That’s really sweet.”
Daniel’s expression could have melted the polar ice caps. “I’m not sweet.”
“That’s a matter of interpretation,” Josie said.
The metal-melting glare got turned on her. “When this woman’s thing is over, I’ll show you how sweet I am.”
“I can’t wait.” She gave him one of the fluttering eyelashes looks she’d perfected and puckered her lips in an air kiss.
“I’m not convinced Nitro is sweet,” Wolf said, “but you sure as he—heck are stubborn.”
She wouldn’t bother denying something she knew to be true, and it was a good thing in her opinion. If she were less sure of herself, these guys would walk right over her. “Did you ask my dad what he thought of leaving me behind?”
“He’s worse than you are about it. He figures he’s trained you to be the best and there isn’t anyone else he’d rather have covering his back.” Daniel was still looking plenty irritated.
She smiled triumphantly at all of them. “Well, that’s settled then.”
“How do you figure that?” Daniel asked in a dangerous tone.
“It’s no use trying to argue with both me and my dad, and I think you’re all smart enough to realize it.”
Josie pulled the black face mask down and adjusted her night-vision goggles.
They’d hiked in and established position after leaving their jeeps parked far enough away that the sound of the running engines wouldn’t carry to the compound.
“Ready?” Daniel’s almost soundless voice came from right beside her ear.
She nodded once.
“Be careful.”
“You, too,” she said at a bare whisper.
Then he was gone.
Hotwire would cut the security system while Wolf and Daniel neutralized the guards. Her dad was supposed to neutralize the armory, and she was responsible for getting the files. She had six 256 MB jump drives in her vest pocket—enough to download the pertinent information on several hard drives. While she was getting it, the other four would be collecting the men who had taken her dad’s courses.
The plan was to dump them along with the incriminating evidence on the FBI’s doorstep. Hotwire had
