It was possible they should’ve had this conversation earlier, but it was always an awkward conversation to have. Surprising her by taking her hand, he led her to the table and guided her to a chair beside him.
The jumbled thoughts in his head chose their own path to his mouth, ignoring his honor and integrity. “Moira, there’s heat between us. I can’t hide anymore that I want you in my bed. But I know you’re not here by choice.”
“I um—”
Reaching out with his free hand, he placed two fingers over her lips. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. I won’t push. Now—” He sighed and dropped his hand from her mouth. “—if Justin takes out Boyle, are you going back to Ireland?”
While she looked at him a bit strangely, she nodded. “Of course. It’s my home.”
“Have you ever considered remaining in the States? I mean, you can stay here as long as you’d like.”
“I’d like to visit from time to time. I do love it here.” While the joy in her eyes evaporated, she continued, “You should come visit me once I’m set back up.” A cute blush filled her cheeks, and she lowered a head a tad. “I only have a one-bedroom flat, so you’d have to stay with Declan—if he returns—or in a hotel.”
Undaunted by her not inviting him to stay with her, he wouldn’t give up getting her to stay. With his hand still in hers, he asked, “What if you found a boyfriend or fell in love? Would you stay then?” Before he said the last word, he wondered if he’d overplayed his hand. Although, he really didn’t have a good hand to play.
She jerked her hand from his. “Danny, what’s this all about?”
He dropped his brows as his spirit sank at the concern in her voice. No, her tone held more anger and frustration than anything else. Not ready to admit his feelings without speaking with his brother, he decided it best to drop the subject for now. “Nothing.”
“Is that all? I’d like to make some plans with my friends for tomorrow. Low key. I promise.” Her statement told him the conversation about them had abruptly ended even though it’d never really started. He’d screwed up and lost all chance of turning their conversation into a fun, personal chat to continue getting to know each other better. Oh, and winning her over.
Surprised, he responded, “Sure.”
Once she left the dining room, he dropped his head in his hands, elbows resting on the table. He wanted to continue to be her friend, more than anything else, so he wracked his brain on how he could keep his lower brain from making the decisions.
Only one thing would do that.
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t like this, Franks,” Cowboy said quietly through the comms.
Neither did Danny. It was too quiet. The intel they’d received on this government-sanctioned op sucked monkey balls. Arthur Hall, FBI Deputy Director, and HIS worked together on many ops. Danny Franks never asked why. He did what needed to be done.
This was supposed to be an easy snatch and grab job. Not even snatch. Someone brought the boy to them. Easy for the four of them. Not breaking their arms to pat themselves on their backs, but he, Cowboy, Doc, and Stone knew how to win. This time, something wasn’t right. The air reeked of it. The heavy pressure of getting the boy and team to safety rested on his chest, making each breath painful.
Why the agency—any of them—had farmed this out should’ve set alarm bells ringing in his head when they had off-the-books black ops that could be done with their hands tied behind their backs. Uncle Sam was, at least, providing air transport out of here.
Reaching down beside him, he checked the little boy’s pulse for about the hundredth time. Doc said he’d sleep until they got him nearly home, and that worked for Danny since he’d yet to hear their ride approach.
When the men returned from patrol, he’d find out what disturbed him about this op. “We’ll be fine.” Together, they’d always find a way.
Stone reported in first from his recon of the area behind the structure. “I’d say we’re going to be rockin’ more than we thought.”
“If I didn’t say it before, thanks for joining the party, Stone.” Without him, they’d been benched for this op, and as much as he liked being around Moira, this kid needed them.
Cowboy didn’t wait a beat before he got in some good-natured jesting. “After riding that desk, did you put on your big boy pants to enter our playground?”
Doc reported in, breaking off anything Stone said in retort. “They’ve got a fucking army arriving.”
Shit. How did their contact not tell them that? Dammit, they were a quarter mile away from their extraction point and were nearly boxed in. Why not protect the boy in the first place, instead of bringing in the troops to take him back?
Danny grabbed the bill of his camo cap, yanked it off, then shoved it back on his head. His mind spun fast through idea after idea. No one said it, but they should’ve heard the helo by now, which meant they had to fight their way to a secure location and wait for backup transport. He’d be kicking Arthur in the ass for leaving them like this with an innocent child under their protection.
If HIS had their own helo, he could’ve flown them in and out. No waiting. Wait, did he say he’d fly it? Impossible.
“I found one gap in their coverage,” Doc stated, “but I can’t guarantee it still holds.”
“Ditto,” Stone added.
Danny’s gut churned. The leader
