Perfect Match: The Thief Who Loved Me: Fantasy Romance by i. T. Lucas

Author:i. T. Lucas [Lucas, i. T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781957139579
Publisher: Evening Star Press, LLC.
Published: 2023-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

26

WILLIAM

The primary extraction point was fifteen miles to the north, on the outskirts of a park that spread into a wilderness area. Ideally, they'd be picked up there. If things didn't work out though, they'd retrieve their kit there and hike to the secondary extraction point, which would take days.

They were pushing the very edge of Claudette's deadline to help her father.

She relaxed against the black leather seat. "I put myself in your capable hands."

Was that a double entendre?

Was she trying to hint something, or was his imagination filling in the blanks that she hadn't actually left blank?

As William's mind conjured an image of his hands on her tight, round bottom, he hardened in an instant and had to discreetly adjust himself.

Talk about bad timing.

"Damn." She huffed out a breath.

Had she noticed him squirming in his seat? "What's the matter?"

A smirk lifted one corner of her lush lips. "I know that we didn't have time to revisit the gallery, but I would have liked to have lifted Volkov's Fabergé eggs while we were there." She sighed. "They were far too gorgeous for someone like him to own."

"Maybe next time," he joked.

Claudette smiled sadly and turned her face toward the window.

Oh, of course.

There would be no next time for her.

There would be no second mission, no deeper delve into the intersection of international arms dealing and global security, and no more high-profile infiltrations and daring heists.

As soon as they were done with this mission, Claudette would be whisked off to the hospital for the operation, and then she would return to the glamorous world of the monied elite—hopefully with some bodyguards, because after today she was going to have a Volkov-shaped target painted on her back.

William wondered if she'd considered that.

For some reason, it hadn't occurred to him before that Claudette would forever be in danger from the arms dealer. She hadn't entered the mission as a nameless operative who could disappear into obscurity.

She'd been recruited specifically for being a known name and having a particular reputation, and Liam had certainly been aware of the repercussions. But his handler didn't care what happened to Claudette once the mission objective had been achieved.

The only way to keep her safe was to go back and kill Volkov, but after the stunt William had pulled to rescue her from the oligarch, Liam would no doubt punish him for disobeying orders, and his next mission would probably be in Siberia.

He didn't regret going back for her, though. There had been nothing else he could have done.

Claudette had been in trouble because she'd chosen to help him instead of helping herself, and he couldn't repay her by leaving her behind.

Besides, he had gotten the bloody chips, so there was that.

"You're quiet." Claudette set her hand on his arm. "Is everything all right?"

He forced a smile. "Apart from the pressing need to put as much distance between us and Volkov's estate as possible, everything is perfectly fine."

She raised one eyebrow, silently calling him out on his bullshit.

William's heart rate accelerated as he considered telling her how he felt about her.

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