Cruz studied Rohan as if he were working through a complex puzzle.
“Not you, too.” Phin said in disgust.
“The only real negative is that we don’t know who or what our targets will be,” Cruz said. “Once we agree to do the job, the FBI will disclose more details. Once we have those, we’ll know what we’re up against and can take all necessary precautions.”
“So that’s it,” Phin said. “We’re doing this.”
“Only if you’re on board, too,” Zeke said. “It’s all or nothing.”
“If I say no, you’ll decline the FBI’s offer, and they’ll do God-knows-what to Ash’s career.”
“That about sums it up.”
“Ash will blame me and not the fuckers who screwed him over.”
“Technically, you could say we all screwed him,” Rohan said.
“But you’re right,” Cruz put in. “Ash would blame us—you.”
Phin pointed to the group at large. “If this thing goes south, it’s your fucking fault, not mine.” He ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair. “We’re going to wind up on America’s Most Wanted. Mark my damn words.”
Zeke shook his head. “One of the conditions I demanded before agreeing to the job was that if things go to hell the team has immunity.” Everyone on the team except him, but he’d keep that detail to himself.
“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better,” Phin muttered.
“It’s settled then,” Zeke said. “I’ll invite our liaison to the Friary, so we can work out the details.”
Three pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise.
He’d surprised himself.
“You want to bring the FBI onto our property?” Cruz asked.
They had purchased the property to protect their activities from prying eyes. No one but family and trusted caretakers of the estate was allowed beyond the entrance gate. Even deliveries were left at the gate.
None of this had crossed his mind when he’d decided to allow Liv inside the secure zone. He trusted her, he realized. An oddity in and of itself, given their short acquaintance. Doubly odd given the fact that she worked for the government.
“I’d rather have her on our turf than us be on theirs.”
“Her?” Phin asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Back off, Romeo,” Zeke warned. “This is business.”
Phin smiled. “It’s always business.”
“Liv’s off-limits. Understood?”
Phin’s humor faded, and he studied Zeke with a keenness his brother normally reserved for targets. “Yes, I think I do, brother.”
“Cheers,” Rohan said, holding up his glass.
Everyone air-clinked their glasses.
“Now that we have that out of the way,” Cruz said, “let’s review our performance on the Warner recovery.”
Zeke sat back, allowing the conversation to flow over him. The tension in his muscles loosened now that he had the team’s agreement. He didn’t feel triumph, nor excitement. Just a low buzz of anticipation.
Problem was, he couldn’t decide if he was looking forward to the challenge of the job or seeing Special Agent Wescott again.
An image of Liv rising from the Jacuzzi, water sluicing off her gorgeous body, flashed through his mind. Something stirred low in his gut.
His phone dinged with an incoming text. Unlocking the screen, he read the message. It was from Sardoff.
I have the location of the sword.