FOUR
Asher watched Harry sleep.Much like he’d watched him these last three days. Much like he’d watched him these last eight years. Harry had been on the scene for two years when Asher started, and he’d known of him by reputation before he’d ever laid eyes on him.
He’d never forget when he first saw him. Six-foot-three inches tall, three-feet wide. The man was a mountain. A ruggedly handsome mountain. How he’d remained off-radar was beyond Asher. He wasn’t exactly difficult to miss.
He had sandy blond hair cut short and blue eyes sharp enough to cut glass. His nose had been broken at some point. He had a scar above one eyebrow. His whole face had healed nicks and bumps, evidence of a decade of war.
It just made him more attractive.
Asher had considered, very briefly, in fulfilling his contract to kill Harry. Driving to Madrid, he was certain he could do it. Just another job. Safe distance, sight the target, pull the trigger. Easy.
Until he saw him.
What Asher had told Harry was the truth. The fact they wanted Harry dead meant Asher was also on that list. Of that, he had no doubt. Then he got the assignment screenshot. Seeing the French mercenary follow Harry into the street had put Asher into motion without him even realising it. His mission, his entire life, changed in a single heartbeat.
He’d wondered if Harry would try to kill him on sight. Sure, Harry had put his pistol to Asher’s temple, but he was never going to pull the trigger. Asher’s words had struck a chord. Not to mention the fact he’d saved his ass.
Seeing his eyes flash with recognition, with steel, had been unexpected.
Pressing him against the wall in the dark was another bonus.
Dangerous, exciting. Hot.
He looked like a different man asleep across from him now. Still annoyingly handsome but... smaller. Peaceful. That harsh set to his eyes was gone. The permanent scowl was softened.
It was almost a shame to have to wake him.
Except he didn’t have to. The man driving the boat made the mistake of opening the door with a thud, and in a split second, Harry was on his feet, pistol drawn, aimed at the intruder. The poor man fell backward in shock and Asher couldn’t help himself.
He laughed.
He motioned for Harry to back off, helped the man to his feet. “That’s why I didn’t want to wake him,” Asher said. “He’s a little grumpy.”
The man backed away, mumbling something about ten minutes to land, and Asher turned back around to see Harry slowly sitting back down with his left foot slightly raised.
“You could have started withgood morning,” Asher said.
Harry shot him a filthy glare. Wow. He didn’t even need the gun. He could just kill everyone with that look.
Harry snarled and put the gun beside him on the seat. Asher hadn’t even seen the gun while Harry slept or where he’d pulled it from.
“We land in ten minutes.” Asher relayed what the man had said. “How’s your ankle?”
Harry replied with another glare. “It’s fine.”
That was a complete lie, but Asher wasn’t about to argue. “We’ll have to walk a fair way.”
Harry levelled a stare at him before he blinked his anger away. “I’ll be fine. I won’t slow you down.”
Asher raised an eyebrow and shrugged as if he didn’t care. He hid the truth well. “We land near Ezzahra. From there we will be driven to Tangier.”
“What’s in Tangier?”
“A place to lie low.”
If Harry was surprised, Asher couldn’t tell. He tucked the pistol into the waistband of his jeans, took his backpack, and pulled out a chocolate bar. He looked at it, then offered it to Asher.
Asher smiled at him. “You have it. I have these.” He took a tin from his pocket and tapped a mint onto his palm before popping it into his mouth. “I’ll go up and check on the captain in case you gave him a heart attack. Bathroom, first door on the left.”