Page 48 of Too Guarded to Love

“Sure, but if it’s about the explosion, Scarlett would be the better person to ask since she has the security clearances.”

“Understood.” But she wouldn’t wait for Scarlett. And she didn’t need security clearances. She could think of a few ways to get the information out of Nic. Using drastic tactics on him was risky, though. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall victim to his charm.

Charms that could apparently burn through metal.

Beth reached for the door to the reception area.

“Wait.” Olivia gripped her elbow. “Are we being watched in here? Listened to?”

Beth shrugged. “I have no idea. I imagine there are cameras all over headquarters for security reasons, but Scarlett told me she and Chris had sex in MedLab once. She wouldn’t have done it if she knew anyone was watching or listening.”

“Really?” Olivia giggled. Even though her throat still hurt, the sound felt good. “Scarlett? She seems so…”

“Straitlaced? Shy?” Beth smiled. “Chris has done wonders for our sister’s self-esteem.”

“Our sister?”

“Yup. She’s my sister and so are you. So that makes us all bestie siblings.” She winked. “I can’t wait until the three of us—well, five with Patience and Tessa—can have a girls’ night.” She wrinkled her nose. “Without snipers, and poisonings, and explosions, of course.”

Olivia muttered, “Of course,” as she followed Beth into the reception area.

“And if Scarlett drinks enough, which is like only two glasses of wine, we can get her to spill about her MedLab sexcapades.”

Olivia sank against the wall like a roller coaster had launched her into a dizzying spiral. How had she ever thought she and Nic could have a clandestine affair? One kiss, and not even to his lips, had led her into a soap opera complete with drama, danger, and family who knew everyone else’s business.

“You know about my grandmother, right?” Olivia lowered her voice just in case someone had stashed a listening device somewhere. “I mean about her apparent soulmate sense?”

“Ooh, Kane calls it a sixth sense, but I like soulmate sense better.”

“Did Gran have anything to say about you and Kane when⁠—”

The door to the reception area opened. Her brother strode in and pulled Beth to his side. He kissed the top of her head as he looked at Olivia. “You all right?”

“Oh yeah. Just two sisters catching up about normal stuff like bombs and underground bunkers.”

Kane raised an eyebrow as he reached for her duffel bag. “We need to go.”

She brushed away his help as she eyed him take Beth’s hand. He used to revel in teasing her about secrets he knew and she didn’t. He didn’t look amused now, or smug, and he held plenty of secrets he couldn’t share. Back home, he always somehow managed situations with humor, like when a horse was in distress or after their father died and Mom was too incoherent to make decisions.

Not a hint of humor tilted his lips now.

As twins, she thought she knew all the sides of Kane. Sometimes, she swore she felt what he was feeling. For months after their father’s funeral, she distanced herself from him. Being around a mirror image of their dad doubled her grief. And the day Kane’s leg had been blown off, a searing pain had torn through her hip while she’d been jogging.

The knot in her belly tightened as Kane hurried her and Beth into the elevator. As the doors closed, he placed his hand on Beth’s back, as if she’d disappear if they didn’t have contact. The hard set of his jaw, so like their father’s, spoke of danger and secrets, commitment and love. While she’d only been at VIPER headquarters for a short time, she knew life inside the VIPER-verse, and not just these four walls, required commitment to country, justice, and family.

It also demanded a sacrifice of privacy and security.

She admired the commitment but wanted nothing to do with the sacrifice, yet she couldn’t help but wish Nic were here to take her hand, even if he did consider her a problem.