Page 21 of Fighting Salvation

“I value you.”

Val spun to face him and moved to poke him again but he grabbed her wrists.

“No, you don’t. You treat me like an afterthought. You give me safe jobs. The easy stuff and you push me away. I’m sick of it.”

With a wrench, she yanked her arms back and he let her go. “You can’t work for Jack. I forbid it.” Bás almost winced at his own stupidity but he’d said it now and he needed to commit to the cause.

A cackle split the air and he straightened to his full height, waiting for the punch he was sure she was going to throw.

“You forbid it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God, do you even hear yourself? You have zero control over me, Bás. You’ve made it clear I mean nothing to you, so you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“You mean fucking everything to me,” he roared throwing his hands in the air and Val’s mouth dropped open. “Can’t you see I’m trying to fucking protect you?”

“You can’t smother the people you love without letting them in, Bás. It doesn’t work that way.”

Her voice was quiet, holding a tremor that she hid almost too well, and he didn’t know what to say to her. She was infuriating, beautiful, and sexy and he didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her.

“Now I suggest you leave before you get a peep show you hadn’t bargained for.”

“The doctor wants you to stay overnight.”

“I don’t care. I want to get out of here. Just leave so I can dress.”

His head hung as he lifted his hand to do what, he didn’t know, before dropping it and walking out of the room.

Rafe smirked at him as he waited, leaning against the wall.

“This your idea?”

“Yep.” He popped the P and Bás wanted to strangle the bastard.

Rafe shoved off the wall with his boot and strode toward him until they were nose to nose. “Val is the best dog handler I’ve ever seen and she’s an amazing agent, no thanks to you. If you won’t make use of her skills, then we will.”

“I know how good she is.”

“Do you? Because you sure don’t treat her that way. You know before she came to Eidolon I saw her work with dogs to save hundreds of lives in Haiti after the earthquake. Her skills and natural ability to read the animals she works with, as well as the situation, is far better than I’ll ever be.”

“I’ve read the reports.” Bás gritted his teeth as he heard the door behind him open and Rafe stepped around him.

“Ready to get out of here, sis?”

“So ready. I need to see Scout and Monty.”

He kept his gaze on the window and felt her stare before he heard her sigh as she walked away.

She was almost to the doors when he swore and raced after them. He reached them and lunged across Rafe, grabbing Val’s hand and hauling her toward the rental truck where Hurricane was waiting.

“What are you doing, neanderthal?”

“Taking you to the safe house so we can get to work.” He glanced at Rafe with a mixture of respect and dislike. “Tell Jack to keep his fucking hands off my team. Val is with me.”

Rafe smirked and nodded. “About damn time.”

Chapter 7