Page 91 of The ARC Unit: Breach

“That’s not what I asked.”

I looked away, and Jackal’s voice dropped immediately.

“Did you ask him to do that?”

I opened my mouth, then stopped even though the answer should have been easy.

No.

I had not asked Wolf to restrain me. I had told him to let go. I had told him to get his hand out of my hair. I was angry enough that my shoulder still hurt and embarrassed enough by the marks that I wanted sleeves immediately. But my body had reacted to parts of it in ways I did not understand and absolutely did not want to explain in front of five armed men.

The hesitation lasted maybe a second but Jackal heard everything he needed inside it.

“So you didn’t.”

“Jackal.”

He set the bag on the table with deliberate care.

“You didn’t ask him, Mia.”

“No,” I said finally. “I-I didn’t.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and everyone looked up. Wolf came down wearing the same gear, though the plate carrier had been loosened at the sides. He saw Bear crouched in front of me first, then Jackal standing beside him. His eyes went to my wrists.

Jackal turned.

“You put those on her?”

Wolf stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yes,” he said with no excuse and no attempt to soften it.

Jackal stared at him. “She say yes?”

Wolf’s eyes did not leave his face.

“No.”

Raven’s hands came completely off the keyboard and Hawk set the optic cloth down just as Viper moved one step away from the monitor.

Jackal laughed once, but there was nothing amused in it. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Bear stood slowly between us and the stairs.

Wolf’s voice stayed level. “I crossed a line.”

“A line?”

Jackal took one step forward.

Bear shifted with him.

“You tied her wrists because you were pissed off and you’re calling it a line?”

“Jack-,” Bear said in a gentle voice.

“No,” Jackal cut him off.