Edge of Betrayal Read Free Page B

myself.”
    “One more reason among many for me to leave.”
    “I thought you wanted this job. I was told I didn’t even have a choice in the matter of hiring you if I wanted the new contract. My ability to help all those people that Mira’s father and the other scientists fucked up was tied to you.”
    “I can imagine how well that ultimatum must have gone over with you.”
    She set her coffee down on her glass desk with a precise, controlled movement. “I seriously doubt you can. But there are bigger things in this world than what I want. And you know more than most people what we’re up against. I may think you’re a disgusting waste of human skin, but what Gage has reported after partnering with you is that you kick ass and you seem to be on our side. These days, that’s a pretty short list.” She opened her laptop and started typing.
    “So I can count on a glowing recommendation from you, can I?” asked Adam, sarcasm scalding his tongue.
    “Nope. Not letting you go. I want you where I can keep an eye on you. Besides, we got a lead on one of the folks on the List to track down, and I’m shorthanded as it is. Whether or not I like you, you proved that you can get the job done. The people out there hurting deserve the best we can give, and sadly, that includes you.”
    He wasn’t sure if she lumped him in the category of people who were hurting or as part of the best she had to give. Either way it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like that anyone knew he’d been part of the Threshold Project experiments. Then again, he didn’t like people knowing anything about him. And yet he’d just handed Mira unrestricted access to his most personal medical information.
    Being with the people here at the Edge—working side by side with them—had changed him. He wasn’t yet sure whether or not he liked it.
    “I’m making Mira miserable. I should go.” He gave Bella a hard stare—one that would make most men cower. Instead, she just grinned.
    Bella stared pointedly at her laptop. “She’ll get over it. Besides, she needs to toughen up a little.”
    “You’ve had her in the sparring ring and at the range nearly every night since she recovered from her wounds. I think she’s tough enough.”
    “Hardly. Which is why I’m sending her into the field.”
    The thought of Mira in danger made some dark, violent force lunge from somewhere deep inside him. He tamped it down, but only barely. Even his best effort to control himself couldn’t keep the heat from his tone. “You can’t. She’s not ready for that.”
    “She’s as ready as she’s going to get until she has some experience under her belt.”
    “A woman with her intellect must be of more use to you here, behind a desk, where she’ll be safe.”
    Bella didn’t even glance his way. Her focus was on her laptop. “Her tech is mobile enough. She can still do her job from the road.”
    “Have you even talked to her about this?”
    Bella turned her laptop around, showing Mira’s enraged expression. She was saying something, but the sound had been muted. With the click of a button, Bella turned up the volume.
    “What’s he doing there?” raged Mira. A second later she disappeared from the screen, leaving her desk chair empty.
    “She knows,” said Bella. “We’ve been discussing it for a while. Like you, she’s been . . . hesitant.”
    “Surely she’s smart enough to stay here.”
    “It’s not her call,” said Bella. “It’s mine. The decision is made.”
    Accusation filled his voice, making it boom out into the space. “You’re going to get her killed.”
    “Like you almost did?” asked Mira from the doorway. She must have run all the way here from her office.
    He couldn’t tell if the pretty pink flush covering her cheeks was due to exertion or anger. Either way, her pull on him was too strong for his peace of mind. Every time he got near her, all he wanted to do was get closer. That wasn’t fair to her or to him. He’d