Free Dangerous to Know by Dawn Ryder Page A

cell phone while pulling a magnifying lamp in front of her. She laid the cell phone on the surface of her desk and picked up a tiny scalpel to begin opening it.
    Mercer yanked a chair around and straddled it. “So why the bitterness in your tone, Thais?”
    She never looked up. “We’re teammates, Mercer. The only thing that matters is my performance. You’re out of line evaluating my personal feelings.”
    He propped his forearms across the top of the chair. “Really? It sounds to me like you give a damn about the target, which is definitely territory any team member has the right to intrude on because it might compromise the entire mission.”
    Anger flashed in Thais’s dark eyes. “Since I’m not in direct contact on this mission, you don’t need to worry.”
    â€œYou’re backing me up, that makes it my business.”
    Her expression turned knowing. “It sounds to me like you’re pushing that mission objective protocol pretty hard. We’re still lacking hard evidence.” She returned her attention to the cell phone, her delicate fingers perfect for working with the tiny components.
    â€œAnd you don’t like knowing there is a chance of there being no evidence?” he questioned.
    Thais looked up at him, locking gazes. “If you’re that comfortable, Mercer, I’ve misjudged you.”
    â€œStop picking on Thais and get your tail into my office, Mercer.”
    Saxon was in a pisser of a mood. Thais waved good-bye to him with a knowing look in her eyes that sent a chill down his spine. Mercer tightened his hold on his feelings before crossing into Saxon’s territory.
    â€œI’d think you’d be in better frame of mind, since I managed to complete my mission objective,” Mercer announced from the doorway.
    Saxon looked at him over the top of a laptop. “Nothing’s complete. One of the packets of intel was moved, but since I can’t navigate her system, you missed an opportunity to possibly allow us to catch it last night by not getting her on the back of your bike.”
    â€œYou’re being a hardass.”
    Saxon’s lips finally twitched up into a grin. “Thanks. I consider it one of my best attributes.” He studied Mercer for a long moment. “Is she getting to you?”
    Saxon had an uncanny ability to sniff out a lie. Mercer bit back the urge to deny it and shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
    â€œDone,” Thais announced from the other room.
    â€œI’d better get that back. She sleeps with the thing,” Mercer said. He felt crowded, which should have raised a red flag inside his brain; instead, all he could think of was getting back to Zoe. Part of him knew damn well it had nothing to do with his assignment.
    Saxon shook his head and pointed at the chair in front of his desk. “She logged into her email account forty-two minutes after you left. Let her think she put it into the jacket you put on her. Brief as it was, she’ll be pissed because you left. Figure out how to deal with her injured feelings.”
    â€œFine.”
    Mercer was on his way out of the office before Saxon found an excuse to dig at him. He took the cell phone from Thais on his way out the door of the command center. The Spanish-style house they were headquartered in was spacious and open, but he felt caged.
    She knew he’d left.
    That knowledge dug at him despite all the reasons why it shouldn’t matter. At least not beyond the needs of the operation. He should be focused on how to approach her now that she’d woken up alone.
    He needed a plan. Zoe might be inexperienced when it came to heavy flirting, but beneath that failing he’d discovered a core of solid strength. The knowledge left a bitter taste in his mouth because it was a small bit of evidence, telling him she could be hard if she wanted to be. He’d begun to doubt if the woman entertaining sick kids