“It wasn’t a guilt trip. It was the truth,” Kade said, his normally laid-back demeanor replaced by barely contained anger. “It’s dangerous for her to be alone. It’s dangerous for anyone to be alone. Dominik and his men are out of control.”
Connor couldn’t disagree. They’d been hearing too many nasty stories lately. More rapes, more violence, and a lot less peacekeeping. The Enforcers didn’t seem interested in talking anymore, or giving outlaws the choice to rejoin society. These days they just put a bullet in your head and called it a day.
Kade went on. “Look, she’s smart, and she’s obviously got skills. She might be an asset.”
“You forgot hot as fuck,” Rylan said wryly.
Pike scowled. “Is that it? You brought her here to screw her? Because you can find pussy anywhere, for chrissake. You know, the kind you don’t have to invite to live with us.”
“She’s not staying,” Connor said firmly.
“Good. We need her gone before the run tonight,” Xander answered. “It’ll be risky enough without throwing an unknown variable into the mix.”
“Did you speak to the people at the bar?” Connor asked.
The other man nodded. “They didn’t have anything good to say about that storage facility. Apparently it’s more heavily guarded than the other ones we’ve hit. Motion sensors, cameras, at least six Enforcers on site.”
“Actually, it’s only two,” a female voice hedged.
The men turned as Hudson entered the lounge, and damned if Connor’s dick didn’t harden at the sight of her. Black leather pants were glued to her endless legs, and the fabric of her gray T-shirt – the same silvery shade as her eyes – was so worn and thin it might as well have been a second layer of skin. She wasn’t wearing a bra either, and Connor knew he wasn’t the only one who could see the perfectly outlined nipples straining against her shirt.
Rylan’s visible approval made him stifle a sigh. Hell, even Xan’s eyes had flared with heat.
Shit. He couldn’t have his men getting hot for the woman. It was a distraction they couldn’t afford right now.
Hudson glanced at the two newcomers. “Hi. I’m Hudson,” she said shyly, then gestured to the coffee urn. “Can I have some of that?”
Xander, who had just vocally objected to her presence, was the one who hopped up to pour her a cup. Sexed-up moron even pulled out a chair for her. Fucking wonderful. Two seconds in Hudson’s presence and Xan was already singing a different tune.
“Thanks.” She took a sip of coffee, then continued in a tentative tone. “Anyway, like I was saying, you only need to worry about two guards.”
“Yeah? And how do you know that?” Connor challenged.
She shrugged. “I ran into an Enforcer deserter a few days ago when I was making my way here. He gave me some valuable intel.”
Pike’s dark eyes shone with the distrust that everyone else was feeling. “That so? Because we sure as shit haven’t come across any deserters around these parts.”
“They don’t like to advertise it, but trust me, they exist.”
An edge hardened Connor’s tone. “Met a lot of them, have you?”
“Just two.” Another shrug. “One was a member of my group before they were killed.”
“Funny, you didn’t mention that last night.”
“I didn’t think it was important.”
She took a dainty sip, but the feminine innocence of her body language was deceptive. Yeah, she’d blushed like crazy when he’d seen her naked last night, but sexual inexperience didn’t mean weakness. Because the woman was tough as nails – Connor could see it just by looking at her. Even as she sipped her coffee like she had no care in the world, she was meticulously aware of her surroundings. The positions of the men, the weapons on the table, the various exits in the room, every last fucking detail. Her gaze was as sharp as his, and a crazy thought suddenly occurred to him.
Was she an Enforcer? One of the deserters she’d hinted at?
But no, that was impossible. All the Enforcers in the Colonies were marked with a compass rose. The men had it tattooed on the back of their neck. The rare women who joined the military unit were inked on their wrists.
Before Hudson could react, Connor leaned across the table and snatched both her hands. Her breath caught, and the tin cup she was holding shook wildly, dark liquid spilling over the rim and splashing the tabletop. He wrenched the cup from her hand and set it down, then twisted both her wrists so he could see the insides of them.
They were bare.
When he lifted his head, Hudson was watching him warily.
“Are you done?” she muttered.
He released her without a word. Couldn’t have done it soon enough, either, because the second their flesh had made contact, a zing of heat had traveled from his fingertips straight to his balls. Hell. Maybe he ought to fuck her already. Get it out of his system so he could concentrate on what mattered – getting rid of her.