Black and Blue (Otherworld Assassin #2)(68)
Author: Gena Showalter

First, outrage hit her.

Then more outrage.

“Hold on a sec. You gave Blue those assignments, Daddy. You acted as his pimp. You didn’t care that he had a girlfriend when you did it, either. You gave him orders and expected them to be obeyed. And he wanted your approval. Of course he obeyed.”

“I had a choice, Evie,” Blue said, resolute. “Always.”

There was shame in his voice, and she didn’t like it. “It’s not what you did yesterday, darling. It’s what you do today.” She pointed a finger at Michael. “Did you tell all agents to stay away from me, or just Blue?”

A pause. A muscle ticking in his jaw. “Just Blue.”

At her side, Blue stiffened all over again.

He’d just taken a major blow. Had just realized Michael judged him as harshly as Evie once had.

Oh, Blue . . .

He once told her that he wanted to be faithful. She realized now he wanted it more than anything. He grew up without the love of a family. He had John and Solo, but only during training and missions. He never really belonged to anyone.

She, at least, had Claire and Eden.

“Well,” she said, “that’s probably one of the stupidest things you’ve ever done, Daddy, and as I’m learning, you’ve done some pretty stupid things!”

He opened his mouth to reply.

“Shut up. Just shut up.” She placed her hand on Blue’s chest. “I could play this the way you’d like best. I could dump Blue and tell him it’s because I don’t want to stand in the way of his friendship with you, especially since we aren’t even sure where this thing between us is going. But you know what? You don’t deserve him. Neither do I, but I want him with every fiber of my being. Therefore, I’m keeping him.”

“Evie—”

“No. You and the rest of the world might find this foolish, but I trust Blue. He’s not going to take those kinds of mission anymore. Are you?” she demanded of Blue, glaring up at him.

Though there was still hurt in his eyes, there was also a glow of amusement. He shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“You and you alone have permission to call me anything you want—except ‘ma’am.’ The word makes me think of mom jeans, and I’d rather die.” She turned to her father. “And you aren’t going to offer those kinds of missions to him. You aren’t going to be mad at him for disobeying your stupid order to stay away from me, either.”

“But—”

“No!” She stomped her foot. “You’re like a father to him. Act like it.”

Michael’s shoulders slumped.

“Now, then. Blue, put the food back in the fridge. Michael, sit down and give me my breakfast. Neither one of you is to say another word until I’ve decided what your punishments are.”

“Our punishments?” they demanded in unison.

She raised her chin. “That’s right. You’ve both put me in a terrible position. One of you was going to make a horrible mistake and ask me to choose. Isn’t that right, Daddy? I was then going to have to murder you both in cold blood. Now, get silent and do what you were told.”

“That still doesn’t explain what I did,” Blue said—not getting silent.

She kissed him without any hesitation. “You are making me fall deeper and deeper in love with you, and I’m furious about it, poppet, I really am.”

Twenty-four

ONCE SOLO ARRIVED, THINGS moved quickly.

Well, except for the one-on-one the guy insisted on having with Blue.

He pulled Blue into a hallway and said, “I knew there was something there, but I didn’t know it was serious. Evangeline Black? Blue, you can do better.”

“There’s no one better.” She was top of the line. Grade A. And she was falling deeper and deeper in love with him. He’d never let her take back those words. They’d rocked his world.

“You couldn’t scratch your itch with someone else?” Solo persisted.

“It’s not an itch,” he replied flatly. “It’s forever.”

“So, what, you’re going to marry the devil’s favorite handmaiden now?”

Blue barely stopped himself from throwing a punch. This is your friend. You love him. “Watch how you talk about her, my man, or we will have problems. How would you feel if I insulted Vika that way?”

“I’d have to kill you.” Shamefaced, Solo patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry. If you like Evie, that’s good enough for me. I will never treat her with anything other than respect.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for that. Your happiness matters to me.”

“I’ll never be happy without her.” Evie was wonderful. The way she stood up to her dad. The way she defended Blue and confessed her feelings. He’d never seen anything like it, and doubted he ever would again.

She accepted him. All of him. Past, present. Future.

He’d always hated being called a slut and a whore, and he’d always told himself that he did what he did for the job, that it was okay. To discover that Michael viewed him through the ugly veil of judgment . . . yeah, that hurt. But Evie hadn’t backed down.

“All right,” she said now, checking the scope on a pyre-rifle as he and Solo returned to the kitchen. “Are we ready to do this? I call dibs on the guys in the photos with Mr. Cooper’s pregnant girlfriend.”

Beautiful, savage female.

Solo had spoken to Tyrese Cooper’s wife, and with a little . . . persuasion she’d admitted to paying Star to abduct and hurt the mistress. The mistress had since been found, alive, and returned to Mr. Cooper. All three had a long, dark road to navigate.

“More than ready.” Once upon a time, Blue had refused to admit Evie was the type of woman he’d wanted. The type he needed. But she was. And he wouldn’t change a single thing about her. “But I don’t want you rushing into a massive free-for-all, princess.”

“Duh,” she said. “I seriously suck at fighting more than one angry dude at a time. As I’ve proven. I’ll be more help on a hill, picking off the idiots foolish enough to step within my sights.”

That’s my girl. “Let’s go, then,” Blue said.

They gathered all the weapons they could carry. Waiting for dark would give Star more time to hide. Or prepare.

They would take him, then his son, then his daughter.

In the car, Solo claimed the driver’s seat, Blue the passenger, and Evie the back. No one spoke a word the entire drive, but that was okay. He knew that they were all thinking the same thing. No mercy.