Ricochet (Renegades #3)(35)
Author: Skye Jordan

“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve said all night,” Troy bit out.

“Maybe you just need another beer. Round out your night with an even dozen,” Nathan tossed at Troy before turning back to Jax. “She knows exactly how everything works, knows all the people involved, and she’s extremely efficient.

“If I’m going to do this in the time I have, I sure can’t wait a week to start. And I don’t give a shit what Cinematic says about the other guy, but I know a drunk when I see one, and I’ll kick his ass off the site at the first sign.

“I’m going to need someone on site who I can depend on. A go-to person for all my questions, whether it be to ask about ordering supplies, smooth a rift with the city manager, schmooze local law enforcement, or deal with a crazy environmentalist. I need someone who I can count on to do everything, and do it right the first time, so I can focus on design, safety, timing, and rigging.”

His intense gaze turned back to her. “Rachel’s perfect.”

“This is crazy,” Troy broke in again.

Rachel picked up the first thing her hand landed on when it fell to the table—a napkin ring—and threw it at him. The wooden circle hit the side of Troy’s head, bounced onto the table, and dribbled off, hitting the ground. “What the fuck?”

“Exactly,” she said. “You’re the first one to sing my praises to everyone on set, but now I’m suddenly not adequate to coordinate a site? Screw you, Jacobs.”

He tossed the ring back at her, and she ducked it. “You don’t want to do it any more than I want you to do it.”

“None of this matters, anyway.” She crossed her arms. “I couldn’t possibly—”

“Now, wait, wait,” Jax said, then looked at Ryker. “It’s a good idea, I don’t disagree, but parting with her—”

“Baby,” Lexi said as she crossed her arms on the tabletop and leaned forward, gaze on Jax. “You’ve been pushing her to decide where she wants to go with the company next for two months. How can she do that if you never let her out of the office?”

“Score one for Lexi,” Rubi said, grinning. “Beauty and brains.”

“True,” Jax said, “on both counts.” His quick smile disappeared as he stared down at his fork, turning it over and over on his empty plate.

“And who’s going to run Renegades?” Rachel asked. “Ordering, scheduling, coordinating, office crap, payroll—”

“You can hire a temp,” Nathan said.

Troy cut a look at Rachel. “Wait, you get pissed at me for saying you’re too valuable to let go, but you don’t throw anything at him for insinuating you’re so easily replaceable?”

“Jesus.” Nathan glared at Troy. “You’re worse off than I realized.”

In a lightning-fast move, Troy gripped the back of Nathan’s neck, bent close, and said, “Don’t make me sorry I brought you here.”

With one smooth, hard upswing of Nathan’s arm, he dislodged Troy’s hand. They both stood, facing off. “That is the third time you’ve laid hands on me in twenty-four hours. And this is the last time I tell you I’m sick of it before you see blood.”

“Would you two grow up already?” Rachel said, pushing to her feet. She was about a millimeter from losing it. She didn’t understand what was going on between these two, but she didn’t need any more complications. “Troy, take off those self-involved blinders. You’re pushing me to lunatic stress levels, and you’re being an inconsiderate ass to your best friend who’s here doing you a favor on his very short leave from war.”

“It’s not a fucking war anymore—”

“Don’t you dare start with the politics, or I swear you’ll find Monster Bond in your next cup of coffee.”

“That would certainly put a pinch in your attitude, Jacobs.” Rubi’s smooth, cavalier tone slid in and made Rachel realize how frazzled she sounded. “It’s tough to make Rach mad, but once it’s done, you’re pretty much screwed. You two might want to sit down and…” She made a zipper motion across her lips.

Troy yanked out his chair, and the feet scraped against the stone patio. Nathan followed.

“Jax,” Rachel said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got lots of other options for site coordinators.”

“Like all your other options for blasters?” Nathan asked.

She shot a laser-sharp glare across the table, only to see him smile.

“Lexi’s right,” Jax said. “This is the perfect opportunity for you to go big. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. You would be an amazing site coordinator. And Ryker’s right too, this stunt needs the best.”

“I don’t have any more experience with explosives than Jaime.”

“Not true,” Wes said. “You handled everything perfectly for that train blast last month.”

Troy slumped back in his chair, shaking his head. “Fuckin’ Lawson.”

Rachel turned her glare on Troy, warning him she was about to break into batshit-crazy mode. “Seriously, Troy…”

Jax glanced at Josh. “What about it, Marx?”

Her gaze turned to find Josh watching her, and it was one of those times his assessment felt too sharp, as if he were reading her thoughts. All sorts of thoughts she didn’t want him—or anyone else—to know.

“Wes is right about her great job handling the train blast,” he agreed, and shrugged. “I’d have to put it past Cinematic.”

Nathan looked at Jax. “Whatever you decide, you’ll have to do it fast. After looking at those plans, this is a bigger, more complicated job than I thought. I’ll need every day I’ve got to get it planned and rigged.”

“Can you pull on your contacts and call Cinematic now?” Jax asked.

Josh glanced at his watch, and his mouth twisted in consideration. “Not sure that’s going to win any favors, but if that’s what you want…”

Jax glanced at Rachel, but she could see his mind was busily fitting pieces. He returned his gaze to Josh. “Yeah, that’s what I want. We’re on a tight timeframe here. We need to get this squared away.”

Rachel didn’t miss the look Josh sent Nathan before he pushed away from the table, pulled his phone, and wandered toward the pool. There was a definite and immediate animosity between them—something Rachel absolutely did not need.