Take (Fury Brothers #4)

“I had no idea this would happen.” She paused. “What was it like being a spy?”

I swallowed a mouthful of spicy food. “Classified.”

She grinned.

But a part of me wanted to share. Damn. I had to fight the pull of her.

“Want some music on?” I asked.

She nodded. “Sure.

“Speaker, play London Grammar,” I said.

A second later, the haunting strains of the English indie band filled the room.

Frankie clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love London Grammar.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” She closed her eyes, swaying in her seat to the music.

I made myself look down at my food. I couldn’t keep my gaze on her. One hand curled into a fist under the table. If I kept watching her, I’d want to touch her.

Why her? Why my best friend’s little sister?

Thankfully, Frankie filled the silence, chatting about Jack and her work, so I didn’t have to say much. She savored the Cajun food, and I couldn’t help but watch every time she licked her fork and moaned.

“You enjoy running your own security firm?” she asked.

“Yeah. Nothing better than being your own boss. I’m selective about the clients I take on.” PSS was highly sought after, and we never lacked for work.

“I feel a bit the same working on my own project, in my own lab.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Being a part of a team can be fun, but frustrating too with all the different personalities.”

I set my knife and fork down. “How did your call with DARPA go?”

Her nose wrinkled. “Well, they weren’t thrilled about the break in.”

“It was a little more than a break in.”

“My contact, Dr. Croft, is really nice. He said they’ll run a security assessment. Usually, civilian projects like mine don’t get targeted like this, especially not so early in the process.”

My gaze narrowed. I wondered if some foreign country had their own version of Frankie’s ADAPT project but had hit a wall in their research. Maybe they were looking for a shortcut. “I spoke with campus security. They reported the incident to the New Orleans PD. We’ll find who was responsible.”

“I hope so.” Her tone turned fierce. “I won’t let anything get in the way of my work.”

We finished eating, and that’s when I noticed Frankie’s eyelids drooping. She’d had a hell of a day.

“Come on.” I rose from my chair. “You’re tired. I’ll show you to your room.”

I led her down the stairs and into a hallway. I paused at the guest room door.

“My bedroom’s at the end of the hall.” I pointed.

She studied the door. “Okay.”

I pushed open the guest room door and watched her walk in, taking in the queen-sized bed.

“Bathroom’s through that door. There’s a shower and a tub.”