The side conversations all go on around me, and I know I should be paying attention, but all I can do is sit and stare at Samantha. I know I need to keep my mind on the mission that is probably being handed out to me as we speak. But I can't take my eyes off of her, she's so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.
It's only when Nash says Samantha's name that I bring myself back to the conversation at hand, and then I start to pay attention. Nash is pointing to the file in his hands. “Samantha and Logan will be posing as husband and wife.”
As soon as I hear it, I act on instinct. I don't even think about what I'm doing, but I push back from the table and stand up. “Nash, I need to speak with you.”
He and everyone else in the room is surprised; I know they are. I never talk in these things. Heck, I never talk unless directly spoken to, but today there's no way I'm going to be quiet. He gestures to the people at the table. “Bear, can this wait? We're in the middle of a meeting.”
I tell him, “No,” and I don't even give him a choice. I walk over to the door and hold it open, gesturing for him to come with me. He looks surprised, and I wait for him to refuse me, fuck even fire me, but he doesn't.
He looks around the room. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
He walks out the door I’m holding open and stops in the hallway. He waits for the door to shut behind us before he starts. “Bear, what is this? What is going on?”
I shake my head. “Logan is not going on the mission. I will be going on the mission with Samantha.”
Nash puts his hands on his hips and looks at me with surprise on his face. “You do know that I’m the boss around here, right?”
I should back down, but I can’t. There’s no way I’ll stay here in Whiskey Run while Sam is in Miami posing as Logan’s wife. It’s not going to happen. “Sir, I’ve never questioned you before. You give an order, I do it. But this time, I can’t. I’m going on this mission.”
He shoves his hand through his hair. I know I’ve thrown him for a loop. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fired me. I don’t think anyone’s questioned Nash. He’s someone that you just do what he says to do.
“You're going on the mission?” he asks.
He’s looking me in the eye, and I know that he can see there's no doubt on my face. I will be the one that goes on this mission with Samantha.
I nod my head. “Yes, I'm the one that will be going.”
Nash has the nerve to laugh. “No offense, Bear, but this mission is for a married couple.”
He says it like that’s going to stop me. I shrug my shoulders, acting as if that's not a big deal.
He shakes his head. “You don't understand. You will have to act like you like somebody; you have to be convincing. This is not something that we're messing around with. I can’t have you down there and blow our cover because you can’t pull it off.”
I start to think about it and try to piece together what this mission is about. I know it's in Miami, and I'm sure it has to do with the big human trafficking ring that is taking over there. I spit the words out. “I know that this is an important mission, Nash. I know how important it is. And you also know that I have never let you down before. Let me do this.”
Nash tilts his head to the side and looks at me. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Do you think that this is a good idea, Bear? Obviously there's something that you’ve got going on here to feel this strongly about it. Do you think that it’s going to be a good idea for you and Samantha to do this together?”
I grit my teeth together, frustrated that he would even ask. “I will do my job. I will bring Samantha back home safe, and whatever this mission entails, I will do it. You do not have to question me because I will make sure the job gets done.”
I stare at him, waiting and hoping that he's going to give me the answer that I want. Finally, he lets out a big breath. “Okay, I hope I'm not making a mistake here, Bear.”
I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “I won't let you down, sir.” And then I go back into the meeting before he has a chance to change his mind.
2
SAMANTHA
It's awkward. That is for sure. I can feel everyone's eyes on me as Bear and Nash walk out of the room. At first, nobody says a thing. Everyone is wide-eyed, looking at each other. I’ve never heard anybody interrupt Nash before. And when Bear did it, I held my breath waiting to see how he was going to respond to that. Nash seemed to take it in stride and even seemed okay with it. But now here I sit, and I know that my face is red wondering if this is all because of me. Being a woman in this field, I’ve had to prove myself over and over. I really didn’t feel like I had to do that here. Walker vouched for me, and everyone seemed to take it in stride and accept me as one of the team. Well, everyone except for Bear with his grumpy ass. I swear if he’s out there telling Nash I’m not ready for this mission, I’m going to lose it on him.