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had she agreed to such a long drive with him? Just because he’d thrown down the equivalent of a dare and she hadn’t been able to let it slide? She’d always been too impetuous.
    “I really am sorry, Jord.”
    Yeah, she got that. Far too fucking well. She forced a nod.
    He reached over and nudged her thigh with his hand, oblivious to her internal suffering. “You don’t hate me, right?”
    She swallowed again. “No, I don’t hate you.” She could never hate him.
    Although it would be a hell of a lot easier for her to move on if she could.

 
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    When Blake made the final turn onto the quiet residential street leading to the safe house he shared with Hunter and Dunphy, he had to hold back a sigh of relief. His apology, lame though it was, hadn’t gone over nearly as well as he’d hoped.
    In between little stretches of conversation about the job Tom had in mind, Jordyn had been uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, and that had made for a long-ass drive back to Baltimore. He hated feeling off center with her, when they’d always been so comfortable with each other in the past. He was at a complete loss as to how to make it better.
    You are such a shit!
    “Wait, I thought you were going to drop me off at hotel?” Jordyn said.
    “You’re not staying at a hotel, Jord.” Not when his safe house was a much more secure location for her. “There’ve been a few security concerns with the team lately, so to play it safe for the time being you’re better off here with me and our team leader, Hunter.” He wanted her near him, just in case.
    She eyed him, half turning in her seat. “What kind of security concerns?”
    “Can’t tell you most of it, but I’m sure you’ve seen the news lately.” She was smart enough to piece the rest together.
    Her eyes widened. “You mean the bombing at the house in Baltimore a week or so ago? Was that one of your guys who was injured?”
    “Gage, our 2IC. And he’s fine.” And Blake wasn’t going to mention the recent attack on Zahra and Dunphy, either. Once again his conscience was needling him about bringing her into what could be a dangerous situation. Yeah, she was good and yeah, she would be an asset to the team. Could he live with himself if she got the job and her life was endangered because of it? Because he’d suggested her in the first place? The closer they’d come to the safe house, the stronger that worry had become. However fucked up they were, he had damn intense feelings for Jordyn and he would die before he let anything happen to her.
    “Were you there when it happened?” Concern laced her every word.
    “Yeah, but we’ve all been moved to new locations just in case. Tom or Hunt will brief you fully if he hires you. For now, you’re staying with me.” He’d sleep easier knowing she was under the same roof as him. While she was here, he was going to make damn sure he watched out for her. If she was offered the job and took it…he’d deal with the rest then.
    “Nice of you to mention this now that we’re here,” she muttered wryly. “I only brought one weapon with me.”
    He shot her a pointed, sideways glance. Did she seriously think he’d let anything happen to her? “If you’re with me, you won’t need one.”
    “Okay, true enough,” she said with a little smile. “But you know I can take care of myself.”
    Ordinarily he’d agree wholeheartedly with that, since he’d seen her handle weapons more times than he could count and knew she was a deadly shot. But she had no idea about the kind of threats they faced from the TTP cell Hassani was using as his personal hit squad, and that weighed heavy on him. Though he wanted to tell her everything, he couldn’t.
    If Tom hadn’t assured him the job he wanted to offer Jordyn was strictly as support and maintenance, Blake would never have agreed to recruit her. Being attached to the team in any capacity was dangerous enough. He felt responsible for her safety,