Stolen Vengeance: Slye Temp book 6 by Dianna Love Read Free Book Online Page A

idea.”
    “You want to tell her?” Tanner asked.
    “I’ll tell her. This is bullshit. She’s still pissed about what happened on the Orion Hunter mission last month–”
    “You bet I am,” Sabrina said in place of Tanner who must have handed off the phone in midstream of Dingo’s rant. “First you and Tanner kept information from me–”
    “To save your ass that was flapping in the wind with the State Department,” Dingo interjected, but she didn’t slow down.
    “Then I find out you took Valene Eklund as your backup to Colorado. So, yeah, I’m pissed, but that isn’t why I want you to coordinate this operation.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Fine. If you want the truth, I admit that I don’t want you to go tearing off to LA to protect someone who doesn’t give a damn about you.”
    “That’s my business,” he snarled.
    The flight attendant took that moment to announce that the doors were closing on his flight to Atlanta.
    Silence rippled between Dingo and Sabrina.
    He leaned his back against one of the thick structural supports and put his hand over his eyes. Screwed didn’t begin to describe how sideways this conversation was headed. “Let me explain.”
    “Clearly what I think doesn’t matter in the least to you. Nor are you concerned about three assassinations we’re trying to prevent.”
    Dingo’s voice was low and rough from exhaustion. “I’m at LAX because I was heading back to talk to you. I’m asking you to work with me on this. I have to know that whoever has started up Satan’s Garden Club again isn’t coming for Valene. I know you don’t like her–”
    “What made you think I don’t like her?”
    He paused, stuck for what to say, but Sabrina cleared up his confusion right away.
    “Don’t sugarcoat my words. I hate that bitch.”
    “Fine. You hate her, but I’m responsible for her being at risk, if she is.”
    “No. When are you going to get it through your head that she brought Garcia down on herself seven years ago? She’s the one who went snooping where she shouldn’t have and you’re the one who took on a suicidal undercover role to protect her.” Sabrina’s voice shook when she added, “I almost lost you forever. Even when you came back, I thought I’d lost you. I will not forgive and forget. She’s a liability to you.”
    It was hard to argue when Sabrina laid out the facts in cold precision, but that wasn’t exactly the way it all happened. Valene had thought she was helping him. Should she die because of going the extra mile?
    No. Sabrina wouldn’t agree, but she was correct on one point. Dingo had been a shell of a man after barely escaping Garcia. Finding Valene married when he’d healed up enough to fly to LA had broken what glimmer of a spirit he’d had left.
    “Don’t do this again, Dingo,” Sabrina pleaded softly. “I can’t watch you go through that twice.”
    He hung his head. She didn’t get it. This wasn’t about him being some lovesick young buck.
    This was life and death.
    But Sabrina wouldn’t spit on Valene if she were on fire. In fact, Sabrina would set the fire.
    He cleared his throat and said, “I was about to board a plane.  I was going to be on time for the team meeting. I would never intentionally make you look bad to the team and I had hoped to talk to you in person about this.”
    “But you aren’t on that airplane, are you?”
    “No. I was waiting to hear from my friend Pete. I’d planned to have him watch over Val while I was gone, but I haven’t heard back. Doesn’t matter. I hold myself just as accountable to you and the teams as everyone else in Slye Temp and I understand about ...”  He had to take a breath before saying that he understood that she’d have to cut him loose. It wasn’t about the job. He could sign on with ten different groups tomorrow, but he could never replace the relationship he had with Sabrina and Josh.
    That was the only thing he had to cling to in dark times.
    Sabrina’s voice sliced