But worse, Fay.
“It’s possible since I might have said that I thought Fay, if she hadn’t screwed up, was, well, material,” Walker said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You told your teammate I was fuckable?” She stared at him as if she were about to charge him like a bull.
“There are worse things on this planet to be called,” Walker said with his hands held high. “And it was better than some of the other comments I made about wanting to end your career.” He made sure he kept his words vague so as not to really upset anyone in the room. The tensions were high enough. He didn’t need to make it worse.
Hank actually smiled. “I know this is uncomfortable, but was this before or after the mission was blown?”
“Both,” Walker admitted. “We all knew who Fay was. She was kind of a legend in our circles, so we’d seen pictures. Also, before her part of the mission went sideways, I told my men that we were in good hands. I also confided in a few that I wouldn’t mind getting to know a woman like Fay. Smart and sexy.”
“I’m not sure if I’m flattered or utterly mortified,” she muttered.
Jake jumped to his feet.
Hank followed.
“All right then,” Jake said. “Make sure Lee believes the two of you fell head over heels on your last mission. Like everyone else in this town. We have a young boy to find and I don’t want anything to mess that up, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Fay said.
Walker nodded as he strolled to the door. Once Hank and Jake were safely on the other side, he leaned against the wood and sighed.
“Aren’t you surprised Lee applied without telling you?”
“Truthfully, yes. But to be honest, I wasn’t that close to Lee. Not compared to some of the other men on my team.” Walker wasn’t about to tell Fay that he had other issues with Lee. Not yet anyway. “Why don’t I show you to my guest room.”
“We should put my shit in your room. Just in case people come poking around.”
He nodded.
“But don’t go thinking we’re sleeping in the same bed,” she added. “Not unless we absolutely have to and if that does happen, there will be more than a pillow between us.”
He laughed. “You can trust me to keep my hands to myself.”
“Maybe it’s not you I’m worried about.”