The King (Gentlemen Rogues 2)

"Almost managed it too."

“You wish," I said, rolling my eyes.

For a moment, the teasing was back, the effortlessness. But when we climbed back in the car, he was all tense again.

"Do you feel uneasy? Did you see something? You have to talk to me."

“I'm just trying to figure out why this is your first mission."

I frowned. "We're doing this now?"

He nodded. “Yeah, we're doing this now."

"Well, do you want to start driving so I can fill you in with all the boring details while we're on the road?"

He frowned at that and started the engine.

"When my parents died, I wasn't twenty-one yet. I couldn't fully step into the legacy, and honestly, I don't like to admit it, but Gabe’s right. I don't think I am ready. I want to be ready, and God, being a field agent has been all I have dreamed about my entire life, but I was too young. And now it's like I can't get any experience because Gabe never lets me out of his sight. But suddenly, you turn up, and you get this fun mission."

"Well, it's not exactly a walk in the park. I think I was chosen for it because of my school connection with Massimo.”

He started to ease out onto the king's road and hit the brakes. "But Antonio, he's the big bad. Papa evil. And then his second in command, Drake Webster."

I shuddered. "He killed my parents. Antonio ordered it, but Drake carried it out. Massimo is below Drake in the pecking order. He doesn't know anything. And for the most part, he's been kept out of the family business. Drake isn’t blood, but he’s the adopted heir to the arms dealer throne."

Lock cursed under his breath. "And that's why everyone's tense when we talk about the Ignos. I didn't fucking know."

I turned to face him then. “I get the impression you're trying to ask me something? Like you’re uneasy with this."

He shook his head. "No. Not with the mission. It’s you. You, make me uneasy. We’re the problem."