“Lindsey,” I said.

“And Mason,” Eric went on.

What?

“Mace?” I asked.

Eric continued, “We got a guy on the inside. They knew Sid was feeling the heat and was gonna retaliate. We knew who the targets were. We knew you were one of them. We knew why and we knew about the operation the other night.” I went back a few more steps, too stunned by this news to let the heat of anger sweltering off Mace to register on my brain. The backs of my legs hit the edge of one of the platforms and I sat down with no grace whatsoever.

Eric started toward me again but, quick as lightning, Mace moved and got in his way.

Eric stopped and glared at him.

I looked around Mace to Eric. “You knew?”

“Fuck,” Eric muttered.

Then, not thinking (yes, again), I jumped up, stormed forward and rounded Mace, shouting, “I got shot!” Mace’s arm tagged me around the middle and pul ed me, hard, into his body.

“I know!” Eric shouted back, deciding to ignore Mace’s arm which, I thought, my mind crazily veering in wild directions, was wise.

“You didn’t do anything about it!” I kept shouting.

“You were supposed to be with me,” Eric reminded me.

He was kind of right, I was. He’d put the pressure on, big time, for me to spend the night with him that night but I told him no.

Mace’s hard body felt somehow harder after Eric spoke.

“This is what I wanna talk about,” Mace said.

“It’s none of your f**kin’ business,” Eric bit out.

“I’m of a different opinion,” Mace bit back.

“And why’s that?” Eric returned.

“Stel a and I are back together,” Mace informed him.

Again, not thinking, I twisted my head to look at Mace and cried, “We are not!”

“Stel a –” Mace started.

My eyes moved back to Eric. “I want to know why you let me get shot.”

“I didn’t let you get shot. I sat outside, I saw you leave. I fol owed you to Lindsey’s. I saw that Stark and Mason were there, not to mention the cops, and I expected Sid wouldn’t be crazy enough to make a move with that kind of coverage. That’s when I got a cal . Jet McAlister was supposed to be with India Savage and her gang. She wasn’t and Chavez had been cal ed out. I was sent to her house. The drive-by happened before I got there and you were shot while I was in transit.”

Wel , that made me feel a little bit better.

“Now,” Eric’s eyes narrowed on Mace, “you wanna take your hands off her?”

“No,” Mace answered instantly.

“I’m thinkin’ that’s not the right answer. She was yel ing at you earlier, I heard her through the door and she says you aren’t back together,” Eric returned.

“Yeah, she says that. Then again, I’m pretty sure it was Stel a I was f**kin’ this morning, it was me she asked to f**k her harder and it was me she was holdin’ onto while she purred into my throat after I made her come. That’s contradictory information from her and me but considerin’ I intend to be in her bed for the foreseeable future, I figure you understand where the f**k I’m comin’ from just about now,” Mace shared, his voice utterly lethal.

I stil ed and Eric’s eyes hit me.

Oh my God, did Mace really just say that? My brain asked me.

“You f**ked him?” Eric asked me.

Yep, Mace real y just said that.

Oh man, I was gonna kill Mace.

“Eric,” I whispered. I didn’t know why I found this upsetting outside of what Mace just shared and how he shared it. First, I’d been holding back from Eric. And, second, I wasn’t his girlfriend, I was his assignment (I didn’t know the Feds went that far but there you go).

But I did find this upsetting mainly because he looked like I slapped him across the face.

Eric closed his eyes and looked to the side; the teeth clench was evident again.

“You need to find another assignment.” Mace wasn’t in the mood to go with the vibe which would warn just about anyone (except Mace) to back right the f**k off.

anyone (except Mace) to back right the f**k off.

Eric opened his eyes and they were scorching hot with anger, not just at Mace, but at me.

“Eric, this is complicated,” I told him quietly.

“I know it is. I know a lot about you, Stel a. I know you fel for him and he fel for you. I also know he walked out on you.

I also know that there’s been no one since him. No one, but me. Lastly, I know you were holding back from me but I didn’t think it was because you’d f**k him the minute you got your chance. I thought it was because you figured you’d get f**ked over again if you opened up to anyone,” Eric explained, not nicely but it was an explanation.

“Careful with your words.” Mace decided to focus on the

“not nice” part.

“You didn’t open up to me!” I defended myself, ignoring Mace and focusing on the “explanation” part.

“I got a job to do. Opening up to you wasn’t part of my directive,” he lashed out.

A different kind of imaginary gut kick, this delivered by Eric.

“Thanks a lot,” I snapped.

“Fal ing for you wasn’t either,” Eric returned.

There it went again, my breath taking off, this time, to Wyoming.

Mace’s body tensed.

Shitsofuckit!

I opened my mouth to speak but it was too late, Eric turned, opened the door and started to walk out.

He stopped and looked back at Mace. “Take better f**kin’ care of her this time.”

fuckin’ care of her this time.”

Then he slammed the door and was gone.

Chapter Seven

Blackbird

Stella

I stared at the door not sure how I felt about what just happened; only sure it was unhappy and unpleasant and maybe a little sad.

Mace held onto me.

“Get out,” I said quietly, stil staring at the door.

“Tel me you didn’t f**k him,” Mace replied.

I closed my eyes, hard, and swal owed. This was to obtain a measure of control in order not to scream at the top of my lungs.

Then, again quietly, I repeated, “Mace, get out.” Mace didn’t let go. Mace didn’t move. Mace didn’t speak.

We stood that way, his arm stil around me, me stil pressed back to his front, both of us staring at the door, both silent, for what seemed like a long time.

Then his head came to my shoulder and he moved my hair away with his chin.