She barely seems to notice that he bristles at her words, and it could be that she halfway expected it, or that she just doesn't care when she has something bigger to worry about, or even just that she doesn't take offense because she didn't mean it the way he's taken it.

The fight isn't dead, but Swann knows how to lose a battle if it means winning the war. Given time to calm down, to collect herself, she knows she can fall back on other tactics.

No matter what anyone thought, Swann hadn't relied on her father to put her on top of the network. She did it herself, with craft, and she could do it again with Jason as her network and Lorraine as her competition.

Her arms lock around his waist, and she slides her hand down his side, closing her eyes. "He just attacked you?"