Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“Have you cleared the air?” he asked, not looking up. “Come to an agreement?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Good.” He lifted his head, his expression tolerant but serious. “I don’t want to know all the details, but good. We can move on now? Figure this shit out?”
“Yes,” I repeated. “And I apologize for my disrespect. I was, ah, upset.”
He shook his head with a grimace. “You’re worse than Matteo.”
“Evie never wanted to take down a bad guy.”
He smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting higher than the other. “Yet, she did.”
I blinked, realizing he was right. Evie had been instrumental in taking out Raoul Carmen. She had been brave and inventive, giving us the time to arrive and kill him. And she did it with no training or preplanning. None of us knew he was even alive until he showed up, threatening her life. I had been with Matteo that day and witnessed her resourcefulness myself.
“True.”
“I understand your worries, Marcus, but Missy is right. She’s the key here. And no matter how you feel, she is involved. She’s more involved than anyone, given what she has already been through.”
“I can’t let that happen again.”
Julian blew out a long breath. “You’re going to have to. The only way to trap him is to let him have her.”
The growl that split the air was almost inhuman, and I had no recollection of it coming from my mouth. The next thing I knew, I had Julian’s shirt twisted in my hand and him pulled out of his chair as I snarled in his face. Missy tugged on my arm, her voice frantic.
“Calm down, Marcus!”
Julian met my furious gaze, his calm and even. “I suggest you do as she says, or I’ll pull you off this case and you’ll have zero input.”
I released his shirt and sat down, shocked. “Jesus, Julian, I’m sorry,” I rasped, leaning my elbows on my knees and dropping my head into my hands. “I don’t know what happened.”
“I do,” he said patiently. “But you need to rein it in, Marcus. Put aside your personal fears and concentrate on what we need to do to keep Missy safe, end this scumbag, and get on with your life.”
“But we have to use her to get him,” I said, lifting my head, sounding weary.
“Yes. But if Evie can help with no training, imagine what your little knife thrower here can do.” He winked at Missy. “Impressive, by the way.”
She dipped her chin in acknowledgment, her anxious gaze on me. I pulled her hand to my chest and ghosted a kiss to her knuckles.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m calm.”
“For how long?”
“Until this is over. Until he is dead.” I had to be, because there was no other option. I needed a clear head to protect her.
I had to ask a question, though. “How did you learn to throw a knife like that? It’s not a course taught at the academy.”
“No. Where I lived growing up, there wasn’t much to do. There was a boy on my street who liked knives. He did target practice every day after school. He was a bit of a loner like me. We got to be friends, and he taught me to throw. I loved it. And I was good. I self-taught myself everything he couldn’t show me.” She shrugged. “I had a lot of time on my hands and lots of empty fields and trees to practice on.”
I leaned closer. “How good a friend?” I growled lowly.
She rolled her eyes. “A friend,” she insisted. “I was a kid and a tomboy. Eventually, he moved with his family somewhere else.” She shook her head. “Neanderthal,” she muttered.
I ignored her. She was right, though. When it came to her, I was like a caveman.
She cleared her throat and returned to the subject at hand.
“What about my idea? Letting it slip I’m alive?” Missy asked.
Julian shook his head. “Too vague.”
“He could miss it or assume it was someone else. I don’t want to post your picture either,” I added.
“But I think you’re onto something, Missy. I’m certain someone on your team is in his pocket—it only makes sense. We’re digging into bank records right now. I think you were set up.”
“How do we use that to our advantage?” she asked.
“I’m certain it will be one of the head men. We contact whoever the leak is. In private. Tell him we found you before the building was destroyed. That you have no memory, but one of the other women we rescued knew your name and I traced you to him.”
She furrowed her brow.
“And?”
“I’ll tell him you need to be transported back to your home. You’re well enough to travel, but I won’t release you to anyone but your team.”
“I’m still not seeing it,” she said.
I turned toward her. “He’ll contact Zander, Missy. Zander will send one of his men, and you’ll be taken to him, not home. Since you have no memory, you would accept the person as trustworthy and not question where you’re going. We would assume you were safe and be done with it.”