by Dana Volney
She’d aligned herself with killers.
Actual killers.
She’d allowed herself to go along with them, hoping in the back of her mind that they’d really help her get out of the mess she’d created.
Even if they were willing to help her, was it wrong to take their help now that she knew what they were? Would her rap sheet also get tagged with accessory to murder while trying to clear her name?
She put her hands on her hips and dug her nails in to make sure this wasn’t a dream. She sucked in until her lungs were completely full and blew out, letting her cheeks puff. Then another.
“What have I gotten myself into?” She paced in front of Able’s business. The white diamond sign with a smaller, black-lined diamond inside and M Interior Designs written in thick simple text was obviously a front. Once upon a time she’d wanted to be an interior designer. Never once did she think that the criminal route would be a good idea. Now she couldn’t seem to stop making illegal choices. Is this where it stopped? Was this the line she wouldn’t cross?
She had to get out of here. Sabene had the pictures, and when all of this craziness died down Teagan would find her and get them to clear her name. She couldn’t do it right now. Her last eighteen hours were more than anyone should ever have to experience. People wanted her dead, she didn’t have the information to take down HC anymore, and she was on the run from the law. With assassins.
Worst of all, she’d failed her sister.
There was no way to make this right.
She’d found a way to take out HC before, she’d find one again another day.
* * *
“Wyatt.” Able strolled out the door and stopped in front of Teagan. “Don’t even think of running again.” He didn’t have time to chase after her again. Because he would, even when he knew he should be focusing his energy on saving himself and his fellow hitters.
“Why? Because you’ll kill me?” she snapped and crossed her arms.
Fuck, that sass was sexy. He should be annoyed, but with her edge, semi-puckered lips, and her shirt pulled against her chest, he really just wanted to back her against the wall and fuck her right there and then.
“Lower your voice.” He stepped closer and she took a simultaneous step back.
“Don’t want people to know you’re a killer?” Her voice wasn’t lowered as her chin jutted.
He was a hot second away from shoving his tongue in her mouth to shut her up. Then he’d know for sure she wouldn’t be saying anything he didn’t want to hear. A bonus would be scratching an itch that’d been brewing since she came down the stairs in her easy style.
“It’s not exactly something I advertise, no. Sometimes my job requires the worst.” He rubbed his forehead and adjusted the black wool beanie he’d slipped on on his way downstairs.
“You choose the worst.”
“I know it’s not conventional. But it’s part of me.” She didn’t have to like it, but for now she had to deal with it. He wasn’t letting her out of his eyesight. They needed her for the plan he’d been formulating since last night when she’d told him about Hume Corp.
“Do you want to know what’s now the vilest part of me forever?” She glanced to the ground. “Failing. Failing my sister.”
“Your sister?” He kept his face neutral to not give away the details he already knew. Sabene had messaged him late last night with the lowdown on Teagan once they had her full name.
“The reason I hired on at Hume Corp. in the first place was because of her death. She was on to their dirty game, and once they knew, they killed her for it.” Tears laced her voice. “I want them to pay. All. Of. Them.”
“They still can.”
“How? The smoking gun is gone.” Defeat consumed her big blue eyes. “You watched it happen and did nothing.”
“I didn’t know the full scope of what was happening. There are other ways to go about bringing them down.”
She shook her head. She didn’t believe him. Fuck, he and those people upstairs could overthrow a government if they had a couple days to plan. Hume Corp. wasn’t insurmountable. It just hadn’t been in their purview before.
“We have to keep moving forward. You may not trust every person in that room, but I do. If you have any intention to keep your promise to your sister, you need to join up. I can’t help you otherwise. You’re either with us or you’re not.” His chest puffed up and he took a step forward. She didn’t move, her stare hard on him. “You have three seconds to make this choice on your own.” On second number four, he was picking her up, throwing her over his shoulder, and taking her back upstairs, because whether she realized it right now or not, she wanted to stay and be a part of this operation.
“What does it matter?” Her eyes were impossibly innocent. “What if I just left?”
Shit. Okay, he needed another tactic here.
“Let’s get a tea and take a breath. Leaving won’t solve anything. It’ll make it worse.” He placed his palm on her lower back to coax her forward. The coffee shop was only a couple doors down. People bustling about, heading to work with their heads down or in their phones was normal. No one stood out. She wasn’t in danger of being spotted.
He needed her to sell that she still had the information she’d stolen to put Hugh Hume himself on the defensive. It wasn’t Able’s first choice to put her on the front line, but it was the only plan he’d come up with so far that had a chance to solve all the problems: clear her name and stop them from being hunted.
Her chuckle was emotionless. “I’m pretty sure this is rock bottom.”
He opened the door of the coffee café for her, and the strong coffee bean scent and a whoosh of heat surrounded them. A few tables were taken by people engrossed in their screens.
“Then what’s the harm in staying for at least a day to see if we can get anywhere?” He glanced at the menu before addressing the barista. “We’ll have a ginger and peach tea and a green tea.” He paid in cash. Always in cash. He used his own name in the States, it was on a sign for his fake company—he never tried to hide. Aliases were for people who were bad at their job.
Teagan didn’t speak until they took a seat in the corner by the window front. “I don’t know if I can be in league with killers. What happens when you don’t need me anymore?” She sat back in her chair, her hands crossed in her lap.
She couldn’t keep eye contact with him anymore. He needed to spark the connection they had last night—the one where she trusted him. If they were going to get through this and win, he needed her all in.
“You aren’t thinking about this in the right perspective.”
“Yes, please, tell me I’m an idiot. That helps.” She rolled her eyes and tested her tea.
“That’s not what I’m saying.” He kept the calmness in his voice but just barely. “Could you have gotten your hands on that city cam footage? Have you made a new plan to get into Hume Corp. to get more blackmail on them? How would’ve you freed yourself from jail on your own? Do you know who Rodney is?” He watched her closely on his last question. He really wanted to know. She didn’t react, or rather she didn’t try to hide a reaction. She didn’t know Rodney. Rodney sure knew her though, which made Able about 99 percent sure that Hume Corp. connected all of them. He shifted the cup to the left on the table.
She shook her head and pulled the tail of her braid over her shoulder and twirled the end between her fingertips.
“We can. And more. Come back with me and see this out.” He drank some of his green tea. Fuck, it was hot.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” He willed her to look at him with his hard stare.
“You can’t possibly guarantee that.” She didn’t take her gaze from her cup.
He leaned over and reached out, capturing her chin between his thumb and index finger.
“Yes, actually I can.” He rubbed his thumb over her skin, and a spark hit him low in the gut. If they were talking about anythi
ng else right now, he’d make an excuse to take her back to his place for the rest of the day.
“That full of yourself, huh?” The tips of her glossed lips lifted.
“Our problems go hand in hand. Working on our problem also solves yours.” All night he’d worked on his problem, with Teagan’s being an afterthought. Because that’s what assassins did: they watched out for number one. Occasionally number two, which in his case was his brother. But the list had never been as long as three. Every person he was responsible for besides himself invited mistakes and he had to make sure this operation was flawless. His life depended on it.
“By killing that guy? Rodney?” Her brows raised. He knew the answer she wanted. The one he couldn’t give her.
Two officers approached from the north. Able stood. “Time to go.”
The door jingled with the cop’s entrance and she whipped her head around.
“No,” he said tightly and reached for her face to bring it back toward him. He’d been set up in Arlington for years. There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic by the regular cops.
The officers scanned the area, and Able did the only thing that would divert their attention: he pressed his lips to Teagan’s. He palmed her other cheek to hide her face completely and let his fingers mess in her hair. He moved his lips over hers and tilted his face to the right and opened his eyes to see what the officers were doing. They were going to the counter. Now was the time to make their escape.
Only Teagan brushed her tongue into his mouth and his body leaned against hers. The hairs on the back of his neck stood; his mind started to drift toward the promise in her kiss. He pulled back, rubbing his thumbs over her high cheekbones, keeping them close. “We need to get out of here. Keep your head down.” He’d make sure to finish that kiss more thoroughly later.
He slipped his fingers between hers and headed to the door. They were out without looking back. He grabbed his cell from his front pocket and dialed Sabene. Note: grab the ear comms before heading back out.
“Have they picked up Wyatt?” He didn’t wait for her greeting.
“She’s all over the news. There was a report called in of a sighting.”
“Where’s the heads up?” He gritted his teeth.
“Dude. It just happened. The news channels are only now running the story, and I just tapped into the police channels.”
“What are they saying?”
“Anonymous call. They are going to canvas the neighborhood.”
“Which includes my studio.”
“Yep.”
He hung up just as they reached the doors of his business. They hurried upstairs.
“What are you doing back? Get her out of here.” Claire was shouldering her bag, her jacket already on.
“Can’t take the chance right now if she’s spotted in the streets.”
“They will stop by here. You’re putting all of us at risk.” Milo, who hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch, stood.
“No one is leaving.” Able took off his jacket and pushed up his sleeves. “They are only doing knock and talks at this point. They didn’t see or follow us.” They still had plans to make. He wasn’t wasting his day because of a diligent citizen. Every hour that they lost, Rodney gained.
“And when they come up here and see all of this?”
“Claire.” Able raised his brow at her. “Make up for last night.”
Claire stared him down. “Since you asked nicely.” She winked and glided across the room like she owned the joint, which was probably what she was going to tell the cops when they popped in.
“Get me up to speed. What do we have?” He went over to the bigger couch and sat opposite of Milo.
“Hume Corp.’s records are clean.” Sabene called up documents on the screen. “Their IRS filings, contracts with the government, and orders they place with manufacturers all line up. They send their employees overseas as necessary.”
“Teagan found their second set of books.” He tapped his fingers on the arm of the leather couch.
“And if it was on their servers, they wiped it clean. I’m still combing through all the data, but I haven’t found it yet.”
“What have you got cooking?” Samson joined them in the gathering area.
Huh. This space was turning out to be an efficient meeting area.
“Screw Hume Corp. Find Rodney so we can dispose of him and move on.” Rife basically took up the loveseat that was opposite the high-top table.
“They’ll just hire another person to take his spot if the job isn’t done.” Able studied the documents on jobs and weaponry purchases Sabene was running through.
The bell on the downstairs door rang and everyone stilled. He glanced back to Teagan, who still stood by the large table. She’d looked so strong last night, but today he’d seen the cracks. She was coming back, though; he could see it in her wide stance. She was going to play her part.
Claire’s fake Southern accent was warm and inviting as she greeted the new guests. Mumbled voices put him at ease and he shifted back to the screens. Sabene was still working away at the Hume Corp. records. If there was a problem Claire would let them know—she and Samson had put safeguard signals in place years ago.
“Who here has worked for Hume Corp. in some capacity?” he asked, knowing at least half had. “I did years and years ago.” A couple of the first jobs he ever did were overseas for Hume Corp.—taking out a terrorist leader and the other was focused on rebels blocking the safe transport of supplies Hume Corp. was contracted to deliver.
“I was on that one thing with you.” Samson didn’t have to elaborate. He remembered lying in wait for thirty hours for a convoy that never showed up, leaving them to attack in the Middle Eastern town without as much planning. It was one of the more daring operations he’d ever completed.
“I haven’t.” Sabene didn’t look up from her work. Arkham looked to be asleep. He’d bet his next payday that dog would attack instantly at her command.
“Nope.” Milo reached over and took a handful of popcorn from Rife.
“I took a job from him last year.” Rife scratched his five o-clock shadow. “Overseas.”
“Do you know if Claire has?” Able eyed Samson.
He shrugged.
“If I did what?” Claire’s heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she stopped by Teagan. She was back to her non-accent, just like a newscaster. She spoke a couple of languages fluently but could fake many English-speaking countries’ accents.
“Work for Hume Corp. ever?” Samson relayed without looking at her. Apparently their time stuck together last night had not mended fences.
“Possibly.” Claire slipped a curl behind her ear.
“You don’t know who you take jobs from?” Samson glanced up, forehead wrinkled.
“First of all, I mostly do what I want these days. I don’t take orders.” Claire held his stare. “But, there have been a couple of times I’ve taken a job from an anonymous source. Could be Hume Corp.”
Samson crossed his arms and looked ahead toward the screens.
“Wyatt here definitely has a connection to Hume Corp. Three or four of us do. I think it’s safe to say Rodney is their newest contractor and they are out to wipe the past clean. Where are we at with him, Sabene?”
This was a start. Able could work with this. Patterns and reason made everything easier to discern. Sabene would keep tabs on Hume Corp. from the inside out, and they should put a couple of their own cameras around the parameter. They just had to find Rodney before he found three or four of them. And Teagan. Able had promised to keep her safe and his word was stone.
Chapter Seven
Teagan stayed in the back of the room. It was like she was watching a Jack Reacher movie.
“Samson and Claire, head to Hume Corp. and check out their security, see if you can’t get us eyes,” Able commanded without looking at either of them.
The pair hesitated but left without a word. There had been a heavy strain between them all day.
“Did you crack into the FBI?” Able asked Sabene.
“Of course. Right now it’s pretty useless though.” Arkham stood and stretched from his morning slumber and sat next to Sabene’s tall chair, his caramel and black ears at attention. “Agent Wheeler hadn’t filed a report yet. I’d bet his notes are all handwritten. I need to know exactly what we’re looking for to be useful.”
If the agent had only written down the stuff she’d told him, Hume Corp. could’ve gotten to them already. She needed that footage Sabene had in her possession, or Teagan was going to find herself in jail with no way out.
“Do you know Agent Wheeler’s status at the hospital?” she asked Sabene, slipping a lose piece of hair behind her ear and dragging her finger down her neck. She was the reason he was near death, and that sucked.
“ICU. Touch and go.”
“Search anything on Hume Corp. the FBI has.” Able sat one ankle to knee, perfectly at ease. None of this was surprising to him or hard for him. He was in his comfort zone, she could tell. There was power in him, a magnetism she couldn’t help but admire. It didn’t hurt that it made her horny as hell, too. The brain was a mystery—hers was imagining straddling him right now and his was problem-solving taking down a company like it was the Sunday crossword.
“Bingo.” Arkham stood at the excitement in Sabene’s tone. “Here we go. Hume Corp. is up for a big new contract and everything they’ve ever been a part of is being reviewed extensively.”
“Which prompted Hugh to clean up his past.”
Able knew the owner of HC?