BEN KEPT THE GUN pointed at Carson's stomach. He didn't want to accidentally kill her with one shot if she did something stupid, but he wanted her to feel the threat. To date he'd never had to actually shoot someone, but he was angry enough to pull the trigger. Especially with her."W-where are we going?" Carson asked."Your place.""You know I had no choice?" She glanced at him."You always have a choice," he sneered."I didn't. See, they were threatening my sister-""Shut up. I don't care.""My sister's parents were illegal immigrants from Ghana. My sister was born here, but the small hospital didn't do digital records. The county courthouse record room burned down, and so did her birth certificate-""Boohoo. I don't give a fuck. You screwed me. Whatever happens is karma.""Ben, please? There's got to be some way we can fix this? You and me?""You bet you're going to make this right. You're going to log in with your admin powers and unfreeze my client's money.""What?" She
CARSON STUMBLED OUT OF the elevator. Ben had his hand in her hair, bending her head backward."Unlock your door," he said.Shit."My keys-they're still in my car." Carson braced her hand against the wall."Fucking hell." Ben shoved her face first into the doorframe.Pain blossomed along her brow and radiated down her neck."Stand there. If you run, I'll shoot. If someone comes out here and you scream for help, I'll shoot them. Got it?"Carson nodded. She could only assume that Ben would do it. The kind of people he worked with, the things he did, he probably shot people all the time. She wouldn't be his first, and he wouldn't even blink if she died.She closed her eyes and sucked down a deep breath.Everything shook. Her legs were weak; her knees close to giving out.Ben pulled something out of his pocket and slid it into the lock on her door.This was how he'd gotten into her apartment and used her laptop to move his money. The yogurt containers. Her laptop not being where
RYAN AND VITO ENTERED Carson's apartment building by the front doors. The large complex occupied the upper floors of a shopping strip situated in a trendy part of town. It was the kind of place he'd call safe. Today that word had a different meaning.He hoped they were going to find Carson at the end of this and not something worse."We've got the garage covered," Alec said through the headsets."Copy that. Proceeding to the elevators," Ryan replied.His housemates had brought their full kit with them. Ryan was grateful they'd dropped everything given what they'd just learned. He'd have come by himself regardless, but having the other four to back him up was a relief."I see the rental car. It's idling on the third floor of the garage along with another rental," Paxton said, his voice charged."Have we considered that these people might be working with Carson?" Alec asked."Shut the fuck up, Alec. Paxton, do you see people?" Ryan paused. There was no point in getting up to Carso
CARSON SAT ON THE curb, Ryan's arm wrapped around her. She stared at the asphalt and the bits of twinkling glass that had fallen out of her clothes and hair. The cops that had arrived a few minutes after Ryan rescued her were going back and forth. No one was speaking to her yet, which she was grateful for.Ben was dead.That man had looked at him and decided his life was pointless.She could still see the moment the first bullet hit Ben in her mind. Like a perfectly captured picture."Hey," Ryan whispered.Carson closed her eyes. She wasn't ready."The detective is here. Do you want to call a lawyer?" he asked.She swallowed. Her ass was already on the line. Agent Walker was going to come down on her hard for this. She didn't know how she could fix the situation. With Ben dead, how were they going to decipher the files? No one knew who Ben's clients were except him."Carson, please talk to me?"She turned her head and looked at Ryan. He'd shown up, her ginger knight in a blue
RYAN STARED STRAIGHT AHEAD, his hands on the wheel at ten and two.Things had spun quickly out of control on a much larger scale than he'd been prepared for. When he'd decided that there was something chasing Carson he'd thought it was perhaps an ex or pseudo-friend that she wanted to hide from. Maybe she owed someone money or perhaps she was a snitch. The reality was much bigger and complicated. He didn't know how to keep her safe and he needed to somehow ensure her well being and that of her family."Where are we going?" Carson's voice was weary. They hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night and today would have exhausted anyone."The Aegis Group office. The guys went there after they were released." The sun had almost set. The sky was turning into a dark blanket overhead."My car-""We took care of it.""Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?""Why shouldn't I?""Because I lied to you?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper drowned out by the engine and radio."I tol
THIS HAD TO BE what a zombie felt like.Carson didn't choose to watch horror movies, but Frankie loved them. Carson had never truly contemplated the life of the living dead, but it couldn't be that dissimilar from what she felt like right now. Empty. Hungry. There were aches and pains, but they were distant. Mostly she was numb.Maybe she was asleep?Ryan turned the car. The inertia had her leaning against the door. Hear head thunked against the glass.Not asleep.The radio played softly. She could barely make out the songs.He hadn't tried to talk to her since they got in the car. She didn't know if she should be grateful for that, or dread what was coming. Right now she didn't care. She was safe, no one was trying to kill her and someone else had all the answers. She knew that very soon she'd have to take over what happened to her and her family. Ryan wasn't going to save her all the time. But for now, all she had to do was sit here."Chloe's house is right up here." He turned
RYAN ROCKED CARSON FROM side to side. Her tears had subsided, but he knew this wasn't over.He didn't care how much of a hard-ass a guy was or how cold a woman could be, seeing someone killed shook your world. That was infinitely worse when the one dying was someone familiar. There were personal connections and history, good or bad, that came back to haunt the living. He didn't have a guide that told him how long this would stun Carson for, he just knew that their shit had to wait. Not forever. He had a deep seated need to understand. He'd grown to care for this woman. It wasn't a choice. He couldn't change how he felt, but he did get to decide his role in the future."Better?" he asked. The sooner he could get her eating the sooner she'd feel more human.Carson sat up, wiping her face."Yeah." Her voice was hoarse from crying and she sniffled a bit."Want to eat? You might not feel hungry, but it will help. I promise." His stomach growled. Eating at Chloe's kitchen was always a t
HAD CARSON HEARD RYAN right?Had he just said he loved her?As in l-o-v-e?She'd felt the deep moving waters of what she'd jumped into. It was different from anything she'd ever experienced. Bigger, more powerful, sometimes scary. But love?When she'd been little, the people who told her they loved her hurt her. It had taken Mom and Dad years to change love from a bad to a good word. Carson had never loved anyone besides Mom, Dad and Frankie. Maybe Jessica. They had been friends for most of their lives. Carson didn't even know she was capable of loving a man like that. She'd never had a boyfriend that lasted long enough to get past that stage.Love was a scary word, but she wanted to face that fear. She wanted to learn to love someone outside her family circle. She had to be certain about how she felt before she said it. Especially with Ryan. She'd hurt him so much already, she couldn't lie and tell him she had feelings she didn't know for certain were true.But maybe that wasn't
Two months later. Ekko's Apartment, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.EKKO STARED AT THE table with the spread of food laid out.Was there enough? Did she need more? Would Coco and Paxton like it?She reached out and adjusted the tray of cheese so it was at more of an angle instead of perfectly aligned to everything else.It looked too neat."Stop." Silas took her hand and spun her toward him, capturing her against his chest with strong arms around her waist."It looks like I'm trying too hard." She smoothed her hands up and over his shoulders."Stop. It's just Paxton and Coco.""Your best friend and his fiancé, who I haven't met yet.""What?" Silas' face scrunched up. "You've talked to her dozens of times.""In the background of you and Paxton talking. That doesn't count." She pulled away from him and proceeded to turn dishes a little this way and that."You do realize Coco spends most days digging in elephant shit and stuff, right?""Silas." She scowled at him."What?" He gr
IT FELT LIKE THE weight Silas had been carrying around in his gut had now attached itself to his eyelids. He floated in darkness, no longer asleep but not yet awake. Someone had called this twilight once, though he couldn't recall who. Something wouldn't let him go back to sleep. There was something he needed to do. It was urgent.What the hell was it?That nagging question hounded him as he ever so slowly gathered his strength.He wasn't aware of time or how long it took to wrestle one eyelid open, but at long last he peered out of his darkness into...more darkness.Well that was just dandy. What the fuck?He blinked that one eye again, letting his vision adjust. He was in a room and there was a light on, it just didn't do much.Machines beeped and whirled around him.That was a sound he could never mistake and it told him the first piece of his puzzle. From there the others fell into place, one after another.He was still in the hospital.He'd been hurt.There was a fight.
EKKO CLUNG TO THE stretcher bearing Silas out to the parking lot.She hadn't realized how bad his injuries were. He was barely keeping his eyes open. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she kept pace with the two paramedics. Silas covered her hand with his as they came to a stop at the bumper of an ambulance.Paxton, Brett and Vito were sitting inside. They were worse for wear and grim, but seemed okay.All around them police were marching uninjured people they'd arrested to sit in a line next to a chain-link fence blocking the sidewalk. The night was lit up with swirling lights that made her head spin."Where's Chayan?" she asked. Her heart was tearing in two, aching for both men.A little distance away an ambulance took off, sirens blaring. She hoped it was the one with Pasley in it."Ma'am, I need to look at that wound," a paramedic said to her.She held tight to Silas' hand. "What about Chayan? Older man, little taller than me? Salt and pepper hair?"Silas had said he was fine.
IGNEY PACED IN A circle, looking down each hall in turn.Where were they? Had he miscalculated? Were they willing to lose the woman so long as they got the man?His orders were clear. Get both the man and the woman.The woman was a symbol. Too many young people had taken to the streets because they listened to others like her.The man though, he knew things.Killing the woman was personal. Chasing her had cast him in a bad light. But the man was more important in the grand scheme of things."Fuck," Igney muttered. He glanced at a pair of men striding for the doors. "You. Come here."The men never glanced at him. Because they didn't understand him?He whirled to face Alban. "Where are the others?""I don't know where Delem and Michil are." He grimaced. "I haven't heard from them since we split up to search the building."That wasn't good.Igney had heard a lot of gunfire. Was it possible the other men he'd brought with him were dead?If both Chayan and Pasley escaped, leavin
EKKO'S ONE OFFENSIVE ATTEMPT was an utter failure. Her head spun and she was going to be sick.This wasn't good.She felt like a ragdoll being drug around, first by Igney then another man she didn't recognize. He spoke Daurian though which could only mean one thing.He was London DSS.Her body chilled. Was that from fear or the blows to the head? She didn't know anymore."Come find me, Pasley, or your little bird dies," Igney cackled into the radio.She tasted bile.Pasley had called her little bird back in the park.Igney cackled like a bad movie villain. The man was enjoying this. He was getting off on torturing them all.What about Silas?Pasley was with him.If Pasley told Silas, if he knew, they would come for her. Silas was determined to bring them all home and to keep her safe. But if he did, if he came to her rescue, Igney would kill them. Igney needed her and Chayan. Which meant he couldn't kill her here and now. It was an empty threat. Wasn't it? Did she dare belie
SILAS PUSHED HIS GROUP hard as they traversed the second floor. The sun had fully set, plunging them into complete darkness where there weren't windows or other lights.This building was a damn maze, and every turn they needed was blocked by too many people to fight their way through.There had to be more than the fifteen or so they'd estimated. More like thirty.This wasn't good.What about Ekko? Where had the others gone to?He'd hoped getting down here meant they would find her and Paxton, but so far all they'd found were a few bodies. At least they knew Paxton and Brett were eliminating the other side. But no one had taken the ammo or guns. Why? When resources were this precious, why not take them?Could they have gotten free? Did he dare hope?Something thumped in the darkness. Like a heavy footfall.Silas cursed himself as he skidded to a stop. He didn't see anything, but his gut screamed at him. He pivoted and threw himself at Chayan, shoving the other man aside. Silas w
THE DARKNESS FELT AS if it were swallowing her.Ekko clung to the back of Paxton's shirt like he'd directed. She couldn't shake the sensation that there were hands out there reaching for her. That Igney or one of the others were biding their time and waiting for the chance to kill her.Where was Silas? What about Chayan and the others?They'd been separated before she realized what was going on.Behind them a burst of gunfire spurred her on, shattering the silence.She knew it was Brett. Was he trading gunfire with someone? Those shots all sounded the same to her. She hoped he was safe. He was only one man and they had no idea how many were behind them."Stay close." Paxton reached back and pressed her hand to his back.Her head pounded with each and every step. It hurt so bad, but she didn't want to say anything. Her pain was minimal compared to what could happen."Will you cut that out?" Paxton yelled behind them.He side stepped and sort of skipped through a narrow gap betw
SILAS GRIT HIS TEETH to keep from telling Paxton to hurry the fuck up. It wasn't like Paxton was slow. The knife on his belt tool was small and no doubt dulled after cutting through several sets of thick, plastic restraints.Sitting like this it felt as though there was a ten pound weight sitting on his guts. He didn't know what the knife had cut, but Silas knew from the woozy feeling and blood making his jeans sticky it wasn't good. He had to get the others out of here before his clock ran out."Which way did they bring you up?" Silas asked Brett instead of chafing at how long getting free was taking.Brett stood by the door, a discarded piece of wood held as a weapon. "We came in some doors, up a stair to our right then a long walk down here. You?""Different way." Silas grimaced. "Do we retrace our path, or avoid it? How many people were with you?"Brett grimaced. They'd been hooded when they arrived. "Hard to say.""Let's assume at least the three that came in here plus one o
EKKO STARED IN SHOCK, her head spinning as the men left the room again."S-Silas?" she whispered so softly she barely heard herself.He slumped sideways groaning.Had that man-that monster-just stabbed Silas?"Man, Silas, dude, talk to us." Paxton had scooted forward, his arms extended behind him, attention on Silas."I'm fine." Silas' voice was strained. "Brett, Vito, how are you two?""Alive," Brett groaned."Vito? Man?" Silas shook his head and sat up straighter."Fine."This was it.Ekko swallowed.They'd done everything and in the end, they were outplayed.The DSS would kill them. She wasn't sure why they hadn't already, but she didn't doubt that death was the final move. All of these people, they were going to die because she'd been arrogant. She'd thought she knew what she was doing, when in fact she hadn't a clue.A sob tore out of Ekko making her already aching head pound harder."Ekko?" Silas called out. "Ekko, listen to me, this is going to be okay. Pax?"A ch