Chapter 9

NINE

The mission was a failure.

Blown.

Hagar was inside.

Coming for her.

For them.

Meg reeled in her panicked thoughts. There was no way the terrace could know she was here, that the Black Swans were here. Her team.

Hagar wasn’t coming for her, he was coming for something else.

But what? The USB?

Looked like he was going to be as disappointed as she was.

She muted her comm and spoke to Dec as they snuck down the hall, heading back the way they had come. “Are we sure Hagar is after the USB? He’s a showman, but inciting a riot? He’s more likely to bride someone to get that intel, isn’t he?”

Dec touched his earbud, muting his comm as well. “You heard our orders. We’re leaving.”

“We don’t have the USB or Tommy.” Was Hagar after him? If the terrorist bastard had done his homework, he would know Tommy was gone. “Does Hagar already have him? Does Tommy know what’s on the drive?”

“Meg,” Declan grumbled, “we’re not pursuing it further unless ordered.”

They moved swiftly, weaving through the chaotic halls. “We have to find Shredder Man.” She pulled up short, knowing what she had to do. “We might be able to save the mission.”

He gave a terse huff, stopping as well. Raking a hand over his face, he shook his head and met her eyes for a brief, condemning moment. “Knew you’d say that.”

“You need to find the gymnasium. There’s a bunch of employees there and they will need help evacuating. Hagar no doubt has the place completely surrounded, so you’ll have to take them out through the tunnels.”

“And let you have all the fun going after our shredding expert? I don’t think so.”

Her hands went to her hips. “I thought we understood who was in charge of this mission.”

“Hagar loves to be on stage, and we know how he enjoys taking hostages as prisoners, but only if he controls the environment. There are probably fifty, if not more, in this place—too many for him to control or move.”

“He might simply shoot them all. We have to evacuate them.”

“We can’t get fifty people to the tunnel and out of here without making them sitting ducks.”

They were all sitting ducks at the moment. “I’ll keep Hagar and his men distracted. He’s not expecting me to be here, and I’d bet he’ll find me equally attractive to whatever he’s after.”

The way Declan looked at her told her she was a distraction, even for him. It wasn’t the same kind, but she saw the heat flare in his eyes at the term.

She hit her comm. “Loch Ness, we’re going after the USB. The possible thief is still in the building.”

Only static answered. She pointed toward the hall leading to the stairs. “Get those people out. I’ll catch up with you when I can.”

If I can .

Dec gave her a humorless smile. “When will you learn that you cannot get rid of me? The last time we divided up the team, we lost one of our members. Granted, there are times and certain missions when that makes sense. This isn’t one of them.” He flicked his wrist over to check his watch. “We need to be at that evac site in two hours. I’m not here to play the hero and save all those people, but for you, I’ll do it.”

She was confused—was he going to lead the trapped staffers to the tunnel or not? “I don’t need a hero. What I need is someone who follows orders.”

“Blah blah blah. Heard it before. Do you know why I’m your second?”

“Because of your qualifications.”

“Because our boss assigned me the position in order to keep you from taking extreme risks beyond what’s necessary for the parameters of every mission.”

It was as if someone had thrown ice water over her head. “What?”

“I’ve never seen your file, but my orders from the highest levels of Langley have always been to keep you in check. You are one of the most valuable assets they’ve had in recent years. I am their insurance that you come back after every mission.”

Her legs went weak, and she had to put a hand against the wall. “You bastard. Were you ever going to tell me?”

He strutted past her for the stairs that would take him to the main entrance. “Save it. You can kick me off your team later. For now, I’m going after Hagar, and you’re going after the USB.”

She reached for the stewing anger that had kept her from dissolving into misery for so many months, but it wasn’t there. The bleak nothingness devoured her instead. All this time…

She’d thought Dec balanced her out. When Flynn had given her the responsibility for picking her team…

He’d fed Declan Reid to her.

Because he wanted him to be her bodyguard.

A flicker of anger fired up her limbs, and her feet started moving. She jogged to catch up with Dec as he hit the stairwell down. She grabbed him by the back of the jacket, stopping him three steps from the landing, and forced him to face her. “I thought you chose me over her because of our relationship. Why didn’t you tell me you were simply following orders?”

He moved up one step, putting himself nose to nose with hers. His lowered voice came out with a cutting edge to it. “I did choose you because of our relationship.” He came up another step, towering over her and forcing her to step back. “I will always choose you, regardless of my orders.”

Before she could say a word, he brought his mouth down on hers.

His lips were warm and demanding. Possessive.

She was immune to many things, but Declan’s lips were not one of them. Even now, after his confession, those lips could bring her to her knees.

She shoved at his chest, fighting to move away. He allowed it, both of them breathing heavily as their eyes stayed locked on each other’s.

He reached out as if he would grasp her arms and drag her back, but then he let them fall to his sides. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

She wanted to slap his face, yell about how inappropriate his timing was, not to mention the fact that nonconsensual kisses were rude and…

She swallowed hard and licked her lips, watching his eyes track the movement. Screw that. All of it. His touch, his lips—she wanted more. More of his steadiness. More of…him.

I will always choose you …

“I shouldn’t be here,” she admitted. “My head is… Screwed up.”

She thought he might reach for her again, but he didn’t. “No more so than the rest of the world. No matter what happens, we are a team. I won’t let you go off the deep end, but you have to let me help you.”

There was a part of her that wanted to throw her arms around his neck, to throw caution—and her damaged, broken heart—to the wind.

Later.

She hoped there would be time for that later.

Always reading her mind, he held out of hand. “Don’t let Hagar see you. I’ll distract him.” And end him if given the opportunity . It was in his eyes, if not said aloud. “You focus on that USB.”

She slipped her hand into his. “If we get separated…”

“I’ll meet up with you and the others at the evac site.”

“Be careful.”

Their footsteps were silent as they descended, and once they reached the fire door on the first floor, Dec insisted she stay put while he scouted ahead. It killed her to allow him to take the lead, but he was much better at stealth than she was. She was more likely to double-fist her weapons and start taking out any terrorist she ran into.

Which would only make matters worse, but God, it would feel good to get at least a little revenge on the men who had kidnapped her, tortured her, and did even worse to her friend.

She paced while she waited, the ultrasonic gun in hand in case anyone came through the door that wasn’t him. A minute grew into three, then five. She was ready to ignore his orders and go after him when he slipped back into the stairwell, a finger to his lips.

He leaned in and spoke into her ear, his breath warming the shell. “There are at least a dozen, if not more. Right now, they’re looting, along with a bunch of the citizens who joined the uprising. Hagar is watching. It’s as if he’s waiting for something.”

“Or someone,” she whispered back. “Did you spot Shredder Man?”

“Negative. But Hagar’s lieutenant, Sayed Karzai, mentioned finding the rat , if my Farsi is still accurate.”

He wasn’t fluent in it, but better than she was. “Could be our guy.”

A shrug. “Or anyone else. We can’t search everyone in the place, but maybe Shredder Guy is Marchetti’s assistant and took the drive to hide it. We need to find out.”

“He may be armed with the missing weapon. We just didn’t see them on his person.”

He handed her his Sig. “Fully loaded. Don’t take chances. If anyone, including that other trigger-happy moron, lifts so much as an eyebrow at you, shoot them.”

She pushed it away. “You need that more than I do.”

“Meg.” He held it out. “Either you take this, or I stick to you like glue.”

She worried her bottom lip. “You are always so bullheaded.”

He snorted a laugh. “Pot, kettle, on that one, sweetheart.”

Accepting the weapon, she checked the safety and flipped it off. “What’s your plan to distract Hagar?”

“Thought I’d take out a few of his men to warm up, then confront the SOB to his face.”

Her stomach crawled. “Swans do not cause a spectacle.”

“You can fire me once we’re back on US soil.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I might do that anyway.”

He flicked the end of her nose. “I welcome the challenge.” Opening the door, he gestured for her to follow. “On three.”

She held her breath as he counted and then they were racing down a central corridor toward the building’s once beautifully appointed entrance and bright foyer.

As they reached a set of double doors behind the main reception area, Dec held up a hand for her to stop. One of the doors stood cracked open as if someone had just run through it.

Meg’s heart raced as she peered through the slit, hearing raised voices, the splintering of wood, and the crunching of glass. People milled about, bent on destroying every last plant, picture, table, and chair. Through the melee, she caught sight of the man who terrorized her dreams.

Mosai Hagar stood in the center of the lobby atop a glass and steel coffee table, surveying his handiwork. The front doors were missing, an open maw to the world outside, the protestors rushing in and out.

Three armed men flanked him, all of them keeping their beady gazes on who and what entered the embassy.

As he felt the weight of her gaze, he swiveled, looking directly at her.

Dec jerked her back, but not before she saw Hagar smile.

The walls and ceiling began to close in on her. A weight crushed against her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

There was no way he knew it was her. No way he knew she was here or that the sliver of her that he had seen revealed her identity.

And yet, even in that split second, it felt as if he had looked directly into her soul.

The image of Jessie on her knees flashed in front of her. That same look he’d given Meg had been on his face, then—a horrible, pure evil smile as he brought the machete down...

She stumbled as Dec hustled her down the corridor. A lifeline. Her lifeline.

“One foot in front of the other,” he murmured as he kept her close, only stopping when they were around the corner. He pressed her against the wall, staring into her eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Not this time.”

She clung to him and renewed her vow—for Jessie and herself. I will get revenge on Hagar, one way or another .