Deadly Pursuit (A Blood Hunter Novel, #2) by Nina Croft Page A

a shiver of unease rippling through him. They glowed violet, almost inhuman. She must have worn contacts or they would have pegged her as Collective in a flash.
    “I take it you don’t have anything to do with the Rebel Coalition?” he said. The Rebel Coalition was number three on his hate list after the Church and the Collective. They were a load of amateur assholes who gave professionals like him a bad name.
    “No.” Her gaze wandered down over him in much the same way his had her. She was making a point. “Do you?”
    He shook his head. “So why did you break me out?”
    “I was under orders.”
    “Whose orders?”
    “My colonel’s. I’m an officer in the intelligence unit of the Corps.”
    Shockhithiminthegut.TheCorpsweretheCollective’seliteprivatearmy,andnobodywantedtotakeontheCorps.Notevenhim.Butthisdidn’tmakesense.“WhythehelldidtheCorpswantmeoutofprison?”
    “Idon’tthinktheydid.Theytoldmeitwasatrainingexercise—totestthesecurityattheprison.Butweweremetbyanassassinationsquad—Ithinktheywantedyoudeadbutalsowantedittoappearasthoughyouhadbeenkilledtryingtobreakout.”
    “Why?”
    “Ihavenoclue.ButI’mguessingyouknowsomething—ortheythinkyoudo—thatthey’dratherdidn’tgetout.Anyideawhatthatcouldbe?”
    Jonshookhishead.
    Tannissighedandflungherselfintoanemptychair.“Let’sstartfromthebeginning.WhoemployedyoutokillAidenRoss?Oh,bytheway,didIforgettomentionSkylar’sfullname?LieutenantSkylarRoss.”
    Jon’sgazeflewtoSkylar.“You’rerelatedtoAidenRoss?”
    “Sortof.Iwasdescendedfromhisbrother.Butdon’tworry,weweren’tparticularlyclose,andI’mnotmakingthispersonal—yet.Sowhopaidyoutokillhim?”
    “Idon’tknow.”Shecasthimalookofdisbelief,andhecontinued.“That’snothowIwork.Theinformationcomesthroughanonymouschannels,asdoesthepayment.Inevercontactthecustomerdirectly.Weneedtolookatthisfromtheotherside.Whowouldwanthimdead?Youmusthavesomeideas.”
    “Idon’t.Thoughhewasneververypopular—hewasapompousass—healsohadclosedealingswiththeChurch,whichmayhavemadepeoplealittleedgy.”SheturnedandgrinnedatAl.“Nodisrespect,kid,buttheChurcharealoadofassholes.”
    Algrinnedback.Theexpressionlightenedherface.“Iknow.”
    “Forgetaboutwhyhewaskilledforamoment,”Ricosaid.“Coulditjustbethatyousucceededinkillinghimatall?That’snoeasything,andit’sthefirsttimeanyone’smanagedtotakeoutamemberoftheCollectivepermanently.Howdidyouknowhowtoensuretheycouldn’tbringhimback?”
    “TheinformationwasdeliveredafterI’dacceptedthejob.Iwasinstructedveryspecificallyonhowitshouldbedone.”
    “Well, it worked,” Tannis said. “They’re supposed to be indestructible, or that’s what they’ve led everyone to believe. So how did you assassinate one of the ‘impossible to kill’ Collective?”
    He opened his mouth to answer, but Skylar shook her head. “Keep that to yourself. If I get questioned, I want to be able to answer that the rest of you don’t know. Hell, that I don’t know for that matter.”
    “So what if we threatened to release the information?” Rico said. “Or if we just go ahead and release it anyway. Once it’s open knowledge there would be no point in coming after us.”
    “Great idea,” Skylar snapped. “How to make friends and influence people. I can guarantee—you put that information out on the open airwaves and they will hunt you down and kill you all, just out of revenge.”
    “So what about the threat?”
    “I’d really rather not go about threatening anybody at this point,” Tannis said. “My chance of getting the Meridian treatment will be zero if we piss them off now.”
    Jon rubbed at the cut on his backside absently while he tried to figure it out. “Anyway, somebody else already has the information. Whoever employed me.”
    “There is that,” Skylar said. “Besides, I can’t help thinking there’s something else.”
    Tannis ran a hand through her hair. “I agree. I think there has to be more to it. And it likely has to do with why Aiden Ross was