face was illuminated by one of the two dim lights in the alleyway.
It definitely wasn’t one of the mercenaries who’d killed her family.
“She doesn’t need to be involved in any of this. She can go, forget she ever saw you and write it off as an unfortunate one-night stand,” the man who held her continued.
What would happen to her? Suppose the killers who were after her were lurking?
It seemed an impossible choice and yet she knew in her heart Kell wouldn’t let her get hurt.
“Who the hell are you?” Kell demanded of the man who held her tightly. There was a bruise already forming on Kell’s cheek and blood on his forehead and running down his left arm.
Her captor laughed at Kell’s question, which jostled her. Her shoulder ached and she stayed as still as possible out of fear that if she moved, her arm would break.
“You’ll find that out soon enough,” he said.
“Who do you work for?” Kell persisted.
“We know who you’ve worked for. How many assassinations you carried out for Delta Force. How many more you did independently, with no record of them in any government files. Who knows what other intel I have on you, how many innocents you slaughtered on your quests … let me give you some examples, in case you think I’m lying.”
He went on to list about ten places—countries and cities—and dates. And numbers, which no doubt meant something to Kell.
She closed her eyes as if that would stop her fromhearing things she didn’t want to know—never wanted to know about anyone.
When she opened them, Kell was staring straight at her, his expression pained. “Let her go,” he said slowly. “I’ll go with you.”
She wasn’t sure what panicked her more—the thought that she would be without Kell, or that she’d be with him.
“Let her go right now.”
Blue Shirt snorted and tossed handcuffs his way. “Put these on first and then walk to me.”
Kell locked his wrists behind him, but he didn’t move. “Let her go down the alley. Now.”
Slowly, the man behind her released her arm and she winced at the jolt of pain. She turned swiftly as he brushed by her—she was no longer of interest to him, but Kell was. His face wasn’t familiar either.
And she turned to Kell, not sure what to do. Leaving him behind did not seem right.
“Run,” he told her as he whipped around so he and the man who’d first grabbed her circled each other and it was then she saw the look in Kell’s eyes. The man she’d been literally attached at the hip to was in fact as dangerous as the men who were after her—maybe even more so.
K ell’s blood ran cold. The fact that these men knew his name was bad enough, but coupled with his dubious list of accomplishments, most of which should’ve been completely classified since they were Delta missions … Damn, this was not good.
When Teddie turned tail, all three men moved in on him, treating Kell with caution, as they should.
“Start walking,” the one with the gun told him and Kell turned the opposite way from where Teddie had run—and where Reid was parked—and followed the directive.
He hoped Teddie would run directly into Reid. And when he didn’t hear her footsteps anymore, he made a forced stumble forward. The one in yellow grabbed for his biceps to right him. Kell took that opportunity to throw all his weight against him, smashing him against the building hard enough to knock him out.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Blue Shirt swing his bat, tried and failed to move completely out of the goddamned way, so the bat caught him on the side of his neck and back of his head, taking him to the ground. He landed on his shoulder and when he rolled, the one who’d grabbed Teddie earlier was standing close, holding Kell at gunpoint.
Fuck.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said.
“Stupid would be going with you,” Kell snarled.
“Dead or alive—those are my orders. I know which one I’d rather.”
Just then, the blue-shirted one came up
It definitely wasn’t one of the mercenaries who’d killed her family.
“She doesn’t need to be involved in any of this. She can go, forget she ever saw you and write it off as an unfortunate one-night stand,” the man who held her continued.
What would happen to her? Suppose the killers who were after her were lurking?
It seemed an impossible choice and yet she knew in her heart Kell wouldn’t let her get hurt.
“Who the hell are you?” Kell demanded of the man who held her tightly. There was a bruise already forming on Kell’s cheek and blood on his forehead and running down his left arm.
Her captor laughed at Kell’s question, which jostled her. Her shoulder ached and she stayed as still as possible out of fear that if she moved, her arm would break.
“You’ll find that out soon enough,” he said.
“Who do you work for?” Kell persisted.
“We know who you’ve worked for. How many assassinations you carried out for Delta Force. How many more you did independently, with no record of them in any government files. Who knows what other intel I have on you, how many innocents you slaughtered on your quests … let me give you some examples, in case you think I’m lying.”
He went on to list about ten places—countries and cities—and dates. And numbers, which no doubt meant something to Kell.
She closed her eyes as if that would stop her fromhearing things she didn’t want to know—never wanted to know about anyone.
When she opened them, Kell was staring straight at her, his expression pained. “Let her go,” he said slowly. “I’ll go with you.”
She wasn’t sure what panicked her more—the thought that she would be without Kell, or that she’d be with him.
“Let her go right now.”
Blue Shirt snorted and tossed handcuffs his way. “Put these on first and then walk to me.”
Kell locked his wrists behind him, but he didn’t move. “Let her go down the alley. Now.”
Slowly, the man behind her released her arm and she winced at the jolt of pain. She turned swiftly as he brushed by her—she was no longer of interest to him, but Kell was. His face wasn’t familiar either.
And she turned to Kell, not sure what to do. Leaving him behind did not seem right.
“Run,” he told her as he whipped around so he and the man who’d first grabbed her circled each other and it was then she saw the look in Kell’s eyes. The man she’d been literally attached at the hip to was in fact as dangerous as the men who were after her—maybe even more so.
K ell’s blood ran cold. The fact that these men knew his name was bad enough, but coupled with his dubious list of accomplishments, most of which should’ve been completely classified since they were Delta missions … Damn, this was not good.
When Teddie turned tail, all three men moved in on him, treating Kell with caution, as they should.
“Start walking,” the one with the gun told him and Kell turned the opposite way from where Teddie had run—and where Reid was parked—and followed the directive.
He hoped Teddie would run directly into Reid. And when he didn’t hear her footsteps anymore, he made a forced stumble forward. The one in yellow grabbed for his biceps to right him. Kell took that opportunity to throw all his weight against him, smashing him against the building hard enough to knock him out.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Blue Shirt swing his bat, tried and failed to move completely out of the goddamned way, so the bat caught him on the side of his neck and back of his head, taking him to the ground. He landed on his shoulder and when he rolled, the one who’d grabbed Teddie earlier was standing close, holding Kell at gunpoint.
Fuck.
“Don’t be stupid,” he said.
“Stupid would be going with you,” Kell snarled.
“Dead or alive—those are my orders. I know which one I’d rather.”
Just then, the blue-shirted one came up
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