“Sam, we’re here. We’re going up.”
He hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. “Let’s go get my sister.”
Kap nodded, and they headed into the building. He would do everything he could to save her or die trying. There was no other alternative.
Eden had her gun out, ready to shoot, but she knew she had to be careful. With her back against the wall, she made her way into the living room. No one. It was weirdly quiet. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. She took a second to draw in a deep breath before continuing on.
Making her way to the hallway that led to Ian’s bedroom, she felt something shiver over her neck. Someone was watching, but she wasn’t sure from where. Also, this seemed almost too easy. Walking right into the apartment, finding it so still and with no sign of violence left her off kilter.
Straitening her spine, she continued on. She found Ian in his bedroom, on the floor, leaning against the wall closest to her. His eyes were closed, and his hands were zip-tied. He looked even worse in person. A black eye, a broken nose, and a split lip were the first things she saw. She glanced around the room, still unsure of what was going on and who was there. She didn’t know what she was going to find, but this quiet was ramping up her nerves.
She hadn’t been an actual agent three years ago, but with the training she had, plus what Dillon had taught her, she now knew she could handle herself better. Still, it didn’t make her feel any better that she felt glued to the floor for just a few seconds. The smart thing was to assess the situation, and, at the moment, it didn’t look like anyone was there. Eden knew better.
Knowing that she was about to make herself a target, but not able to hold back any longer, she hurried to get to Ian. She huddled down close to him and felt for a pulse. Relief filled her as she felt a strong beat.
“I told you I wouldn’t kill him.”
She knew that voice. It stopped her in her tracks and stole her breath. She had heard it most of her life. Slowly, she turned around and found the man she had considered her uncle pointing a gun at her.
Shock should have been racing through her, but for some reason, it was resignation. Had she always suspected him, in the back of her mind? Maybe her subconscious had. This was the man who had spent holidays with them. He had been at her dance recital when she was twelve.
He was also the man who told her he couldn’t help her find El.
Her fingers almost spasmed with the need to shoot him, but he shook his head. His stupid, bald head.
“I’ll shoot him.” There was no mistaking the deadly promise in those words. He didn’t sound mad, just normal, which heightened her anxiety.
She held onto her gun for a second, then set it down.
Standing, she took him in. He looked like he always had. Custom suit, balding head, those glasses that never seemed to stay in place. His blue gaze studied her as if she were a bug.
“Why?”
He rolled his eyes; his whole expression reeked of irritation. “Why? That’s such a boring discussion.”
It took everything in her power not to scream at him. She just hoped that Kap and TFH had picked up on her location, or at least where she had been headed. Holding out until they showed up was key.
But she knew this man. Maybe not as well as she thought she had, but she did know his need for recognition. Trying her best to act nonchalant, she crossed her arms across her chest.
“Okay, don’t tell me why you’re a traitor. Doesn’t really matter in the end.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
“You could kill me and Ian, but everyone will know.”
He snorted. “Doesn’t matter with the amount of money I have. I’m disappearing after this.”
“Oh, are you? Interesting. I mean, I get that you would want to hide since you’re a traitor.”
“I am not a traitor!”
“You killed agents. You are a traitor.” Yeah, she was poking the bear, but she wanted him mad and distracted. If he were a true sociopath, she knew that it would take a lot to rock his foundation, at least at the moment. Many of them preferred to be in control of the situation.
“You always did have your mother’s mouth on you. Maybe if she had learned to control it, I would have married her.”
She threw her head back and laughed. Nothing was amusing in this conversation, but she needed to keep him engaged. The idea that her mother would ever have married this asshole was actually funny. From what her parents had told her, it was her mother who had proposed, not her father.
“Shut up,” he said.
