The man, although his face was marred, looked like he might have been kind in another life. But his brown eyes were hard—furious. "Oh, can I? Even with all those guys you have crawling around here? I can just have it?"
I licked dry lips and took a tentative step into the kitchen, my arm still out. "You have my word. You can take what you need and go."
He cracked a laugh, twisting the barrel like he had every intention of pulling the trigger. Every system in my body felt like it was shutting down, and I staggered against the door. That seemed to make him happy. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your stupid setup?"
One man had seen through us. Just one. But it wasn't me who was about to pay the price. Desperate now, I gripped my wrist, and with tears clogging my throat, I rasped, "Please."
The man got a hateful gleam in his eye, and with his free hand, he gestured for me to come to him. "Come here, baby. Come show me what I can have. You think we have time before your G.I. Joes show up?"
Nausea roiled in my stomach, and Nan gasped out a pained "No."
"It's okay," I heard myself say, and somehow, my legs propelled me forward. It was like swimming through gel, like I was breathing something viscous and liquid. I found myself within arm's reach of the man, and he abandoned Nan, snatching me to him. It was in the split second that his gun swung from Nan's head and arced toward me that the room exploded. Two black shadows converged on my attacker from separate directions, and another one yanked me away from him.Just as I glimpsed the gun flying out of the attacker's hand and toward the table, someone strong tackled me to the ground.
"Head down," the blond woman ordered me, covering me with her body.
I obeyed, and the ensuing scuffle filled the kitchen. I struggled under the operative as she shielded me. "Nan," I choked.
"She's safe," my rescuer assured me, breathing hard in my ear. She had caught up to me, then. But they must have hidden out of the way while the stranger had a gun pointed at Nan's head. Where the hell had they been hiding?
I looked under the woman's arm and glimpsed Ghost calmly ratcheting a zip tie tightly around the man's wrists while another one smashed his face into the faded stone floor. I could barely make it out, but Ghost muttered, "Taking my asset hostage duringmyoperation? That's not a mistake. That's a death wish." Ghost tied his ankles next, and I swung my gaze up to find Nan on the floor between two unmasked operatives who already had a med kit open and were looking her over for injuries.
Relief coursed through me, finally. And then I was crying, and I wasn't sure where it was coming from or why I was being so loud about it. I had no control over my body anymore. It was limp and expelling every pent-up emotion I'd had in the last twenty minutes in a tidal wave of tears. And, of all things, the only thing I could think of… was Benjamin. I wanted Benjamin. I wanted him so badly, it felt like a fresh cut on my psyche. But he wasn't here. And I wouldn't call him, either. Not after this.
The operative on top of me let me sit up finally, and I tried to swallow the racking sobs that were shaking my chest. "I'm sorry," I managed.
The blond kneeled in front of me, her features sympathetic, but she was clearly unsure what to do about me sniffling and coughing in the middle of the kitchen floor. She patted myshoulder awkwardly. "You did good… even if you… kinda fucked that up."
"'Kind of,'" Ghost echoed, standing and putting his hands on his hips, glaring down at me.
"I'm sorry," I croaked again. And then something terrifying pinged in my brain. I looked up swiftly. "Where is Tessa?"
"We have her," Ghost said, still glowering sternly at me. "But she called the cops. We need to clear out now or you're going to have some difficult questions to answer."
"We can handle them," Nan said shakily. "Thank you for what you've done."
"It's not over yet," Ghost said. He looked like a giant in my Nan's tiny cottage, a grim reaper in a bulletproof vest. He ran his hand through his dark hair tinted with silver. "When the authorities show up, Tessa will need to be here. She's pretty shaken."
"Where is she?" I rasped out, struggling back to my feet.
The operatives were already carrying out my attacker, and it was almost comical the way they let his head smack into the back door jamb. I'd probably laugh at that later, but right now, everything was a confusing soup of too many emotions. Ghost pulled out his walkie talkie and spoke into it. "Bring beta asset to house two."
Nan was on her feet again, and it was only then I realized she was bleeding on her elbow from where she'd fallen. She waved the medics away. "Leave it. We need a reason for Tessa to have called in." Despite the traumatic situation, she shakily gave Ghost a smile. "Which asset am I?"
A brief smile crossed the serious operative's mouth. "Gamma."
She barked out a laugh, easing herself into her chair. "Very funny."
There was a sudden shuffle of movement again, and the operatives simultaneously exited the room and brought Tessa into it. Tessa ran to me, her sequin dance costume catching the morning light and throwing bokeh on the stuffed shelves. "Evie!"
I crushed her to me, wrapping her in a hug so tight, I probably squished the air out of her. "Oh my God," I breathed out.
"I'm sorry," she wailed, burying her face in my dress. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"No, you're fine, honey," I assured her, smoothing a hand over her messy ponytail. "You're fine. We're fine."
Ghost was the only one left in the room, and his gaze diverted to the front door at the same moment I heard tires on gravel. "They're here. We're going to hide out of sight. I don't have time to help you with a story, but the best thing to do is tell them she panicked."
I nodded, trying to pull together my unraveled thoughts. It was like trying to make a sweater out of a loose pile of yarn, sans needles. "We've got it. Do you have… did you get all of them?"
