Cole froze, carefully craning his head to look over his shoulder. Stahl stood in the doorway behind him, his 9-mm raised and aimed directly atCole.
Careful not to startle him, Cole turned to face his enemy. “All the symptoms were there. You wouldn’t help agent Wise. You showed up at my hideout unexpected and changed the plans. Might as well have changed your name tag to BenedictArnold.”
Cole didn’t bother trying to hide his sneer of disgust. Any man or woman that betrayed their badge wasn’t worth the ground they stoodupon.
Stahl sneered, lowered his head and stiffened his arms. His standard issue navy blue FBI suit coat wrinkled. “You were so easy, the way you panted after her like a dog in heat. God, why the hell they said you’re one of the best is beyondme.”
Rage rolled around inside him and he embraced the familiar feeling. Stahl had seen his weakness for Tomi the moment he laid eyes on him. And he used it, bending it to his own goals. “They say I’m the best because Iam.”
Stahl leveled his weapon. “You don’t look so hot right now. All I have to do is squeeze the trigger and you’redead.”
Carefully, Cole straightened to his full height and angled his body towards Stahl, giving him less of a target to aim at. The large double open window was directly behind him. If anyone glanced inside, they’d plainly see him standing there. They’d have to really look to see Stahl in the background, pistol aimed at hishead.
“My brothers will be in here in a second.” Cole needed to distract him, figure out a way to maneuver him out of the house and further fromTomi.
“Your brothers will be dead too. My men have been instructed to take them all out. Unfortunately, tonight, your new Fury Security Firm will suffer a massive loss at the hands of the cartel.” Stahl spoke with confidence, his overblown ego poking its headout.
“You bastard.” Cole glanced rapidly over his shoulder, trying to assess the situation outside. His brothers had Stahl’s men on the ground, almost fully contained. Clint was in the process of landing a substantial punch when Cole turned his back on them again. He cast his own expression into a mask of worry, as if he’d seen something to scarehim.
Stahl tsked. “I see the brothers are no longer an issue. I told you, tonight you’re done for. Now, where is thegirl?”
Cole took a step to the left and Stahl countered, keeping an equal measure of distance betweenthem.
“She’s gone. I sent her out the back soon as we gothere.”
“You’relying.”
“You’re welcome to look around the house. I’ll wait right here.” Cole crossed his arms casually, while his insides were boiling with the need to kill the FBIagent.
“She didn’t go out the back. I would’ve seen her.” Stahl glanced hesitantly over his shoulder towards thekitchen.
Cole zeroed in on his ambivalence. “She didn’t go out the door, dumbass. You think I would’ve been so stupid as to send her out that way? She went out the back window in the west wing. You’ll never findher.”
Stahl’s eyes widened a fraction as he stared down the darkened hallway where Cole had taken Tomi. After another second, he turned back to face Cole, his steel gray eyes calm and assured. “You’re lying.” He took a step closer. And then another. He kept his pistol raised the entire time. Only eight feet separatedthem.
“You’re right.” Cole looked past Stahl’s shoulder then,nodding.
Stahl jerked around, readying for an attack that wasn’t coming. Cole knew the moment he realized no one was behindhim.
Cole launched, diving for Stahl, he drove his shoulder into the agent’s stomach. Stahl let out a grunt but didn’t release his gun. Cole threw him to the ground, straddled his hips and let loose a punch. His fist connected with Stahl’s jaw, snapping the other man’s head to the side. Stahl rallied and flung the haymaker with his left, catching Cole’s ear. Stars blasted across his vision but he held on, slicing his fist straight down to Stahl’s nose. The agent turned at the last second, deflecting what would have been a devastatingblow.
Using Cole’s own momentum against him, Stahl rolled with the punch, tossing Cole to the ground. Cole immediately reared up, slung his leg around and tried to hook Stahl around the waist. But the agent was ready, he once again deflected Cole’s blow, raised his hand with the pistol in it and brought the butt of it down against Cole’stemple.
The entire room blanked. Cole fought his way through the dizzying wave of pain. By the time he regained his senses, Stahl was straddling him with his pistol aimed straight between Cole’s eyes. “The mighty Cole Fury isn’t so mighty afterall.”
“No!”
Cole craned his head backwards to stare in horror at Tomi standing in thedoorway.
“Tomi, run!” Heyelled.
Stahl lifted his weapon from Cole’s head, taking aim at his prize. Before he could react, a loud explosion rent the air. Stahl’s forehead exploded and blood splattered on Cole’s face. The FBI agent fell dead. Cole took the brunt of his weight on his chest, sucked in a breath and then rolled to his side, shoving the traitor’s body off of him. In his own stunned daze, Cole climbed to his feet and ran for Tomi, wrapping her in hisarms.
She shook uncontrollably and buried her face against his chest. His arms went around her, squeezing her, reassuring himself that she was okay. “It’s okay baby. It’s okay.” The front door swung open, and Cole, on high alert, shoved Tomi behind him, ripping his pistol to take aim at theintruder.
Carter held his hands up. “It’s good. All Stahl’s partners have beendisabled.”
Tension coiling like whips around his bones, Cole shoved his pistol back into his holster and jerked Tomi back into his arms. “Who the fuck took thatshot?”
