“But I believe your work here is done,” Jezebel continued with a regal incline of her head toward Nash. “You have a target on your head, courtesy of the scene at the church, so it is best if you are removed from the situation.”
“No,” Nash fired back.
“Yes,” Delaney said at the same time.
He whipped around to face her. “What?”
Her heart nearly burst out of her chest, but Delaney said again, “Yes.” Because it had to be said. He had to be protected. She did not want any target on his back.
“Yes—what?” he bit out.
“Yes, you should be removed from the situation.” The words shook but she said them. “Thank you for saving me, but you can’t stay with me. Not while there is a target on you.” A target there because of her. This was one area where she and Jezebel were in complete agreement. “You should leave. Get really, really far away from me. As fast as you can.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “You’re serious?”
She was. Delaney nodded.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Already told you, I can take over bodyguard duty. Go, Nash. I’ll watch over her.”
From the sound of Jezebel’s plan, no one would be watching over her. The woman wants to send me back to Kurt. I may as well be walking to my death if I follow that plan.
Maybe Delaney should come up with her own plan. One that involved running…by myself. And not looking back.
A hum came from Jezebel. “You’re dismissed, Nash. For your own safety, you need to leave the area. There is a case waiting in Berlin that can use your special skills.”
That was it. Nash would be leaving. And maybe once he was gone, she could plan her own escape. She did have some resources and contacts that she could use. A few people—some slightly shady—owed her favors.
“The fuck no,” Nash stated, very clearly. “We are not sending her back to that prick. Come up with another plan because if she goes back to Kurt, we will never see her alive again. We’ll find her in pieces, the same way we’ve found some of his other victims.”
Pieces? Delaney’s eyes closed. Her chest ached. She had to remind herself to breathe.
“She’s a civilian.” Nash’s voice edged with a thread of anger. “She can’t handle him. That’s like sending a lamb to infiltrate a lion’s den.”
“Well, there is another option, I suppose,” Jezebel mused.
Her eyes flew open. “I would love to hear another option. One that does not involve me being found in lots of pieces. Though, for the record, Kurt promised me a watery grave. There was zero talk about being cut up.”
For just an instant, she caught a glint in Jezebel’s dark eyes. As if…as if…
She’s definitely manipulating this scene. I don’t think she ever intended to send me in undercover. She’s trying to scare me. Why? Such an unnecessary tactic. Did the woman not understand that Delaney was plenty terrified enough? Additional scare tactics were not needed. Talk about overkill.
“If you don’t want to go back to him, then you could lure Kurt Wellington out into the open. You could push him past his control, make him take risks that would cause him to be vulnerable, and allow us to trap him.”
“Trap him,” Delaney repeated. “Love it. I much prefer that plan.” Jezebel should have led with that one. Except… “How do you want me to lure him?” A shake of her head that sent her now drying hair over her shoulders. “I mean, isn’t he already hunting me? Do I just go out of hiding? Wave a red flag and shout, ‘Come and get me’ to him? Will that work for you? Sorry, but I’m new to the spy business and have zero clue about how this works.”
“And she uses humor when she’s terrified,” Nash muttered.
“Guilty,” Delaney whispered.
Jezebel pursed her lips. “A red flag will be necessary for Plan B to work.”
Plan B. How many plans were stirring in the woman’s mind?
“Before we get into logistics, though…” Jezebel began to slowly pace around the room. Her considering stare swept over Delaney. “Are we absolutely certain that you don’t want to embed with Kurt for a time in order to acquire additional intel for us to use against him?”
“She’s not getting in bed with the bastard,” Nash growled.
Jezebel blinked. “I believe I said embed. Not in bed.”
