“Gwen is here,” I said gently, reminding her of the people that cared about her. Her best friend, her sister.
That shut her up, and she held my eyes.
“Your brother is outside, andthank fuckI made him stay out there, because if he saw you, Karina, no one in this building would survive his wrath.”
She sucked in a breath, her bottom lip trembling as I pressed on. “We are here to bring youhome,” I said quietly, putting my hands on her shoulders as I shoved my fury down.
She looked away from me, her teary eyes focusing on the row of coats beside us. She brought her hands up, playing with her fingers. She sighed as she looked up at me, her throat working. “If I tell you where Haley is, will you leave me alone?”
My brows came together. “You will tell me where she is regardless. And you are coming with me.”
“Then I will go kicking and screaming, Agent,” she said, tilting her chin up, meeting my eyes. “I will scream for him. He will come. And he…” She paused, taking an unsteady breath. “He'll kill you for touching me.”
“Sweetheart, I already planned on killing him,” I said, chuckling darkly, folding my arms over my chest. “Leave no room for doubt when I say this, Karina: Collin Stevens will die.”
She gave me a sad smile. “And she willneverforgive you for it.”
Kay
James Garner was a man who loved fiercely and Haley was the object of that love. He would burn the fucking world for her, but she wouldn’t allow it. Not if that meant someone she cared for would get hurt.
She cared for Collin.
He stared at me, his jaw jumping under his scruff, processing the weight of the words I had just spoken.
Usually, the man was clean cut and well put together, a model from Dior.
He was undeniably gorgeous, with his dark hair, sharp jaw, and eyes darker than my brother’s. Haley’s kidnapping took a toll on him, though. There were bags underneath his eyes, and the five o’clock shadow had gained permanent residence on his handsome face. I couldn’t blame the man for his anger.
Everyone was angry, some of us broken.
He had the right to feel and express his anger. But he didn’t have the right to kill the man who held my heart.
“Haley cares for him?” he asked, his deep voice thick with pain.
“She does. She considers him a friend, James.”
“He took—”
I put my hand over his mouth to stop his next words. He let me keep it there.
“No. Hesavedher.”
His brows came together in confusion, his dark eyes searching mine.
“I don’t have a lot of time to explain, but I can tell you where she is on the condition that you don’t harm anyone in the house.”
He pulled my hand away, holding my wrist captive. “You are coming with us, Karina.”
I shook my head. “I’m right where I want to be—where Ineedto be, agent.”
“I’m not letting you go,” he said, his voice firm.
I sighed, slipping my arm from his grasp and stepping away from him. “Haley is being held in a mansion on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan. No one really knows of its existence, in the dead center of the lake. Literally. At night, I thought I was in the Atlantic. Do not touch the house. Do not hurt the staff. They are innocent. You get Haley, and you get out.”
“You are in no place to be making demands, Ms. Jones,” he warned.
“Send my brother to get her then, because I have another assignment for you,” I said, my heart fluttering. This would be betraying Col, but it would save lives, and that was what mattered most. The information that Roman gave us last night was dark. It was time to shine some light into that darkness, and saving these women would be a good way to start.
