He nodded. “I do. But that still doesn’t change my assessment of the situation. As it stands, there’s no way you’re getting behind closed doors with that man. No matter what you have planned.”
“I plan to kill him,” she stated bluntly. “I want to stand over his bleeding body and watch the life drain from his cold-hearted eyes. But for now, I’ll settle for a one-on-one.”
Baker’s slightly widened gaze quickly scanned the immediate area around them. “Jesus, Shadow. This isn’t some dark web chat room. You can’t go around saying shit like that in public.”
She followed his cue and glanced around the diner. The booth behind Baker was empty. On the flip side, almost every one of the bolted swivel stools running the length of the counter to her right was occupied. But none of those people—or the two employees she could see—were paying them any mind.
Even if they were, I never said the man’s name, so they’d have no idea who it is I’m planning to kill.
“Don’t worry.” Shadow brought her focus back to Baker. “I don’t plan on giving the man a heads up.”
“Let’s just hope you haven’t already.”
The unexpected comment gave her pause. “What do you mean?”
“You said it yourself. No one’s record is that clean. Given who the man is…” He let his words trail. “If you’ve been watching him for the past couple of weeks, there’s a possibility his people have noticed you, too.”
“I’ve been careful,” she assured him.
“Going after a guy like him for murder.” A quick shake of his head. “All I can say is good luck proving it.”
“I don’t need luck, Baker. I need somethingconcrete. Leverage I can use to force his hand into a private meeting. That happens, it’s all but done.”I know I can get him to talk.“The problem is, I keep coming up against nothing but a bunch of dead ends.”
The brilliant former SEAL studied her closely before a look of understanding flashed through the greens in his eyes. “That’s why you want the face-to-face.”
Shadow’s nod was her only response.
Hell yes, she wanted a confession. One the entire world could hear. Then they’d know what kind of man he really was, rather than the wholesome family man he claimed to be.
“What’s Owens’ take on this?”
Baker’s deep rumble brought her out of her thoughts. Clearing her throat, she pushed her shoulders back and jutted her chin.
“He’s not here, is he?” One of her brows pulled to a point.
A sliver of guilt from the way she’d left things back home still pressed heavily against her shoulders. She’d carried it around for a few weeks, its weight coming and going in waves.
“Again, not my business, but the man seems to care about…your team…a lot more than the average boss. If he isn’t backing you on this one-woman mission, I’m betting there’s a damn good reason.”
That reason is he doesn’t want me dead.
“If Owens has a problem with me doing the right thing, Baker, he can fire me. Aside from that, I’m an adult. When it comes to my time away from Tac-Ops, I don’t have to answer to anyone.”
Because there isn’t anyone outside my time with the team.
It was a truth she had no intention of sharing and a problem for another day. For now, there was only one goal in sight. Only one thing that mattered. And that was getting to the truth, once and for all.
The server brought over the check, and Shadow settled up with cash. Her generous tip for the iced tea made the older woman smile as she said, “Thank you,” and walked away.
“Sorry I couldn’t be more help,” Baker offered sincerely. “You need anything else from me before I head out?”
The corners of her lips turned slightly upward in an appreciative smile. “No.” She slid from the booth and rose to her sneakered feet. “Thanks again for coming. And…for trying.” She held out her right hand and waited.
Baker stood, his large hand swallowing hers in a firm yet gentle shake. “Anytime, Shadow. And I mean that. You need anything at all?—”
“Just be there for my team.” Shadow released his hand and let hers fall back to her side. “Just until all this is over.”
“I’ve got their backs, don’t worry.” He put her mind at ease. “But if you don’t mind me asking, how long do you plan on being here?”
