The truck suddenly braked, but Church didn’t need more time. He shot forward with one objective.
Get Zee out.
He placed himself in the shadows, knowing the lights would blind the driver. As he rushed in, he saw Lucian’s head turn. Church took off in a crouch, weapon pulled. As he passed the security guards, he gave them orders in a low voice.
“Watch the set. I got this.”
The truck door opened and Lucian jumped out. Church’s muscles jerked, already prepared to take down the son of a bitch.
A weapon was strapped to Lucian’s hip, and if Church knew anything about his former operative, he had one strapped to his ankle too. If Church rushed him now, he could easily pull that weapon and take out Zee. He had to get him away from the vehicle.
Lucian jerked open the door and reached inside. When he dragged Zee out by her bound wrists, pain splintered across her face. But she didn’t make a sound.
That’s my girl.
The sliver of pride faded in a blink, replaced by cold fury.
Nobody touched what was his.
He counted down the seconds until Lucian got close enough for him to act. The plan forming in his mind was loose but he liked it that way, with room to move. To pivot and change course if shit broke bad.
But it wasn’t going to.
Church was in charge.
* * * * *
Zee had never been more aware of time in her life—not in the long, aching hours after she learned about Matt’s death, not in the numb stretch of days and weeks that followed.
Not even in the terrible moments Lucian had forced her into his truck and driven her away with tape over her mouth and her hands bound.
Time had become a new concept. Instead of seconds ticking by or hands moving on a clock, time was measured in breaths and glances.
She had to let Lucian Pike believe she really would just grab her bag and hand over the card.
She had to let him believe she didn’t have an ulterior motive in leading him there.
She kept her face turned away, using the angle and her hair to hide the way she was constantly scanning the road for Church. She knew she’d been gone long enough to make him worry, and if he was worried…there was no way he wouldn’t come looking for her.
She was guiding Lucian here on purpose. If she was going to survive this, she had to get him close enough to the security presence…
And Church.
Grant.
Even thinking his name tightened her chest.
She didn’t know exactly where he’d be on set, but she knew he’d be watching for her. She just had to keep it together long enough to get Lucian into Church’s range without getting killed first.
This wasn’t Lucian breaking into her vehicle, searching for the card. She knew exactly what he’d done and what he was capable of.
He had killed her husband and he would shoot her dead without hesitation in his cold eyes.
The truth felt like broken glass in her veins, every shard slicing deeper by the second. All this time, she’d lived with the image of Matt going down as a hero fighting for the country he loved. She had told herself that war was cruel and senseless, but now she knew war hadn’t taken Matt.
This man’s betrayal had.
The knowledge sat in the pit of her stomach, a hot coal that scorched. She curled around it and held it tight, because that truth would keep her angry enough to continue fighting.
