Page 13 of Deadly Alliance

Emme moved to stand beside him, as he pulled the file out. Pamela Rusk. Twenty-three years old. And that face. Fresh, young and no longer on this earth.

“Dee is pulling all she can about it as soon as information becomes available. The body was discovered late last night. Still waiting for results to come in. What’s in this file is all that we have so far. Will is also digging into her background, acquaintances, family, lovers.”

Shane heard what Lance said, processing the information was the only thing that allowed him to ignore the mounting guilt inside him. He hadn’t been fast enough. Again.

“If he killed in Pirbright that means he’s within our grasp. What if we go for an outing near Pirbright? Today, tomorrow? I can get a car, drive around alone…” It was the fierce determination with a hint of excitement in her voice as Emme read the file that triggered something, making him explode.

“This is not a suicide mission! This is not a movie where we’re guaranteed that we get the bad guy and we all walk off into the sunset unharmed! This is no time for half-assed plans and being reckless. We follow the plan and we stop this monster and nobody else gets killed.” It took Shane a second to tone down the images of Pamela, Misty, and all those women who were dead, from spinning in his head, and realise he was shouting at Emme.

Fists tight by his side, he saw Zin closing in as if he thought Shane had lost it enough to hit Emme. He had never hurt a woman, and he had no intention of starting now. On the contrary, it was the thought of putting her in danger and not being able to stop her from getting hurt or killed like the others that put him in a twist and made him lose his cool. His only chance, their only opportunity, was to stick to the plan, tighten the circle until the trap closed and the danger no longer existed. There was no other option but success.

Gripping the frayed edges of his temper, Shane put the file on the counter and forced himself to speak in a more controlled tone. “We stick to the plan. We hype our media presence. We act as a team. Surveillance and back-up are paramount. Are we clear, Miss Wallace?”

Without hearing her answer, he turned and went to his room. He needed to dress and check with Dee and Will to reanalyse the information they had and look for a possible new target.

As he closed the door to his room, Shane roamed the small space like a caged lion, barely seeing it, only processing data, keeping his emotions in check. He must be cleverer, faster, more cunning than he’d ever been. And for that, he needed a clear mind, and he needed to ignore the magnetic pull from Emme. Only then would he fulfil his purpose and duty towards Misty and Nick.

Fists clenching and unclenching, he worked hard at not putting one of them through the wall.

“This is more than just a case for you.” Emme’s soft voice made him jump. The girl was stealthy as he hadn’t heard the door open. He supposed that he would get a taste of her temper now for having yelled at her, but there was not a hint of anger on her beautiful face.

“It’s not important.”

Her poker face cracked for a second and he saw a fleeting mix of curiosity and annoyance seep through. “I think it is. Wanting me to or not, I’m putting my life on the line. Willingly. Because I trust Zack and my team, and because I know that this man, this killer, must be stopped. What I need now is to trust you, Shane. Answer me.”

The steady, strong energy brought him back to himself somehow. Surprised him too. “You can trust me.”

Her brown eyes were unwavering. “I know you are an experienced operative, a trained and true SEAL. I know your team, Beatrice Dante’s reputation. I saw your face when you pulled out the picture of the victim in the kitchen, as if you’d seen a ghost. Who are you doing this for?”

Shane shook his head. “It’s not important. The mission is.”

Emme nodded and took another step. “The reason why we’re doing this is too. That’s the most important thing Lucy taught me.”

He had no intention of bearing his soul to anyone, but she had a point. They were partners and he owed her that much. “You are right. It’s more than just a mission. It’s personal. I knew one of the victims and her brother. He’s my best friend.”

Emme angled her head, analysing his expression, and what he was saying. “She was important to you.”

That was the truth. It was weird thinking about her now. Separating the vibrant, funny woman Misty was from the lifeless body he’d helped Nicolas put into the ground. He would mourn her. The little sister he’d never thought he would have and certainly never thought he would lose.

“Misty Hale. She was…” There were no possible words to define her. Everything he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

For a long moment, Emme observed him, something darkening in her gaze before she nodded. “You owe it to her. I get it. And to her brother too.”

It took a moment for Shane to realise that Emme had summed it up perfectly and could only acquiesce. She relaxed a little and a smile returned to her face. “Well, now that we have that straightened out, Rhodes, let’s go make sure we get that killer.”