Page 12 of Unmasked

I nearly moaned at the softening throatiness of her voice.

“I love you. More than the sun. More than the stars. More than the moon or the air I breathe.”

“You’ll show me. I love you. I have to go.”

The line went dead, and the anger sparked again at what The Order was creating of her. My love wasn’t affected, but my concern over who Penelope was becoming was. Her responses were becoming clipped. Precise. Like mine…

I turned back on the footage, rewinding it to Able’s attack.

Over and over, I watched.

My eyes stayed locked to hers, and I saw the moment she reacted. No thought—there hadn’t been time.

Again, I watched.

No hesitation.

Attack.

And again.

Controlled… killer.

She could be. She might be.

I laid down the remote, heading for the door. I barely had it open when I jerked to a stop. The Reeve’s hand was still lifted, about to knock.

“I was just coming to find you. Did they discover anything during her walk?”

“They did. It came from the second team down the road.”

The Reeve picked up the remote, backing out of the footage from the meeting and going into his messages. He pulled up video clips, playing the first.

“You can see Penelope and the guards approaching. Nothing looks out of the ordinary at first glance.” Seconds passed and The Reeve’s hand shot up to point to a woman in the back of the group. She stood between two men, her blonde hair swaying with every determined step. “She isn’t writing. She isn’t asking questions.”

He leaned in even closer, getting his finger ready. The woman’s arm lifted and she jerked the sunglasses off, taking a step closer between the two guards flanking Penelope. Even with the bangs and blonde hair, I knew who I was looking at. It was the same woman from the pictures The Reeve managed to take during one of the SLB’s trips to Marian’s tower.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“This.” The Reeve pointed to a curtain that moves across the street. It had Katia easing back, putting the glasses on. “It catches her attention and she backs off.”

There was no mistaking the anger on her face.

“She was right there. Right fucking there. What did she expect to do with the press not feet away?”

The Reeve shook his head.

“I have no idea. She doesn’t look stable. She looks impatient.”

“Which means she’ll make a mistake. What about the townhome?”

“I have Penelope’s teams staying in place. I don’t want their cover blown. I’m sending a new team to investigate.

I looked down at the phone in my hand hating how it wasn’t ringing.

“Keep me informed on what they find. Penelope is not to be anywhere alone. I want them pulling shifts until Katia Marchase is caught.”

“Penelope and Able have come to that conclusion as well. Your Intended was not happy when she saw that footage. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so mad.”