Page 32 of Exacting Vengeance

A coiled wire hooked around his ear, trailing down the back of his neck where it disappeared beneath his collar, reminding her there would be a small army of other federal agents protecting her client in the courtroom.

“You need a new briefcase,” he observed.

“I know.” She laughed nervously. “Getting a new one never seems to be a priority. This one’s still serviceable.”

“If you say so.” He arched a brow. “We should get going.”

When he placed his hand in the small of her back, she felt the heat as surely as if he’d touched her bare skin. A discernibly pleasant shiver darted up her spine.

Both SUVs had their engines running. As he led her past one of them, she could just make out the driver tipping his head to her. She lifted her hand and gave a brief wave. “Who is that?” she asked.

“My brother.” He opened the passenger door for her. “He’s an FBI agent, too.”

She slid onto the seat, muttering under her breath, “Of course, he is.” Not that she should be surprised. Being an FBI agent was probably something genetic in his family, firmly attached to the Gates Y chromosome.

Kyle got behind the wheel and they pulled out. In the sideview mirror she caught his brother tucking in behind them. “What’s his name?”

“Deacon. Deke.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Three brothers. Two are FBI agents.” Confirming her genetic theory. “Jack, my older brother, is meeting us at the courthouse. My other brother, Lance, is also an agent, but we’re not really sure what agency he works for.”

“How is that possible?”

“The United States government works in mysterious and secretive ways.”

They do indeed.

“Meaning he’s some kind of black ops agent?” The kind Hollywood made movies about.

“Probably.”

“You’re lucky to have them. Brothers, I mean.” Siblings were something she’d missed out on. Someone to talk to. Someone who might have helped her when she’d needed it most. Then again, hadn’t Kyle done that?

He headed onto the southbound New Jersey Turnpike. Even at this hour, the highway had a steady stream of vehicles in both directions. Fifteen minutes later, Kyle unhooked a microphone from a box on the floor in front of the console. “ETA in three.”

“Copy that,” came a disembodied voice.

“Here’s how this is going down.” He took the exit for Carteret. “We’re picking up Alyona at a safehouse, then going directly to the courthouse. U.S. Marshals will come with us. AUSA Washington thinks she won’t testify until late morning, so I reserved a holding room for you and Alyona. When it’s time for her to testify, I’ll take her in. You’ll stay in the holding room.”

“What?” Twisting in her seat, she glared at him, though he couldn’t see it. “I have to be with Aly. That was our deal.”

“No, it wasn’t.” His jaw hardened. “The deal was that you could be in the courthouse. Not the courtroom.” She opened her mouth to object—strenuously—when he held up his hand. “Before you ream me a new one, I’ve arranged for a TV monitor in the holding room. You can watch the trial from there. There will be Bratva everywhere. It’s too dangerous for you to risk being seen in the courtroom. And let me remind you of the other part of our deal you agreed to. If I tell you to do something, you do it.”

She let out an audible breath, sitting back and crossing her arms. He was right. Those were his exact words, and she’d played right into it. “I want to be there for her if she needs me.” Despite the potential danger to herself, she would not abandon her client.

“You will be. I see the changes in her since she started talking with you. You’re good at what you do.”

“Thank you.” Over the dashboard light, he briefly met her gaze. In his eyes was…respect, something she needed in her life more than she realized. Coming from him, it meant so much more.

He spoke into the microphone. “We’re here.”

The SUV pulled to a stop in front of a small ranch style brick house in a residential neighborhood. Wanting to be the first person Aly saw when she came out, Victoria opened the door.

“Wait!” Kyle reached for her, but she ignored him.

The other SUV with Kyle’s brother had already parked behind them. A curtain inside the safehouse moved aside, then fell back into place. Her stomach clenched as she watched the door open and two men come outside. The house was an eerie reminder of another safehouse, one she’d hidden in for weeks after being released from the hospital.