Page 285 of Vicious Temptation

“Was she armed?”

I don’t answer.

Miller’s eyes narrow. “Did she use a weapon on you?”

My silence answers for me. The woman beside Miller is still working that fucking tablet.

“Don’t.” I look directly at her. “You don’t know what happened.”

Miller’s voice remains calm. “Then tell us.”

I can’t tell them she stabbed me and pointed her gun at me with every intention of firing because every detail I give them would become another mark against her.

Miller looks at the hand I still have pressed near my abdomen.

“You’re protecting her.”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation.

“And you expect me to believe that makes your assessment reliable?”

“I know her.”

“You were assigned to observe her for months, Operative. We have years’ worth of intelligence on the Cain family.”

“You have files. I know the woman.”

He pauses, letting that sit between us. “The woman you claim poses no threat attacked a trained Helios operative badly enough that you arrived here visibly injured, yet you are still willing to hide the extent of what she did.” He pauses. “That doesn’t make her less dangerous. It makes you compromised.”

My fist slams against the table. “She is not your fucking enemy.”

“No, Operative. But she is now a security risk, and you have demonstrated that you are incapable of assessing her objectively.”

He glances toward the two agents standing against the wall. “Disarm him.”

The men start toward me.

I know what happens if I surrender my weapon. They detain me, containment teams move on Remi and her family, and I lose any chance to warn her before they arrive.

There’s no walking this back once I make my choice. I also know there’s nothing left for me to choose. My weapon clears its holster before either guard can reach theirs. I fire, and both men hit the floor before they can draw. Two of the executives spring to their feet.

“Braga, wait.”

I don’t. They’ve already decided Remi is expendable, and surrendering would give them the chance to act on it. The moment one reaches beneath his jacket and another lunges for the alarm mounted beside the door, I fire before either of them can finish the move.

Gunshots tear through the room as the others scramble for weapons, but within seconds, only Miller remains standing. He backs away from the table, his gaze fixed on the gun in my hand, before darting toward the door.

“You can’t do this.” His voice has lost some of its calm. “The entire organization will come down on your head, Operative. Is that what you want?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” I move toward him. “Don’t you get that?”

A slow smile pulls at his mouth. “No, Agent Braga.” His eyes shift toward the surveillance camera mounted in the corner. “I don’t think you do.”

I turn toward it.

“From the moment you entered this office, everything has been streamed directly to Central Intelligence.” As if we’re discussing nothing more serious than tomorrow’s weather, he smooths a hand over the front of his jacket. “You can kill me if that’s what you want, but it won’t change what’s already in motion.” He looks me directly in the eye. “You will be classified as compromised, and Agent Duvall will answer for initiating the Cain file without authorization. There was never an operational directive against that family. She acted independently and, in doing so, exposed Helios to a civilian with ties to a criminal organization.”

Cold spreads through me as the truth becomes clear.