Chayan slumped in the middle, looking worn out and worse for wear.
Paxton was twisted around, watching behind them, alert, ready to act.
Chayan blinked at Silas. “You’re bleeding.”
“Huh?” He raised a hand to the sting on his cheek. His fingers came away red. “So I am.”
Chayan’s eyes widened more and he pointed at Silas’ right shoulder. “Not there. There.”
He looked down and peeled back his jacket. Red soaked his shirt.
“That’s not good.” Silas blinked, his head feeling a bit fuzzy.
“Shit,” Brett spat. “This is why you should listen.”
“You weren’t in charge,” Paxton said, his voice steel.
Brett blinked at the other man.
“He’s right.” Silas twisted to face forward. “My job. My op. I like you, Brett, but you aren’t in charge. We have to stop this two captains bullshit. Vito, we need to scoop Ekko up and relocate. Now, I might pass out.”
“Don’t do that, man,” Paxton said.
“Why not? It sounds like a good idea right now.”
“Sure, until Ekko sees you. You want to scare her like that?”
Silas grit his teeth.
Paxton had a point.
Ekko was good under pressure, but she had a breaking point. Silas didn’t want to worry her too much.
TUESDAY. CIA SAFE HOUSE, London, United Kingdom.
Ekko paced the length of the bar, back and forth, her eyes locked on a shirtless Silas leaning against the kitchen counter.
He’d gone and gotten himself hurt.
The idiot man.
Silas’ face scrunched up.
“What are you doing?” She braced her hands on the bar.
Paxton glanced at her. “Making the stitches tight.”
“Do you have to?” She gestured at Silas. “Look at his face.”
“He’s a wimp,” Paxton said.
“I’m a wimp?” Silas snorted though his voice was strained. “Should I tell her about that one time I had to...”
Paxton’s scowl silenced Silas. “We agreed we were never talking about that.”
Silas merely grinned and winked at her.
How was he so cavalier about this?
She should go to him. She should help.
Except she was banned from the kitchen for trying to help.
Ekko wrapped her arms around herself and forced herself to watch.
She’d woken up alone, fuzzy headed and with nothing but a two sentence note informing her about where everyone had gone.
That had been hours ago. She’d been ready to climb the walls when the door had burst open, Chayan in the lead followed by Silas and Paxton.
She breathed deep.
This was all on her...
A hand gripped her shoulder.
She glanced at Chayan. He’d taken a shower and some painkillers. The swelling had gone down so he could open both eyes now. Her heart ached looking at him. He pulled her to him and enveloped her in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “I’m sorry they hurt you.”
He didn’t say anything, just held her a moment.
There was no comfort in the hug. It was cold.
She eased back, studying Chayan’s face.
“What happened?” she asked in Daurian.
He blew out a breath, his gaze going to Silas. “They were just there. We were walking, then they had me. Handcuffs. Bag over my head. I thought I was going to die.”
“Oh, Chayan. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”
“I thought we were safe,” he said softly.
“I did, too.”
He glanced at her. “If they can reach us here, if they have Chinese gangs is backing them up, will we ever be safe?”
The answer terrified her.
Having an ocean between them would help a little. She didn’t think China would be so bold were they in America, but neither did she think it would stop them if they were determined to continue their support of Dauria. So long as Chayan posed any perceived threat, he would remain a target.
“They think we organized the protests,” he said.
She gaped at him. “What? Seriously?”
“The DSS, that’s what they were asking me about. How were we communicating with the protesters? How were we organizing it? Who are our contacts? The leaders?”
“Oh...my God.” Ekko dragged a stool out and sat.
This was so much bigger than one person speaking out. Somehow they’d created something bigger.
People had no doubt died as a result already.
How many more would die?
“It’s no use to go to New York anymore.” Chayan edged closer, whispering now. “We need to hide. Go somewhere they won’t look for us.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Silas’ too-loud voice made Ekko wince. He sidled up to her, his smile bright, and slid an arm around her. “Come on, no secrets among friends.”
“Silas, we can’t hide from the Chinese. If they’re involved—”
“Hey. No. Don’t start saying that.” He shook his head and spoke in a soothing voice. “Things are scary now because you’re in them. Don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment.”
“Our plans didn’t work,” Chayan said. “We can’t make the appointment at the UN anymore.”
“What?” Silas frowned.
“Yeah.” Ekko grimaced. “We were able to get Chayan an appointment with the head of some committee that’s gathering evidence for the Daurian hearing. But there’s a deadline. We’re going to miss it.”
“Why didn’t anyone mention this before?” Silas glanced from one to the other.
“We weren’t really talking details and the end of the plan.” She shrugged his arm off.
“The sky isn’t falling.” He held up both hands. “Look, things are scary right now. It’s okay to freak out. And yes, it sounds like we’re running into a roadblock. But guys, don’t forget that there’s a lot happening in this situation. There’s the team in Dauria. There’s the news. These people know you’re coming. Let’s call people. Maybe you can do a video interview. It’s not over yet.”
“I can’t.” Chayan shook his head. “Don’t you get it? If I do this, if I go forward and talk, they’ll kill me. Before there was a chance, but now? They’ll do it.”
“No, they won’t.” Silas gripped Chayan’s shoulder. “Listen, the world is a lot bigger this side of the Daurian border. Is China a world power? Yes. But they aren’t the only ones and they can’t really afford to be connected to your murder. Not now that the whole world is still trying to figure out who you are.”
“What are you saying?” Ekko asked slowly.
“I’m saying that maybe we should make Chayan’s video public. Post it now before anything happens so people know the story. China has a vested interest in Dauria, but they aren’t going to sully themselves to save the country. Their government is too smart for that. I still think we’re at risk and we need to be smart, but we also can’t forget what we—you two—have started. You’re giving people hope that things will change. You’re educating people who couldn’t even point at Dauria on a map. This isn’t just going to go away, and neither can you.”
Ekko slipped her hand into Silas’ and held on tight. Oh how naïve she’d been. Thank goodness he was there for them. She was so grateful she hadn’t chased him away.
Brett strode up, glancing at each of them in turn. “Zain’s working on us a flight out. It sounds like chances are good we’ll be on a plane in the next few hours.”
Paxton returned, his shirt changed, and threw a wadded up ball at Silas.
Silas caught the clean T-shirt and shook it out. “Sounds good.”
“Are we ready to talk about what happened?” Paxton asked.
“What happened?” Ekko frowned.
Paxton and Silas both looked at Chayan.
“Yeah.” Silas smoothed the shirt down. She was glad the wound was no
longer visible. “It looked like we interrupted something when we pulled Chayan out of there. Some sort of beat down?”
Chayan shifted and glanced away. “I’m not sure what was going on.”
“You’re not sure?” Ekko frowned. “A beat down?”
Silas kept watching Chayan. “When we rolled up, they had one of those DSS guys on the ground, kicking and punching him.”
“I don’t know,” Chayan snapped. His face creased and he glanced around, as if looking for an escape. “I thought... I thought they were messing with me.”
“Who?” Silas and Ekko both said at the same time.
She bit her cheek and took Silas’ hand again.
“It’s okay, buddy. Start from the beginning,” Silas said in a calmer tone.
“The DSS arrived. The shorter man started questioning me. The bigger one left. Then they all left. I was by myself when the bigger one came back. He was acting like he wanted to escape.” Chayan stared toward the windows, anxiety creasing his features.
The bigger one.
Ekko had seen their pictures.
Igney and Pasley.
She’d gotten that odd message from someone named Pasley.
“Which one?” she asked.
“The big guy. Fair hair.”
Pasley.
Her stomach dropped.
It was coincidence. Or was it?
“What is it? What am I missing?” Silas asked.
“Remember how I told you I got a weird message and you said to forward it to Zain?” She licked her lips and stared at Silas.
“Yeah,” he said slowly.
“It was signed Pasley. What if...” The muscles in her chest constricted. Suddenly she understood Chayan’s reaction. The anxiety. The fear.
What if they’d just left an ally behind?
“You’re saying one of the DSS operatives was trying to help you escape?” Silas asked slowly.
“Yes,” Chayan whispered. “I thought they were messing with me. I didn’t realize... I was too afraid.”
“Shit,” Brett muttered and pivoted away.
“We left him. I left him,” Chayan said.
“We did.” Silas nodded then locked eyes with her. “This is why we have to keep going. For people like Pasley. Kids who never got a choice. That’s why the two of you and what you’re doing is so important.”
Ekko clutched his hand as the room spun. This was so much bigger than her or Chayan now, and she wasn’t sure she was capable of seeing it through. Damn it, she was going to try. For people like her brother. Chayan’s son. And the people who’d protested. They deserved to be heard.
TUESDAY. CIA SAFE HOUSE, London, United Kingdom.
Silas resisted the urge to follow Ekko down the hall. She was just going to the bathroom. They were leaving in minutes. She’d be fine. Still, he couldn’t silence this urge that told him to go to her. Stay with her just in case someone else tried to snatch her from him.
God, he was pathetic.
His mind rejected that thought no sooner than it had formed.
This thing with her, this partnership, it wasn’t pathetic. It was special. He just didn’t know what to do about it.
“How do the stitches feel?” Paxton leaned on the counter across from him and twisted the top off a water bottle.
Silas glanced back at his best friend and partner. “Fine. You do good work, nerd.”
Paxton studied Silas. It was a calculating look, parsing Silas down to his parts and weighing him. In the very beginning when they’d met, Silas hadn’t liked that look. It had made him uneasy, which had driven him to poke at the then silent kid. That poking had turned into an initial dislike, but they’d gotten over it. Even that hadn’t been by choice. They’d been partnered up with no say in the matter. Silas was pretty sure that partnership had saved him.
“We ever going to talk about it?” Paxton asked softly.
“It?” Silas turned toward Paxton and braced his hands on the marble countertop. He grinned, knowing it would irritate Paxton.
Frustration flashed in Paxton’s eyes and a little muscle at the corner of his jaw twitched. “Stop being an asshole.”
Silas had gone too far. He’d known it. Things had been teetering on this edge for a while. He just hadn’t known what to do. What the right thing was.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Okay, man.” Silas stared at the gleaming marble. It was easier than looking at Paxton and facing the problem he’d created. “I owe you an apology. You and Coco. For a lot of shit. I know I’ve been more of an asshole than usual. I haven’t been dealing with change well. Can you blame me?”
He glanced up and met Paxton’s hard gaze.
“We’ve been partners for almost ten years, nerd. Now, overnight, everything’s different.” He held up a hand to forestall Paxton from speaking. “I’ve been the problem. Not you. Me. And I know that. I knew it, but I kept trying to blame you for picking her over everything else. That wasn’t right. And I get it now. I’m sorry. I really am. I get it now.”
Paxton cocked his head to the side. “Because of her?”
Silas grimaced. How did he explain it? “Because of things she makes me see. She helps me see my blind spots.”
Paxton nodded and a smile curved his lips as he stared at the floor without seeing it. A light burned behind his eyes.
Silas knew that look. He’d hated it for a time, now he envied it. Or at least what it stood for.
“They’re good at that,” Paxton said softly. He grimaced, and somehow still managed to smile. “Coco shines a light on things I’d rather not know about myself.”
“Like being anal probed by aliens?”
“What?” Paxton stared at Silas.
He just grinned. “I’m messing with you. I get it, man. I didn’t, but now I do. I’m really happy for you.”
Paxton grinned. “I suppose I owe Ekko a thank you for this?”
“Fuck you, man.” Silas pushed off the counter, every fiber in his body gravitating toward her.
“Pretty sure you’re the one fucking her.”
Silas scowls at Paxton then flipped him a double bird.
Paxton threw his head back and laughed. It was a sound Silas hadn’t heard in ages.
“What the hell are you two doing?” Brett strode into the room and set his phone down on the counter, glancing from Paxton to Silas.
“Nothing,” Silas replied.
Paxton just turned and crossed his arms over his chest. He still looked odd smiling. Silas wasn’t used to it though he liked the change. Paxton had always been too serious.
Brett shook his head. “Well, whatever. Zain’s got us a way home. We need to get a move on though.”
“Let’s roll.” Silas turned toward the hall, grateful for a reason to go in search of Ekko.
He was beyond ready to put this job behind him because he was looking forward to what came next. Not the apologizing to Coco bit, but everything else.
TUESDAY. SAFE HOUSE, London, United Kingdom.
Igney stared at the returning men.
None of them would meet his gaze.
“Well?” he snapped. “Someone answer me.”
“They don’t speak your language.” Li came to stand next to Igney. He spoke to the three men in Mandarin, dismissing them before focusing on Igney.
“What are you doing?” Igney couldn’t help but glare.
“Yelling at them won’t change reality.”
“How fucking hard is it to do your job?” Igney sneered.
Li just stared at Igney. “You’ll want to speak to your superiors.”
“Not yet. I need answers.”
“You mistake me. You’ll want to speak to them now. They’re waiting.” Li gestured through the door to the desk where he’d been.
Igney had heard the phone ring.
Shit.
Had Li already informed Igney’s superiors about everything? Pasley’s defection? The escape?
Igney dragged his
hand over his hair. He’d hoped for time to put together something—anything that might keep his ass out of the fire. As Pasley’s partner, Igney would be responsible for this. He should have seen the signs. He should have known Pasley was going to fail them.
Did Igney dare not take the call?
No, that would only make matters worse for him. From here on he must conduct himself to the letter of the law if he wanted to stay alive. They’d had too many failures. How many more before someone decided Igney was to blame?
He stalked to the desk and picked up the phone, pressing the receiver to his ear. He grasped hold of his smoldering rage with two mental hands, wrestling it under control.
“You failed,” a cold voice said through the line.
“Yes, sir.” Igney’s words were clipped.
“Your partner is a traitor.”
He broke out in a cold sweat. “Yes, sir.”
The silence stretched out.
“You are above reproach, Igney. That is why you must be strong for what comes next. We are at a crossroads. A great upheaval is shaking our country, but we must be firm. You must succeed.”
Igney gripped the edge of the table and listened, committing each word to memory. He couldn’t write his orders down. There could be no chance that this would get out.
There was still a chance for his success.
Ten minutes later Igney carefully hung up the phone. He felt as light as a feather, drifting on currents of air.
There was so much opportunity.
He paused when he saw that at some point someone had chained Pasley to a ring on the floor and now Igney’s former partner sat cross-legged, shoulders slumped, vacant gaze locked on the ground. Pasley was bloody and his clothes torn.
How had Igney missed it? Or was this another action brought about because of Pasley’s stupidity? Igney had always done most of the work between them. This wasn’t a complete surprise.
Igney itched to take his pound of flesh, literally, but he didn’t dare get close to Pasley. The man had nothing left to lose, which would make him more dangerous.
Li stepped into the doorway, giving Igney that same cool stare. “The last team just returned. They lost the American’s car. We don’t know where they are.”
Igney’s gaze slid back to Pasley. “But we know where they are going. I need men and a plane. I’ll take the three DSS with me. Can you help with the plane?”
Dangerous Connections (Aegis Group Book 9) Page 22
