“Do you want any tea? Something to drink?” he asked.
“No, thank you.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, those eyes of hers so haunted and dark. He couldn’t imagine what she’d seen. Then again, this was the life she’d chosen. He really should remember that.
“All right. Oh, and if you want to call someone, just let me know. I can set you up with a secure line.” He took a step back and cringed. He had to get out of here before he made another wild, crazy promise.
“I don’t know who I’d call, to be honest.” She sat on the edge of the bed, hands braced on either side of her.
“There has to be someone who wants to know you’re okay.”
“No, not really.” She swiped at her cheeks.
Shit.
Isaac spied a box of tissues on the dresser. He grabbed them and offered the box to her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re going to be okay.” He really needed to keep his mouth shut.
“I hope so.” Tanya smoothed her sweater dress down over her thighs and smiled at him, the expression so sad it almost broke his heart just to look at her.
Damn it.
He wanted to trust her.
He did not have any love for Orlando, and if she was running from him, she had some dangerous enemies. But this was the bed she’d made for herself. He had to remind himself of that—again—before he swore to stay on this job past the reasonable termination point.
“You’re staring,” she said.
“Sorry.”
She frowned and tweaked her dress lower.
The gesture seemed odd. She’d been Orlando’s girlfriend, his arm candy, and yet she didn’t want to be looked at. Then again, Orlando often wanted to be the center of attention, so his girls would have to be comfortable sitting backseat.
“You must think I deserve this. That I’m a terrible person.”
“I never said that.”
“It’s the way you look at me.” She gestured at his face then dropped her hands to her sides, shoulders slumping. “I never meant for things to go this far. It was just a bit of fun before I went back to school, and then... I couldn’t get away.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the floor.
It was a common story. Hardworking girl takes a break from it all, gets involved with something or someone, then before she knows it she’s caught up in more than she bargained for. The problem was her delivery. Those hollow words were delivered with such practiced ease they couldn’t be her truth.
“Hey.” Isaac knelt in front of her. Fuck it. He was going with his gut. She might not be a complete innocent, but she didn’t deserve whatever Orlando would do to her if he got his hands on her. “No one is blaming you. We’re just trying to understand, you know?”
Tanya nodded, her gaze distant and haunted.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For believing me. For talking me off the ledge earlier. I really was about to pass out.”
“I believe it.”
There was a flicker of intelligence behind her eyes. Given time and the chance to catch her breath, she was figuring out the situation. He could almost hear the gears whirling in her head, but he already had a theory.
“You were never just Orlando’s girlfriend, were you? I mean, a guy like him doesn’t hurt for female company if he wants it. You did something else for him, and that’s why he wants you.”
To her credit she didn’t say anything, but her lips parted and she sucked down a breath before she caught herself.
“We can help you better the more you tell us.” He pulled another tissue out of the box and held it out for her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You hear yourself, right? Did you just buy that line?”
“No.” She stared down at her hands. “But I have to say it. If I say it enough I’ll start to believe it.”
“Or you can trust me.” Isaac studied her face, the way she collected herself, shuttering her gaze. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”
“I hope you don’t. For your sake.”
“There’s a bathroom down the hall if you want to wash up, maybe get this dirt out from under your nails. Dinner should be ready soon.”
Tanya didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t pursue more conversation. She had secrets, reasons why Orlando wanted her found, and she wasn’t sharing them.
Isaac took the stairs, forcing himself not to hurry straight to his laptop.
Kyle and the others were assembled in the Great Room, their befuddled stares almost uniform.
“We did just rescue her, didn’t we?” Felix gestured at the stairs.
“Yeah, I’m not sure we did.” Isaac grabbed his laptop and tapped the keys. “There’s no way that woman was just Orlando’s girlfriend.”
“Why? What makes you say that?” Kyle stood next to the writing desk.
“Keep an eye on the security cameras. I don’t think she would try to sneak out, but she’s scared enough to consider it.” Isaac nodded at the flat screen TV they’d rigged as their surveillance hub.
“Shane, Felix, Adam?” Kyle nodded at the others.
The three men moved out, heading to different parts of the house where they’d have the widest field of vision on the grounds. They were old pros at this sort of thing. After all, not every asset they rescued wanted to be brought home.
“What’s going on?” Kyle pitched his voice low.
“I don’t know.” Isaac tapped the keys, bringing up the phone line. “She’s too...afraid. It’s not right. She was scared of being rescued. What’s Orlando up to that’s worth killing her over?”
“Shit.”
“We did disconnect the phone lines, right?”
“We did.” Kyle leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “What do we do? Bring her down here and make her tell us what’s going on?”
“No. Making her tell us whatever she knows isn’t the answer. She’s genuinely afraid of Orlando. If she thinks we’ll help keep her alive, protect her secrets, she would have no reason to leave.”
“So, don’t talk to her? I should bring Zain into this.”
“No. If he knows, he’ll report it up the chain. We took this job because of Orlando’s connection to the boss.”
“I can’t keep something like a shit storm from Zain.”
“Give her until tomorrow.” Isaac rolled his thoughts around. “She’s been backed into a corner. Let’s give her space, some time to sleep, eat, relax in a setting where she’s not at risk and maybe she’ll ask for more help tomorrow. If we don’t force her to trust us, she’ll come to that conclusion faster.”
“She likes you. Think you could work that angle?”
Isaac grimaced.
“What? You don’t want to spend time with a pretty lady?” Kyle gasped.
“Fuck you.”
“You’ve been a real pleasure to deal with the last few days. Want to clue me into why I should keep putting up with it?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Isaac stared at his laptop. The reasons were all on his cell phone. A half-dozen missed calls from Ruth and twice that from Mom.
“Try to be less of an asshole, okay?” Kyle straightened and sighed. “I’ll heat up the food.”
Isaac hoped that a more casual gathering of their team would give Tanya time to relax and begin to trust them. Unless she was the enemy. Then all they were doing was giving her time to make a move.
Thursday. Epping, United Kingdom.
Robert Ellis paced the rooms of his empty house.
Where was Orlando holding his wife? Was she okay? How scared was she? Who was taking care of her? When would he see her again?
This was his fault.
He should have taken that first threat seriously. There was risk in working for MI5 and Interpol. Everyone knew that. He’d glanced at the letter, skimmed it and tossed it into the g
arbage. It wasn’t until Donna turned up missing that he’d realized his mistake. And now he was playing god, choosing who lived and died.
The people in the field knew the score, but Donna didn’t. She was his wife, not an agent. No one influential. Just the love of his life. And now she was in danger and the only way to save her was to trade a life for hers.
In hindsight, he should have taken the letter up the ladder to management and requested assistance. But it was just a letter. A few lines of hastily-scribbled words with a thinly-veiled threat. Nothing substantial.
He should have looked into it, but the reports from Quade and his partner were too important to spare a moment of time from his focus. And now Quade was dead. Whoever his partner was, they were adhering to protocol. Robert’s phone rang and rang. His voicemail was almost full of messages from her, but he couldn’t listen to them. If he did, then he’d have to tell Orlando what he knew. As long as he didn’t listen to the messages, he could protect her and Donna. This way, at least Robert was truthful when he said he didn’t know.
What Robert wouldn’t give to go back in time and make it right.
4.
Thursday. Boston, United Kingdom.
Tanya stood at the open window, a gentle breeze stirring the curtains. Climbing down the trellis wouldn’t be terribly difficult. Her boots weren’t ideal, but they were serviceable. The problem was, she couldn’t account for security cameras or the team downstairs watching for signs of movement. It was more complicated than simply slipping away.
On her own, what did she hope to accomplish?
She swallowed.
If she were to calculate her odds, she’d give herself a one-in-fifty chance at survival. After forty-eight hours, her odds would decrease. Eventually, someone connected to Orlando would see her and report back. It would only be a matter of time until he found and killed her. She’d spent enough time in his presence to know that the only thing that mattered to Orlando now was amassing enough wealth and power to fuel his revenge.
There was also the risk of getting caught by The Patrol or other organizations like them. What she knew could bring Orlando’s operation down. He’d gotten lazy, letting her do a good deal of the day-to-day work for him.
She could always turn herself in to the authorities, but she’d have to survive long enough to do that. And there were many who were not yet aware of Orlando’s double-cross. Sorting it all out would take time.
As much as she hated using people, this team might be her best hope. Or at least Isaac was. He was so...honest and raw. She didn’t think that was an act.
Unlike The Patrol, Isaac and his team didn’t want anything from her. She was not a chit to be bargained with. They didn’t want to mine her for information. If she were to believe them, they weren’t precisely mercenaries. They were something else. An insurance plan, perhaps. But she couldn’t trust them, not with everything.
The stairs creaked, one after the other.
If she were leaving, it had to be now.
She braced her hands on the windowsill and inhaled the scent of damp earth.
Tanya swung the window shut and secured it. She adjusted the drapes and turned on the lamp.
Someone tapped on the bedroom door.
Despite expecting the sound, she still jolted, rocking forward on the balls of her feet.
“Tanya?”
They’d sent Isaac.
She felt a touch of guilt already. He’d seen her at her worst. His whole declaration of faith and promise to keep her safe had been made to her at the darkest moment she’d faced in a long time. She was better than that.
“Yes?” She walked across the small room and cracked the door open.
“There’s food downstairs.” He didn’t exactly smile at her, but his relaxed expression was friendly.
He didn’t say it was time for dinner. He was simply stating that food was available downstairs. If she requested to eat in her room, would he let her? Her gut said yes. Though her instinct was to hide, doing that wouldn’t help her in building any kind of rapport with them. If she was going to rely on them to keep her alive, they needed to see her as a person. Someone worthy of saving, and not just as Orlando’s errant girlfriend.
“Are you hungry?” Isaac gestured to the stairs.
Crap.
She’d been staring, mulling her thoughts over too slowly.
When was the last time she’d rested?
Tanya rubbed her face and yawned, buying herself another few moments.
A chance to socialize with them would allow her to assess them and maybe come up with a plan. She needed to stop thinking like the panicked, scared woman and more like what she was.
“Starving,” she muttered.
“Well, come on, then.” He nudged her door open, holding it for her.
She stepped out into the hall.
“Have a good rest?” Isaac gestured to the stairs.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Your accent, where are you from?”
“Here and there.” She smiled and shrugged.
Isaac didn’t press her for a more accurate answer. He let her go down the stairs first, into the main hall.
“Everyone is in the dining room to your right.”
Tanya followed the voices.
The other four members of the team were gathered round the ancient, formal table. Several tablets were propped up, showing infrared surveillance footage of the grounds, if she were to guess. Pans of pasta lined the middle like a buffet and the house china sat at the ready to receive the meal.
She slid into an empty chair at the end of the table, leaving Isaac to assume the seat at the head.
“Isaac, you want to go to Africa?” Felix asked.
“What?” Isaac paused with his hand on the chair.
“This trip Shane and his girlfriend are putting together for next year.” Felix flicked his hand at the big, guy with dark hair on the other side of the table.
“I wasn’t aware of a trip,” Isaac said.
“Nothing is for sure happening, but Lacey knows a park in South Africa that’s having problems with poachers during migration season. We’ve talked a little about their surveillance and we think that a strategic team onsite could help deter them. It’d be a volunteer thing, unpaid, but room and board would be free.” Shane picked up a pan and began handing them around.
“I’ll think about it,” Isaac said.
“What’s to think about?” Felix glanced at Isaac.
“Some of us have responsibilities, pretty boy.”
The men continued to banter, and let her be.
No one asked her about earlier or Orlando. They chatted about everyday life, but mostly, they pestered Shane about his girlfriend. Judging by the way the man’s face flushed, the relationship was still new. Isaac frowned every time someone mentioned Lacey’s name. Did he lose out on a lover? Was there bad blood between the men? And why did she not like the idea of this Lacey person with Isaac?
Bit by bit, the tension coiled tight in Tanya’s gut released, making room for more pasta. The food was good, the company entertaining. It was better than many a meal she’d shared with Orlando. Less chance of death or catching a stray bullet, that was for sure.
It was clear these men worked closely and often, very much the professionals at what they did.
Would they protect her if they knew the truth? Would they believe her? Or would she find herself in whatever came after the fire?
The simple truth was that she couldn’t risk telling anyone. It was too wild to believe. Like much of her life. Only she would find herself in a situation like this. Then again, it was her unique history that made her the ideal candidate for this job to begin with.
Felix bussed the table once they were done with a quick efficiency while the others moved on to their tasks, focusing on their tablets or moving off to other parts of the house.
“Want some coffee or tea?” Isaac asked.
“Yes, please.” Tanya might be tired enough
to sleep for a week, but she didn’t have the luxury. She needed to think and make a decision about what she did next. There wasn’t time to rest.
“Both, or...?”
“I can get it myself, if you tell me where?”
“It’s in the kitchen. Come on.”
Isaac stood and pulled her chair out before she could wrangle the heavy, old thing on her own. Once more he escorted her, this time into the kitchen where Felix was filling the compact dishwasher. An electric kettle and a serving coffeepot sat on a shelf in the corner of the kitchen out of the way.
“Let me guess...” Isaac turned and studied her face. “You’re a...coffee girl?”
“It is one of my vices.” She smiled. “How’d you know?”
“You grew up in South America. It was a best guess.”
Tanya swallowed. If he knew that, did he know the rest? Her palms grew a touch sweaty and the skin between her shoulder blades prickled. Once someone went down this road, there were always questions.
Isaac went about his job, filling the coffee pot with fresh grounds and turned it on, oblivious to how that statement affected her. If he knew where she’d grown up, he likely knew the rest of the story. Or at least the version on record.
She glanced at Felix, nodding his head, the cord to his ear buds swaying back and forth, oblivious to their conversation.
Did they all know?
“Something wrong?” Isaac asked.
Shit.
Tanya swallowed.
She was not on her game at all anymore.
“No.” She pasted on a smile and aimed it at Isaac.
He stared at her, brow furrowed, the wheels in his head turning. There was no attempt to hide his study of her.
“Was it the mention of South America?” he asked.
“If you know that much about me, then you know why I might not like to remember where I grew up.” She leaned on the breakfast buffet adjacent the coffee and tea station, doing her best not to tense up. Did he really know?
“We do a background check on anyone we are sent to retrieve.”
“How does this work?” She gestured at him and Felix. Anything to get them to stop talking about her.
“What my team does? Or what our next move here is?”
Dangerous in Action (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #2) Page 4
