Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
She stepped out of the waiting area, and when the door shut behind her, I was alone with Laurel. Her vibrant blue eyes sharpened as she peered up at me, and my heart thumped painfully in my chest.
“Ethan,” her voice was soft, “I know you did everything you could for me.”
I let out a tight breath, unable to find words.
“I don’t remember all of it,” she continued. “Time bled together. Some of it felt like hours when it was probably minutes, and sometimes I’d blink and it’d suddenly be dark outside.”
“I’m sorry.” The words finally sprang from me. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“But I remember you staying close. You warned me about the doctor. You let me into his safe.” She reached out, grabbing my hand, gripping it tightly. “You helped me get off the drugs. Plavko saved my life.”
The revulsion at hearing my old cover’s name was like an electrical shock, and I jolted, but she wasn’t deterred.
“I would have died,” she said, “or Juric would have killed me, without you.”
The pain I’d carried in my chest for nearly two years eased a fraction of an inch, so every breath was no longer sharp and debilitating. Now it was merely a dull ache.
“You tried to warn us about the brewery bombing. You saved Kara. You helped Jason. Like I said, you’ve done everything you can.”
“The man responsible for all this—”
“You’ll get him. I know you will.” Her expression was fierce. “Get him for Jason.”
This was a command I’d follow with pleasure. “Yes, ma’am.”
Gisela returned, unfolded the white blanket she’d received, and draped it over Laurel’s shoulders at the same moment her oldest son and Kara appeared. Shawn’s shirt sleeve was pushed up, a bandage over where he’d had blood drawn, and his hand clasped around his wife’s. They strode toward us, two suits trailing behind them.
But not the woman I’d told to stay with them. “Where’s Olivia?”
“She went downstairs with one of my men to get some air,” Kara said, glancing around. “They’re not back yet?”
I still wasn’t used to the sudden onset of emotion Olivia could give me. “She did what?”
“It seemed like hospitals make her uncomfortable.”
Fuck. Of course they did. “How long have they been gone?”
Laurel hesitated, and trepidation swept across her face. “A while.”
I tried to keep my emotions from showing, but I must not have been successful because Kara straightened and her tone was reassuring. “I’m sure she’s fine. Markus is the best on my—”
I yanked out my phone and dialed. The line rang.
And rang.
And the tightness returned to my chest, crushing me until she finally answered. “Where are you?”
“I’m heading to Rome, Nathan.” Her voice echoed and sounded far away, as if she had me on speaker, and I could hear the rumble of an engine in the background. “The Abramos would like to see you.”
A half-second later, the line went dead.
No.
All the air was punched from my lungs and my body went numb. My heart thudded to a stop.
Was she trapped in a car with Carlo, or already on the plane? Even if they weren’t yet at the airport, I’d never make it in time to stop them.
My numbness blurred, replaced with rage. It balled my hand into a fist and drove it straight into the nearby wall, and I welcomed the burning agony across my knuckles as I dented the drywall. I was eager to feel the pain and release.
“What’s happened?” Shawn demanded.
I had to force my thoughts into focus. The scattered, fractured feeling . . . this panic was disorienting. I dialed, cursing when my handler didn’t immediately pick up.
I didn’t let Daniel say anything when the call connected, I just barked out my demand. “I have to get to Rome, now.”
“Wow, you’ve got some balls on you, Foster, after the shit you pulled. Forget it, you’re coming in—”
“No,” I snapped, trying to shake the pain through my fingers. “The Abramos have Olivia.”
Surprise splashed across Shawn’s face, but it only lasted a single heartbeat. Then he pulled up his phone, and after the press of a button, asked to speak to the captain.
“Do I need to remind you again?” Daniel said. “Your cover is blown. I can’t send you after her.”
“Then send someone else, but Jesus, do it now.” Dread started low in my center and rattled up my body. “I don’t know how long they’ll keep her alive.” Or what they’d do to her until then.
“I don’t have anybody.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s not, and even if I did, how would I justify that?”
“She’s the one who IDed Castillo.”
There was no response from the other end of the line. This wasn’t enough. I needed something else, anything that would make the Agency take action and—
Oh.
A warning flashed through my mind that she wouldn’t like it, but I ignored it. “She’s Kathryn Pierce. Remember that name? She’s the Army private who survived a helicopter crash and fought off a Taliban attack. She’s the one the Pentagon splashed all over the media.”