Chapter 6 #2
Our names are right there, in black and freaking white.
But rather than celebrate the major step in their case, Rafe pointed to the same closed door as before.
“Correction.” His kissable lips didn’t curl. “We have him.”
Meaning they had the hired gun, but no actual mention of Kozlova or any proof he was involved in the ordered hits.
He’s in this thing up to his scraggly beard.
She could feel it deep within her bones.
Lena thought about their captive, hoping he was awake and at least somewhat alert. He’d begun to regain consciousness shortly after arriving at the hidden site, so Rafe had administered a sedative he just happened to have on hand.
With him out cold, they’d had time to touch base with West. Now that the ball was rolling on that end—
“You still okay with me going first?” She turned her attention back to Rafe.
“You can take the lead on the questions.” He nodded. “But I’ll be in the room with you.”
“Absolutely not.”
“This isn’t up for debate.”
“You’re right.” She took a step toward him.
“It’s not.” Ignoring how damn hot the guy looked with his strong arms crossed and stern expression, Lena reminded him, “I’m just as trained for this sort of thing as you are, and I’ve conducted hundreds of interrogations in far more dangerous situations than this. ”
The muscles at the back of his bearded jaw twitched, but he didn’t say anything more.
Lena lifted three fingers as a show of her solemn vow. “I won’t kill him,” she promised. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you even in the Scouts?” His handsome head gave a slight tilt.
It was impossible to keep her lips from twitching as she took another step closer. “Either you trust me or you don’t.”
“This isn’t about my trust in you, Lena. I just don’t like the idea of you being alone in a room with him.”
He’s trying to protect me.
“The guy’s in cuffs, and I have my gun. And let’s face it, if I were Coulter or one of your other male team members, you wouldn’t think twice about me going in there alone.”
With an audible exhale, the well-meaning man finally saw things her way. “Fair enough.” A hint of a nod. “But I’ll be watching everything from the room next door.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” She glanced around. “First, I need something to drink.”
“There’s some water in the fridge.” He motioned toward the white refrigerator positioned against the room’s back wall.
Lena walked that way, and when she opened the door, she welcomed the rush of cool air. As promised, the otherwise empty shelves were filled with bottles of water, along with a handful of beers.
Even better.
Reaching inside, she grabbed two of the glass bottles by their necks. They clanked noisily together as she held them in one hand.
“Planning to get the bloke drunk?” Rafe arched a single brow.
Lena shut the fridge door with her hip and a smile.
“I’ll come back out once I’m done.” She headed toward the door leading to where the assassin was being kept.
As she passed by Rafe, it was nearly impossible to ignore the spice of his masculine scent. But she forged on, kept her head in the game and her concentration on the door before her. Lena didn’t hesitate before turning the knob with her free hand and stepping inside.
She was greeted by a dimly lit hallway leading to two additional doors on her right. Both were closed, but Lena had already been inside each of the rooms.
The first was smaller with a large, two-way mirror on the wall facing the adjacent room. The better to watch you with, my dear. A few steps farther, she reached the space where their would-be killer was being held.
Rafe appeared at the hallway’s entrance. They shared a look before he vanished into the room next door to watch and observe.
She reached out, turning the knob and pulling open the door before her. The air filling the windowless room was stale and thick with the scent of mildew and fresh, male sweat.
The man in the chair turned her way with a cold, sinister gaze. Dried blood marred the left side of his face from earlier, when he’d hit his head on the driver’s side window during the crash.
“Oh, good.” Lena smiled. “You’re awake.” She casually walked toward the small, rectangular table positioned in front of him.
When he saw the beer in her hand, the man’s thick lips curled into a sly smirk. “That’s your big play, huh?” His voice was deep without even a hint of an accent detected. “If you think we’re going to become best buds over a couple of drinks, you’re wasting your time.”
American. Fit. Unintimidated and without fear. Former military, perhaps?
“Oh, I have no intention of bonding with you.” Lena placed the bottles onto the table’s smooth surface.
She dug a hand into the front pocket of her jeans, and when it returned, there was a tiny set of keys nestled against her palm.
Rafe is going to be pissed.
In an approach that had proven successful in the past, Lena walked behind where the hitman sat. She kept the plastic ties holding his ankles to each of the chair’s legs in place but released the set of cuffs from his wrists.
The stranger groaned as he brought his arms to his front, rubbing the tender skin at his wrists. “You letting me go?”
“Sorry.” She set the cuffs down onto the table with a grin. “I’m afraid I can’t do that just yet.”
“Yet.” The guy scoffed. “Right. Like I’m ever leaving this room alive.”
Keeping her cool, Lena started to offer him one of the bottles, but at the last second, she pulled her hand back.
“Oh, wait. Your hands are probably weak from lack of blood flow. Let me help.” She twisted off one of the metal tops. The thin cap clanged loudly as it fell onto the table. “There you go.”
He took the opened bottle from her hand but didn’t drink.
Lena chuckled. “I can appreciate your hesitation, but I promise it’s not poisoned. Look. I’ll prove it.” She grabbed the bottle out of his hand and took a healthy swig. “See?” She slid the cold beverage back toward him, the tip of her tongue giving her lips a quick swipe. “It’s perfectly safe.”
His eyes remained locked with hers as he retrieved the bottle. She watched as he brought it to his mouth. Tipping his head backward, the thirsty man began to unceremoniously chug. Seconds later, he set the empty bottle back down onto the table with a decidedly disgusting belch.
“Better?” Lena pulled the glass out of his reach so he couldn’t use it against her later.
“That was good, but I’m still not going to talk.”
She shrugged with an unbothered, “That’s okay. I’m not here to bust your balls.”
“Too bad.” His light brown eyes fell to her chest. “You strike me as a woman who likes it rough.”
“I’m a woman who likes making deals.”
“I already told you, I’m not—”
“Talking,” she cut off his repeated words. “Yeah, you said that already. And that’s okay, because I can talk enough for us both. How about we start with what I already know, yeah?”
He looked away with a grunt. “You don’t know shit.”
“Actually, that’s not true.” Lena rested her elbows onto the table. Looking him square in the eyes, she kept her voice calm as she spoke. “I know you were hired to kill me, along with Rafe Owens, Caleb Calhoun, and Sabrina Sanchez.”
“Who?”
You know damn well who.
“I don’t blame you for being scared. Alexei Kozlova is a terrifying man.”
Her empathetic stare became laser-focused as she studied him closely for the slightest reaction. But the professional killer didn’t so much as blink at the sound of Kozlova’s name.
“Am I supposed to know who that is?” He feigned ignorance.
Lena kept her cool as she sat back in her chair with a grin.
“Between us, if I were in that chair, I wouldn’t be so quick to talk, either.
Better to get thrown into a hole somewhere to be forgotten, am I right?
” She chuckled. “Spending the rest of your life in solitary for treason, murder, and attempted murder has to be better than living every second of every day wondering when Kozlova will finally make his move.”
Another low grunt of denial was his only response, so she took that as a sign to keep going.
“And it is a matter of when, not if.” She crossed a leg over one knee.
“But you already know that, right? I mean, when it comes to men like Kozlova, there really is no ‘if’. Not when he has a reputation to uphold. And let’s face it, the smarmy bastard hasn’t survived underground all this time without the control of those who fear him. ”
“I already told you, you’re wasting your time.”
“Funny thing about time.” Lena jumped topics once more.
“Take you for example. A few short hours ago, you were convinced that my partner and I would be dead by now, and you’d be long gone.
Yet, here we are. Rafe and I are still very much alive and you’re .
. . well.” A breathy chuckle shook her shoulders.
“Screw you.”
Finally, a show of honest emotion.
“You’re a smart man,” Lena continued. “I’m sure you get my point.”
“You have a point?”
Her mouth spread into a toothy laugh. “You’re funny. That’s good. You’ll need to hold onto that sense of humor. It can make all the difference during those first few weeks of being locked up, all alone.”
Sounding bored, the man before her muttered a disinterested, “If you’re going to kill me, just do it, already.”
Lena rose to her feet, walking casually around the room as she kept on with her “nice guy” persona.
“Now, why would I kill you?” She stopped inches from where he was sitting. “We’re not after you. Your boss is the one we want.” Resting a hip against the table’s edge, Lena attempted to appeal to his primal need for survival. “You give him up; we protect you. It’s that simple.”
A sarcastic huff blew out in her direction, followed by the man’s mumbled, “It’s never that simple.”
She leaned to one side, pressing a palm against the top of the table for balance. With a tilt of her head, she brought her face directly in front of his.