Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“Are you sure this will work?” The last thing Natasha wanted to do was question Wyatt and his team, but her nerves were stretched thin, especially after discovering the true identity of The Knight and his connection to Kate Ward.
“My guys have run ops like this more times than I can remember.” Wyatt’s strong hands held her cheeks, warming her, calming her. His eyes. His touch. His smell. He could calm an army of Spartan soldiers and get them to surrender with a simple but powerful look.
They were back in the safety of Harper’s bedroom.
They’d gone to their hotel room to keep up the act in case The Knight was listening in.
They’d even kissed a few times, which was weird and somewhat stilted since neither of them was comfortable with the situation.
But they didn’t have any choice but to act as normal as possible if it meant they had a shot at finally outsmarting the bastard.
“You can trust me.”
“I know.” She smiled. “And I do. It’s him I don’t trust.” And now her. Kate Damn Ward, who she’d dubbed The Queen in her mind.
Every death, every terrorist attack, was now on Kate’s hands. Her greed for wealth, her desire to be part of a company of unparalleled expertise and fame in the field had caused her to use whatever measures necessary and without regard for human life.
In Natasha’s mind, she was as much a psychopath, if not more, than Alexander Balan.
“Balan feels cheated. Jasper probably never would’ve found him if he hadn’t had an assist from Kate. I think Balan kept Jasper alive, unlike Roland Nilsson, because he wants to prove to him that he’s the superior hacker.” She paused. “Once he’s proven that, then he’ll have Jasper killed.”
“But he can’t do all of this alone,” Wyatt reminded her.
“He hired mercenaries to abduct Roland, and surely, he has people in Montreal as well.” His hands went to her biceps, and he gently squeezed.
“Plus, Harper has scoured every CCTV camera in and around the convention hall and our hotel. He’s keeping his face down.
He knows where not to look. But I also think we can’t get him on any cameras because he’s not alone out there. ”
“He showed up at the salsa club. He called me from the convention center when I was at the mill. And no way did he have someone else break into our hotel room last night. We can’t know for sure if he has a team here.
He could’ve just covered his bases by manipulating all the CCTV footage in the area.
” She didn’t want to be pessimistic, especially when they were so close, but she had to be a realist. Cautious when it came to The Knight.
She’d learned her lesson, and he’d fooled her one too many times.
No more being made a pawn in his game of revenge. And as for Kate, it was time she was dethroned.
“Regardless, if he hired someone on the Dark Net, it won’t hurt to have Jessica try to find out who.
” His thumbs moved up and down her arms, his continued attempt to ease her.
“And with any luck, maybe Balan’s hired guns will even come to us tonight.
Someone has to be watching Jasper. Most likely Kate and Felix, too. ”
“And Balan can’t be in three places.” It made sense, she supposed. The Knight wasn’t playing the same game as he had in the past. And maybe like Svalbard, this wasn’t a solo mission. Alexander Balan was a computer genius, but had he ever even pulled a trigger? “You’re right.”
She turned away from him, and he let go of her.
Eyes on the mirror above the dresser, she dragged her focus from her reflection to Wyatt standing alongside her.
“How much do you think Felix knows?” Her mind was going in so many different directions as they waited to roll out to the firehouse where Jasper was competing.
“He can’t be an idiot, especially since the FBI looked into him.”
She checked her watch, the one Gray had given her, and faced him. “Charlotte’s plane gets in soon.”
Wyatt hadn’t mentioned Gwen since he’d ended the call with Charlotte. Natasha had been waiting for him to bring her up.
“I don’t see any reason why The Knight would be watching Gwen, but he’s most likely got eyes on me, which means I need to make sure I don’t have a tail when I head to Gwen’s hotel later.” He walked over to the bed and dropped down. “Do you think Charlotte will tell her tonight?”
“Do you want her to?” Natasha sat beside him and planted a hand on his muscular thigh.
“I think so. But I also need to clear the air about what’s going on with her and Felix, without also divulging classified intel.”
“That might be tricky.” She wished she could go with him for support, but no way could she go anywhere without The Knight’s notice, and she didn’t want to further endanger Gwen. “It feels like weeks ago when it was being considered we bring Gwen in to see what she knows.”
“You mean when Harper suggested we turn my daughter into a source?” He lifted a brow, still sour about the idea ever being presented.
“Harper and Jessica were thinking like CIA officers when they brought that up. Try not to hold a grudge,” she said, keeping her voice soft.
“I get that. If they hadn’t saved my arse more times than I can count, and I didn’t trust them with my life, then maybe I’d still be angry. But you didn’t put the mission first.” He angled his head, his blue-gray eyes thinning. “Do you think it’s dangerous caring about someone?”
“What do you mean?”
“The ‘greater good’ thing,” he said and shook his head. “I mean, what happens if I had to choose between saving someone I love and stopping a terrorist attack?” Regret darkened his eyes.
“You stop the terrorist attack.” Her lips rolled inward as she thought about how to explain herself.
“As hard as that would be, if you were to save one life over the many, the person you’d save would forever live with those other deaths hanging over them.
The guilt would be worse than death.” She took a shaky breath, her bottom lip nearly wobbling.
“It’s the job. It’s why we’ve been chosen to do what we do because when it comes down to it, we’ll make the choice that’s best for the nation. ”
“It’s easy to say that now, but it’s harder to live it.” He stood and braced the back of his head with both palms.
“Well, fortunately, there’s another reason why we’re in these jobs.” She rose and came behind him, finding his eyes in the mirror, and his arms relaxed to his sides, but he didn’t turn around. “We won’t let ourselves get into a situation like that.”
“Don’t fall in love, then?”
Her eyes remained connected with his. “No. Protect the people you care about and take out the bad guys before they can get near your loved ones.”
“You’re starting to sound like an optimist.” He pivoted to face her, his brows slanting.
“No, that’s ten years on the job and being a realist. The Knight is the only person who was able to look past my legend and find out who I really am.”
He shook his head and palmed her cheek. “That’s not true.” He leaned in closer, his mouth near hers. “I see the real you.”