Page 144 of Veil of Lies

“We got problems, the FBI is here,” he snapped. “I need backup, NOW!”

He ended the call and pressed the muzzle of his gun to my head. “One wrong move and you’re dead. Lo entiendes?”

“Yes,” I croaked. This was it. My last chance. I had no clue what was waiting for us upstairs. All I did know was that if Mateo managed to get away from here with me in tow, I had zero chance of escaping. I needed a plan.

The elevator door opened into the small lobby behind the main reception. Mateo scanned the area, but it was empty.

He dragged me down a side corridor and through another door, heading toward a fire exit. There was nobody around, which suggested the FBI had the whole place on lockdown. I had a feeling this was about to turn into a hostage situation, which wouldn’t end well for me.

A familiar figure stepped out from around a corner, accompanied by several more agents. “Mateo Silva, I’m Agent Norcross and you’re under arrest for engaging in aggravated money laundering, concealing the source of funds, aggravated trafficking, and a whole lot more. Put your weapon down and release the girl.”

Norcross pointed a gun at Mateo and everything went to shit. Shots were fired, and two agents went down and didn’t move. I heard yelling. Someone shouting my name. Mateo gripped me around the neck as he fired at the agents.

They were fucked. If they tried to shoot him, they risked hitting me. If I didn’t do something, he was getting away, with me in tow.

Unlike when Mateo ambushed me in the stadium bathroom, this time, I managed to push the panic down. I thought back to the self-defense lessons my dad had paid for when I was 15.

The instructor, Kurt, had been an ex-Navy SEAL. I’d liked him. Had a bit of a crush on him. Not that he’d reciprocated, thank God. Kurt had taught me some valuable lessons, though, including how to get out of a dangerous situation where an assailant was holding me from behind.

Ignoring the chaos around me, I took a deep breath. Mateo was distracted. While he had a firm grip on me, his focus was elsewhere, specifically on the agents circling him like sharks.

I was wearing heels. Not my usual choice of footwear, but Mateo had very traditional ideas of what a woman should wear. Still, heels had the advantage of being extremely good weapons when used to stamp hard on a guy’s foot. Mateo swore loudly when he felt the tip of my stiletto pierce his leather shoe.

His arm loosened around my neck, and I managed to twist enough to jab my elbow in his ribs and then raise my knee sharply, hitting him right in the balls. He groaned and dropped to the floor in agony.

Once his hold on me released, I ran, heading straight for Norcross. Mateo roared with anger and a gun fired just as something solid hit me in the side, throwing my head against a wall.

Sparks of pain exploded inside my skull.

I tried to move but a heavy body pinned me down and everything faded as I lost consciousness.

Chapter 111

Stella

The pungent scent of antiseptic tickled my nose. I hated that stuff. Sounds buzzed in my head: voices, the bleeping of machines, shoes squeaking on vinyl. It was all giving me a serious case of deja vu. Fuck, had I been shot again?

My eyes were heavy. Opening them would require too much effort so I did a mental sanity check. The last thing I remembered was running toward Norcross, then bam, I was knocked sideways by a semi-truck. Or so it felt like.

I couldn’t feel any pain, other than sharp knives stabbing the soft tissue inside my skull. Certainly nothing like the last time I’d ended up in the hospital, which was where I appeared to be.

My eyelids fluttered, but my body refused to cooperate. It told me I needed more rest, but I refused to give in.

Was Mateo still on the loose? Had Norcross been shot? I hoped not. The guy was a douche, but he didn’t deserve to die. Where were my guys? I focused on the sounds around me, but I couldn’t hear any familiar voices. Did that mean they’d left me all alone?

My abandonment issues came to the fore and even though it was completely irrational, panic swept through me like wildfire. I knew I was being ridiculous, but Dad leaving me had slashed a huge hole in my chest. Sure, it wasn’t his fault, but it still hurt.

“Stella? Please say you’re awake before Brax kills someone. We don’t have insurance to cover that and Norcross will lose his shit if we cause him any more hassle.”

Harley’s voice cut through my spiral of despair and I forced my eyes open. He grasped my hand and held on as if he was worried I’d disappear. I scanned his face, anxious to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

His hazel eyes were bloodshot and his complexion was tinged with gray. The poor guy looked like he’d just got back from a three-day bender in Vegas.

“You look like shit,” I rasped.

He frowned. “Jesus, that’s not what Prince Charming wants to hear when Sleeping Beauty wakes up. Way to knock a guy’s confidence.”

Someone snorted in the background. “You’re nobody’s Prince Charming, dickhead.”

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