Page 125 of Cruel Love

Or she’s just that good of an actress.

I head back over to the warehouse, the silent night fading with each step I take. The closer I get, the louder the screaming becomes. The harder it is to cling to Dani… to my humanity.

The door slides open and Dante shuffles out. He kicks a rock down the dirt road in anger. I slip my phone back into my pocket before he can see it.

“He say anything else?” I ask.

He wipes the sweat off his brow. “Just more of what we already know,” he says. “Gio was here making connections for the Boss to undermine the Russian network but nothing else about...” His voice fades.

About Lucy.

“Let Yuri take over here,” I say. “We’ll go to Paris. Try and get some sleep on the way—”

“No, Fox.”

“You’re no good to her like this, Dante.”

He frowns. “Excuse me?”

“They planned this,” I say. “They know us. They know everything about us. Our strengths, weaknesses. Mercer went after Dani because he knew what it would do to me... and they took Lucy because they knew what it’d do to you.”

“What do you suggest I do, Fox?” he asks, angry and cold. “Run away? Go into hiding? Grow a beard?”

“Save it.”

“For what?”

“The weakness of my enemy is my strength,” I quote our old squad leader. “The Boss isn’t just a phantom anymore. We know her name, where she lives. Who her family is.” I take a step forward. “Save it for Myra, Dante.”

He raises his head and I catch a little more sense entering his eyes.

Yuri walks out of the warehouse with a groan. “Well, he’s unconscious,” he says as he adjusts the rolled sleeves of his shirt. “Might be a while before we can go again.”

I look at Dante. “What do you want to do?” I ask.

Dante turns and scratches the back of his head. “I want to burn this fucking city to the ground until I find her.”

“They’d be gone by now,” I say.

“The country, then.”

“Dante.”

He exhales hard and stares at the ground. “We’ll go to Paris,” he says. “Meet up with the others and talk to Myra.”

“Can you get us a flight out?” I ask Yuri.

“I’ll call my brother,” he answers. “We can have you in the air within an hour, give or take.”

Dante keeps his head low and doesn’t say a word as he turns to walk off, heading for the car parked at the far end of the warehouse.

Yuri looks at me, his expression soft and sympathetic with tiny drops of blood on his brow. “Nik and I will stay here with the snake,” he says. “I’m sure once Markov is patched up, he’ll be out here, too. I’ll keep you updated if we get anything more.”

“Thank you.” I nod and follow Dante toward the car.

It’s easy for me to act the rational man here. I’m on the outside looking in. But if it were me.

If it were Dani...

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