Page 10 of Cruel Love

“How big of a team?”

“Not sure. But considering you killed her son, I’d say pretty big.”

He pauses. “What?”

“Mercer,” I answer.

Dani shifts uncomfortably.

“Mercer?” Fox mutters. “The Boss’ son?”

I nod. “You did kill him, right?”

He looks at Dani’s downturn face. “Yes,” he answers.

“And the others in our squad?”

“Them, too.” He glances at Lilah. “Are you sure he and the Boss were related?”

“It’s a theory, but yes,” I answer. “We’re sure.”

“Myra, too,” Lilah adds.

“Shouldn’t be too difficult to confirm with the right person looking,” I say. “They’ll be here soon.”

Fox furrows his brow. “What do you need me for?” he asks.

“Do you really need to ask after confirming you killed our whole squad on our own?”

He exhales. “Mercer went after my family. He made it personal. I did what I had to do.”

“And Myra made it personal when she shot my brother,” I say, fighting through the words. “We need soldiers, Fox. You need back-up. Sure, you can run off-grid and hide out but how long before they start cutting up Dani on live TV again? And you know Myra won’t stop there like Mercer did.”

Three knocks strike the door, followed by a fourth duller thud.

Fox pivots into a defensive stance with one hand back on Dani’s arm.

Lilah pushes off the sink. “It’s just Archer,” she says as she walks to the door.

I look back at Lucy. She flashes a quick smile before breathing out. She’s tense but still strong. Still my Lucy.

Lilah opens the door and her head tilts with annoyance. “You were just supposed to bring him.”

Archer walks inside, followed closely by a man with thick, black-rimmed glasses and a brunette woman who takes a long, hard look at Lilah.

“Sorry,” the woman says, her voice void of sympathy. “We come as a pair.”

Lilah rolls her eyes and kicks the door closed behind them.

This must be Boxcar. The hacker. And she, given Lilah’s obvious disdain, should be his wife, Caleb. I size them up quickly. She’s tough as nails, like my sister. Him, not-so-much, but it’s not physical prowess we require him for.

Fox takes a step forward. “And what the hell do you need with them?”

Archer lingers over Boxcar’s shoulder as he sits down in the chair by the window. “Mr. Carson is going to connect some dots for us,” he says.

“Like hell he is.”

Boxcar gestures at Fox. “It’s okay, Fox. I’m actually... kind of the only person who can do this.”

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