Page 4 of Kept By The Agents

"Gee, thanks," I tossed at him. "Well, now that we've been introduced, it was nice to meet you." I started to step between Suave and Weaver. To my shock it was Weaver who grabbed my arm in an ironclad grip.

"You're not going anywhere," Brandon said. There was that authoritative tone again. "Except back with us."

"Not happening," I shot back, tossing him a glare over my shoulder. "I have business to take care of."

"Not anymore. You'll just be in our way," he said.

Before I could argue, I was back over Suave's shoulder. I gasped as I bounced against him as the men broke out into a jog. Shifting as much as I could so that my hips were taking the brunt of the blows instead of my belly and ribs, I was left with nothing else to do but stew and plan my revenge on the man who'd left my life in shambles, only to crash back into it again like this. He'd destroyed my heart the last time. Who knew what he was going to affect this go around. If I had anything to say about it, he'd leave as quickly as he came. Preferably with my size seven sneaker up his ass.

CHAPTER 3

Catalina

Iwasn't sure how long we traveled, but my body was screaming in pain. My mouth opened to beg for mercy, or at least to be able to walk, when Suave ducked through a doorway.

Brandon's white teeth flashed at me in the darkness as we passed by while he held the door open.

There was no holding it back. I lifted my middle finger up at him. His laughter followed us into the house.

Lights flicked on and I groaned, slamming my eyes shut at the assault of blinding brightness after being in the dark for so long. After a few moments, I peeped one open, then the second. My gaze swept the house. There were three mattresses tossed on the ground with bedding on them and a table with three chairs that looked like they'd been scrounged from the garbage heap. "Nice place."

"It's temporary," Weaver replied.

Rolling my eyes, I didn't bother to respond. I wasn't stupid. I knew they weren't living in Russia. It looked like they'd rolled in a few days ago. "Why are you here?" I demanded.

I shoved against Suave's back so I could look at Brandon. It didn't take a genius to know he was calling the shots. From his barked orders to the air of authority around him, only an idiot would have missed that.

"Suave," Brandon said, ignoring my question.

The world spun again and I thanked God I wasn't like my sister, who'd thrown up on the teacup rides at theme parks. I'd always done well with both the spinning and the high rides. My mom had called me an adrenaline junkie. She hadn't been wrong, but she'd sure been sorry once I got out of college and she found out what my plans for a career were. She and Dad had done their best to talk me out of this line of work.

Suave plunked me down on one of the chairs Brandon slid over and I gasped when Weaver tied my hands quickly and efficiently behind my back. He handed over more rope and Suave tied my feet to the legs. He managed to avoid a kick to the face, but just barely.

He glowered up at me. "Behave." It came out as a growl.

A shudder rippled down my spine and I quickly fought to repress the blush that was creeping in. "No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on."

"We have our own mission," Brandon answered.

I focused on him. "What mission?"

"Same as yours."

That was highly unlikely. I'd come back to Russia to help Alyona and her family find Elena. I kept my mouth closed. After weeks of chasing down leads who wanted nothing to do with me, I wasn't about to hand everything I knew over to them. Not until I knew they could actually help me find her. If all they cared about was taking down the Raleka and not about the women they'd trafficked, then I wasn't going to help them. Not until I found Elena anyway. She and her friends were my main priority right now.

It didn't matter that the man I'd loved for over a decade was here with these men. I didn't trust them. My gaze swept over Suave. Time had hardened his face, darkened his hair to a sandy brown, and he had a scratchy five o'clock shadow, but I could still see the young kid in his football uniform somewhere in there. My heart wanted to soften toward him, but I forced myself to remain cold. After what Suave had done to me before, I wasn't about to let him back in again. He fooled me once. It wouldn't happen a second time.

Brandon's lips twitched, but he continued. "Do you know who Semyon Gradskey is?"

My jaw dropped open. "How-" Semyon Gradskey was the leader of the Raleka.

"You were right," Weaver explained. "We're CIA."

"And we have all the assets that go along with that. We were tasked with taking down the Raleka Organization."

Shock made my hands still from where they'd been testing the rope for any play. They really were going after the same people as me. If they'd gone through that damn doorway tonight they'd have caught them before I could. As much as I wanted that organization taken down, it was a small satisfaction knowing that they'd ruined their own chances of busting up the trafficking ring by being jackasses. If only they'd listened to me. If they'd told me all this in that alley, I'd have happily given them all my intel, as long as I could go in with them. Anything to take those scumbags down and find Elena.

"Imagine my fucking surprise when I got that phone call from you. I had Weaver start digging up information and your damn name came up in connection with all this bullshit," Suave said. He was still squatting down in front of me. Anger filled his features. "What the fuck are you doing here, Cat?"

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