Page 87 of Extracted

“Who the fuck are you?” Cory sputtered.

Cole’s mouth twitched. A smile? If it was, she’d never seen one so slight.

“Someone who’s about to break your arm if you don’t get the fuck out of my face.” He spoke low enough that she could barely hear him above the music, but his menacing tone and the curl of his lip promised he’d do much worse than break Cory’s measly arm.

Cory shook off Cole’s hold and, without casting Gemma another glance, hurried away. Cole watched him exit the bar then turned to her.

His arms hung at his sides and his face didn’t hold a hint of warmth. “Gemma?”

She pushed her hair behind her ear. “Uh. Yeah. How’d you know it was me?” Awkwardness pulled her shoulders forward. Dallas’s brother had just saved her from Cory dragging her out of the bar. “And thank you for that,” she added, gesturing to the spot where Cory had disappeared.

“Don’t mention it. And I knew it was you ’cause I had to recreate your passport.” He opened and closed his fists at his sides and glanced around the dance floor as if the scene disgusted him. “Where’s my brother?”

She pointed to the hallway beyond the dance floor. “Office.”

His devastatingly intent gaze swung back to hers. The more she looked at Cole, the more she saw the similarities between Dallas and him . . . and the more she sensed their differences.

At first glance, Dallas was tough and frightening, but it didn’t take long to see the undercurrent of joy inside him. In contrast, it looked as though a smile would cause Cole physical pain, and his confident air was nothing less than threatening.

And slightly terrifying.

He nodded at her purse. “Time to make your phone call.”

CHAPTER 24

“Half now and half when the delivery is made safely in Venezuela,” Silas said, his jovial attitude gone. As soon as they’d reached his office, he’d lost the friendly veneer. Only his ruthless business side remained.

Dallas tented his fingers under his chin as if the change irked him. Jumping on the deal with the new terms might set off a red flag.

The two guards from upstairs stood near the inside of the door, just a few feet behind Dallas’s back. One wrong move could fuck things up.

He cleared his throat and leaned back in the chair in front of Silas’s desk. “That’s not how things normally work, Sy.” He spoke slowly, using the nickname Silas had insisted he preferred moments prior. “I’m the mediator. I have very little to do with the actual exchange.”

“Your men are moving the guns.”

“Wrong.” He held up a finger. “My contact’s men are moving the guns. Lorenzo is my guy and he’s out after this.” A lot of details hadn’t been exchanged yet due to their initial meeting being blown out of the water—almost literally.

Silas rubbed the tip of his thumb under his chin. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense.”

“I understand wanting to hold back the entirety of the funds until your shipment is made. And I know for a fact my client is okay with taking only 75 percent up front and the remainder upon delivery.” He rested his hand on his thigh. “My fee, however, is entirely separate from this deal.”

Silas waved his hand in the air. “’Course. I agree.” He motioned to one of his men, who brought over a laptop. “I’ll wire the funds for you and your client right now. Can you confirm a delivery time for tomorrow?”

Dallas pulled out his phone. Pete, the gun runner he’d connected Silas with, was thankfully out of town until tomorrow. He wouldn’t expect the funds until then and didn’t like to be bothered with technicalities.

But to mollify Silas and get the exchange made, he’d go to Pete’s right-hand man, who was overseeing the deal. After typing the question out to Raleigh, he hit send and lowered his phone to his knee. “Hopefully I’ll get confirmation before you send the funds.”

Silas turned his gaze from his computer. “I have time.”

Great. So much for getting out of this anytime soon. Dallas’s muscles tensed. The gun at his ankle warmed his skin. He fought the desire to reach for it and blow Silas’s smug smile off his face.

His palm itched.

The men at his back stopped him from making the move.

Buzz, buzz

He turned over his phone. Instead of a message from Raleigh, he found one from Cole.

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