Page 76 of Extracted

Charlene twisted her lips to the side and looked at her phone. “Let me see here . . . looks like you’re on call after 4:00 p.m.”

Gemma’s eyes bugged out. “Wait. Aren’t I going somewhere else? It’s just after 11:00 a.m.”

Charlene’s cold, emotionless stare lifted from her phone. “No. We’re staying in Ecuador. While we appreciate your efforts during your last posting, the job’s not done.”

She opened and closed her mouth. No. This couldn’t be happening. “Silas has a hit out on my head. He believes I set off the bombs. He wants me dead.”

The woman’s expression didn’t change. “Right, well. It’d be ideal to put someone else in your place, but this case is moving at rapid speed. We didn’t have time to bring anyone else in.” She shifted in her seat, turning to face Gemma. “Listen. I get this is scary.” Charlene’s voice held anything but empathy. “But you’ve also put a limit on your time with us—another two years.”

“So I’m being punished for wanting to have a regular life? I’ve given you six of my adult years. I want my freedom.”

Charlene flashed a smile, as if what she’d said were amusing. “Honey. You’re free. After this job I’m sending you home for a month. Go enjoy some time off. See your family. You’ve earned it.”

The driver’s side door opened and a man slipped inside. “All set, boss?”

“Yes. Hotel please.”

Gemma sat back in her seat. Her head spun with such force that it collided with hysteria. All this had been for nothing. She’d parted with Dallas for nothing. Now, not only was she still in danger, but so was he.

She had to warn him.

CHAPTER 21

Dallas halted the truck inside the parking garage in downtown Ibarra. Getting out of the vehicle, he snagged his backpack from the passenger seat.

Where Gemma should be sitting.

His muscles bunched as he tossed the keys into the driver’s side footwell and slammed the door. Finally, he’d ditched the assassin’s truck. At this point, the body might have been found.

Now he was without a ride. And still no word from fucking Cole. It was almost 12:00 p.m., and he was getting more annoyed by the minute. He’d already sent a message to Dare, who’d promised to swing by Cole’s apartment to see what the hell was up.

In the meantime, all he could do was twiddle his thumbs while he waited to hear from Silas—and torment himself over leaving Gemma. After driving off, he’d checked the rearview mirror several times. From what he could see, she hadn’t gotten out of the SUV and boarded the airplane. Part of him wanted to hang close by, watch her take off, as if seeing her in the air would give him some indication as to where she was headed.

Pointless.

Instead, he’d ripped off the bandage and driven back to Ibarra with the radio off and only the chatter of his thoughts running through his mind.

Christ, he needed a drink.

Exiting the parkade, he stopped at a convenience store, grabbed a bottle of tequila and a lime, then crossed the street to the little hotel he’d spotted. Least he could do was find a comfortable place to clean the wound, as he’d promised Gemma he’d do.

Maybe close his eyes.

He checked into the hotel then took the elevator to the tenth floor. Not a single detail of the hotel’s decor registered in his brain on the journey to his room. Flashing the key at the door handle, he shoved open the heavy steel then kicked off his shoes.

Rather than hop in the shower, as his body craved, he cracked open the tequila and poured an ounce or so into a glass he found in the bathroom. He spritzed in some lime and added water from one of the room’s bottles. Tossing back the liquor, he closed his eyes.

He couldn’t relive every fuck up. Doing so would make him crazy. Thinking about Gemma would make him crazier. No. He’d do what he did every time she left: pick his ass up and get to work. The events of the last few days aside, he was a professional.

Hell, each one of his brothers was a professional too. They wouldn’t let separation from a woman throw them off their jobs. He had a task to complete—a task that’d been really fucking important before he’d spotted Gemma in that godforsaken hotel.

And with it came a helluva lot of money he didn’t want to turn down. With his brain focused on that, he sat on the bed. Money. Work. That’s what had always kept him going and that’s what would keep him out of the dumps now.

Gemma might still be in danger, but she wasn’t alone. She had help. At the very least, the US government had to protect its citizens. Especially because she was an informant . . . right? Made sense.

Ring, ring

Dallas lifted his hip and dug his phone from his pocket. An unknown number scrolled across the screen. After swiping to answer, he pressed the device to his ear. “Hello?”

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