Page 129 of Fire for Effect

Her smile was slow, like the sun peaking over the horizon right before night turned into day. Like Stand-to, before the first move.

She smiled, her eyes wrinkling, as she mouthed a gentle, “hi”.

But then that light disappeared, just as her eyes snapped to something behind me. I didn’t need to know what she had seen. Fucking Kristin.

I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t going to give her a chance to run - not that she could. We were on a boat.

Though I wouldn’t put it past her to dive off and swim back to shore. I knew she could do it. Special Forces weren’t known to be crap swimmers.

“That’s what I thought,” Kristin whispered, and I felt her disappear.

Or maybe it was the cloud of her perfume drifting away.

“Oh, so…” Kaleb said, coming to my side. “That ring is an engagement ring? Really? It looks like you got it from a flea market.”

“When the hell was the last time you went to a flea market?” I asked.

“My new house is furnished with nothing but flea market shit!” Kaleb chuckled, as he sipped at his drink. “So, are you introducing me to my future sister-in-law, or should we wait until she can confront the whole family at once, and get ambushed by Kamilla?”

I had no idea.

All these swirling thoughts of her, and my family, had to go on the backburner, when a waiter dropped a tray, and yelled for everyone to get down, and the murmuring whisper was replaced by screams.

Chapter 38

Covered in a Dead Person

Taz

What kind of bullshit operation was the CIA Director running here? They needed to re-evaluate the fuck out of their security plan.

Heath Carlin, dressed in the cheap suit of a waiter, came rushing in. The barrel of his gun pointed right at me.

I pushed Sierra away, knowing that I was his target. Sierra crashed into the wall, as she let out a Ukrainian expletive that was long, jumbled, and I was guessing also a bit hilarious.

“Good to see you again, sweetheart.” Heath said, the endearment made me clench my fist.

I stared down his pistol, knowing that the smallest flinch and it would be lights out for me, Trinity Guerro. Killed before my wedding by my abusive ex-husband. Killed in front of the upper class set that I didn’t belong with. Tragic. Sad.

The stereotypical battered woman that I had not wanted to be.

Heath came at me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, and pushing the gun into my temple.

I found myself a hostage once again.

But… I could work with this. I could get out of this okay.

“Let her go,” Kai stood in front of us, his hand out, like he was trying to calm a skittish horse.

“Kai!” Kamilla said from under a table. “Get back here!”

“This your little rich boy, huh?” Heath said into my ear.

“Just let her go,” Kai said again, his hand still in the space between us. “You want money? I’ve got money. You want to send a message? I can do that for you. But if you harm her, any offer goes out the window.”

“Where’s daddy, little rich boy?” Heath said.

“Protocol. He’s probably in the safe room.” Griff shook his head. “You won’t be able to get to him.”

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