Page 65 of Lethal Sins

The implication was clear—they were expendable.

All except her. For now.

She closed her eyes against a wave of dread. Why had her dad made her the key?

Weapons aimed at the intruders, Jason and Cody closed ranks in front of her.

The man didn’t even flinch, just trained his weapon on Cody. “Weapons on the floor. Now.”

Paige’s heart leapt into her throat, but before she could react, Cody’s voice cut through the tension. “Stand down,” he ordered. “I’ll take over from here.”

She gasped, realizing he was talking to the intruders, not her and Jason. What was he thinking?”

Bill laughed, but uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “Sure, thing, kid. Right after we end you.”

His weapon aimed at the ceiling, other hand out in clear communication that he wasn’t a threat, Cody took a step toward the other man. “The name’s Tanner.”

Paige gasped. Either he’d fooled her again, or he planned to fool Bill.

Hands still raised, Cody took another measured step forward. “I work for Five-Seven.”

The other man barked out a laugh, but it lacked conviction. “Nice try.”

Undeterred, Cody advanced another step. He held out his index finger. “I know you brought a DNA sequencer. Check my ID.”

A tense silence followed before the man nodded to one of his henchmen. The burly figure produced a device that looked like the unholy offspring of a glucose monitor and a smartphone. With clinical efficiency, he pricked Cody’s outstretched finger.

Paige held her breath, the beep of the machine unnaturally loud in the quiet room. She watched the man’s face, saw the moment disbelief morphed into shocked recognition.

“Sir,” he said, his posture snapping to attention.

As Cody joined the group of men, Paige felt as if she were watching a magic trick. The Cody she knew melted away, replaced by someone entirely different. When he turned to face her and Jason, his eyes were cold, his expression mean and deadly. The man she thought she knew, the partner she’d trusted with her life, was gone. In his place stood a stranger.

“Drop your weapons,” he ordered Paige and Jason.

Beside her, Jason growled with rage. “I’ll tear your head off, Lassiter.”

Cody—or was it Tanner now?—ignored the threat. His gaze locked onto Paige, pinning her in place with the intensity of his stare.

She had never felt more alone.

And she’d dragged Jason right into the middle of this disaster.

Cody’s fingers danced along his handgun. He slid the magazine in and out, a rhythmic motion that filled the tense silence.

In. Out. In. Out.

It made Paige want to scream.

Probably the idea.

His expression nothing but cold, contained rage, Cody stared her down. “Drop it, or I’ll shoot your big friend straight in the face.”

There was no real choice. Her only option was to convince Cody and these goons to leave Jason alive when they took her. She bent her shaking knees, setting her sidearm on the stained carpet and raising her hands skyward. “No problem. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Cody cut a glance at Jason. “See? Not so hard. Now it’s your turn. Follow the rules and you might live to fight another day.”

Radiating fury, Jason obeyed. This close in, he could take out all four of these men with his bare hands. She couldn’t let him die trying. The longer the standoff went, the more likely Jason would be to make a huge, heroic move.

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