Page 92 of Fury

Her blue and green eyes took him in.

Somehow, his mouth was on hers. He sealed the promise, letting the kiss linger. Letting himself become entrenched in that commitment.

“Hey, lovers, we need to wrap this up,” Bennion groused.

Davis cupped her face. Wanted to say so much more, but he knew, in her life, words had been cheap. So many had left. Even her adoptive parents. He helped her upright but didn’t let go of her hand.

“Give us a rundown on what happened.”

Grief played havoc on her features. “I’ve been so stupid.”

“Not possible. You’re the smartest person I know.”

Something faltered in her expression as she stared at him. Swallowed. Then wiped her eyes. “It’s Leila—it’s been her the whole time.”

“The dead girl?” Glace balked, giving Benn a confused look.

“She’s not dead—she was here. She’s the mastermind behind the whole thing, and holy wow, that girl has a cold, wicked streak the size of Alaska!”

Behind them, Benn’s curse wasn’t completely drowned out by the fire alarm.

“You’re sure?” Glace asked.

“I told you—she was right here. Held a gun to my head. Trust me, I know my fr—” Hollyn stopped mid-word, sickened that she’d ever called that woman “friend.” She nodded. “It was her. And she’s not alone. Archie’s working with her—blackmailed, but he chose money over my parents’ lives.”

Davis grunted. “Knew he was a piece of?—”

“Any idea where they went?” Bennion asked as he slung his M4 to his back, folded his arms, and studied the screens. “Not seeing him on the surveillance feeds.”

The words drew Davis over. He saw the hall, apartment foyer. The back alley. Exact one they’d use to infil . . . “Saw us coming.”

Benn nodded to a lower-right screen. “A klick out.”

Davis eyed another more active screen. “That’s the dignitary event.” He rubbed his jaw. “She had a contingency plan.”

“What does that mean?” Hollyn asked.

Davis shifted to face her. “D’you know where they went? Did they say?” He noted Fury searching the room. Kept track as he listened.

“No . . . I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Leila and the bouncers with her left . . . maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago. Then Archie took off saying he was going to stop her.”

“Stop her?” Glace challenged. “Thought you said they were working together.”

“They are—were—I don’t know.” She kneaded her temples. “Archie tried to sell my program to her, but that’s where the blackmail came into play. We have to find her.” Her eyes widened, and she caught Davis’s sleeve. “She said the buyers were waiting, that she’d have a lot of money soon.”

“Not good,” Bennion muttered.

“Missile launch,” Davis suggested with a nod.

“Has to be,” Hollyn said gravely. “She’s trying to prove that it can do what she promised—that has to be it because she said she wouldn’t have a need for me. If I can get my hands on the tablet she’s using to run the AI, there’s a chance I can hack in and stop the launch even after it’s been started.”

“How much of a chance?” Glace asked.

“Doesn’t matter.Chanceis better thanno chance,” Benn said. But a scowl was etched onto his face. “So, clear the hotel and palace?”

Thinking through what they’d learned, Davis considered the guy. “If not an entire square mile.” His gaze shifted to the screens again. “Anyone got eyes on them?”

A round of “negative” answered.

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