Page 53 of Saint

“When will your team get here?”

“ETA is three hours.”

Mia swallowed hard. Maybe she and her father wouldn’t get to meet for dinner after all. If Nik and his team found him, they wouldn’t allow him to escape with his life. What if they were wrong, though? As much as she knew her father was involved in shady things, how dark and deep did it actually go? Could she try to save him? Or was it too late?

Time to play Devil’s advocate.

“Nik, what do you really know about The Agency?” she asked carefully. “Could they possibly have good intentions you aren’t aware of or—”

He spun on her. “Are you fucking kidding me? They killed Tanner and tried to kill me, too. Tried to kill all of us multiple times.”

The angry scowl on his face told her there’d be no talking to him about it—he’d already made up his mind. “You don’t have to yell. I just asked.”

“I’m not yelling!” His voice roared through the cabin and Mia flinched. After pulling in a deep, steadying breath, he lowered his tone. “They’re an evil, power-hungry group who wants my team dead. But we’re going to destroy them first. Sorry, Mia, but your father is a dead man walking.” He shrugged a broad shoulder. “What did they expect would happen when they tried to fuck over a team of assassins? Because, news flash, Ex Nihilo used to kill people for The Agency. They put us together to take out their enemies, to create a void where they could take over, a complete power grab. They have no interest in making the world a safer place by destroying the enemies of the United States like they’d pitched. They’re liars and killers.”

Mia’s thoughts whirled and she was more confused than ever. But before she could say another word, the front doorcrashed open. Nik grabbed his gun off the nightstand and raced into the living room, and Mia sprang out of bed, right on his heels.

A team of men swept through the room and an ice-cold wind made the flames in the fireplace dance.

“Mia! Get back in there!” Nik shoved her toward the bedroom and managed to fire off a couple of shots before they were surrounded and ordered to freeze.

“Drop your weapon,” a man wearing a ski mask ordered.

Without an option, Nik tossed his gun out of reach. Several men immediately moved in, one grabbing Mia and two restraining Nik. Another man approached and Mia’s heart fell when she saw the syringe in his hand.

“Goodnight, asshole.” He stabbed Nik in the neck.

“No!” Mia screamed, struggling to break free. “What did you give him?”

Nik slumped sideways, forcing the men nearest him to hold his big body up.

“A very strong sedative. Put him in the SUV,” the leader ordered, and Mia watched them drag Nik out the front door.

“No!”

The leader turned his attention to her. “I suggest you put some pants and shoes on or you’re going to have a very cold trip.”

“Where are you taking us?”

“Your father would like to have a chat.”

Oh, God. What have I done?

Her gaze moved over to the burner phone on the table. It’s the only way her father could’ve found them. But it was a burner! She thought burner phones couldn’t be tracked.

Unless…

Somehow he must’ve been able to access the GPS in the phone. The one that would’ve led Pharaoh to her if anything had happened to Nik. Most likely, he had someone hack it for him.

This was all her fault.

Now Nik was in trouble, his life on the line, and she had no idea how far her father was willing to take things.

Chapter Eighteen

Something hard pressed against Saint’s back and a cool dampness permeated his nose. When he tried to move his hands, they didn’t budge, but he heard a clinking sound.What the hell?Opening his eyes, he realized his wrists were cuffed to a rocky wall which pressed into his back. His surroundings were grim and, if he had to guess, he was locked up in some kind of underground bunker.

Struggling to remember what happened, fighting through the lingering grogginess making his mind foggy, his gaze moved over the small room. A desk, a chair and a table covered with a dirty sheet. Dread moved through him and he wasn’t in any hurry to see what lay hidden beneath that sheet.

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