Page 38 of Agent vs. Assassin

“You just said that.”

“It’s worth repeating. He’s smart, too smart for my own good at times, but Tic Tac leans on him, and we need an extra brain on this.” I grab my coat. “I’ll call Tic Tac on the way to the press conference. I really need to get there and talk to Andrew in advance. Knowing my dumbass brother, he hasn’t even thought of the potential that Elsa might show up at the press conference with her sniper gun.”

Kane responds to my concern by calling in discreet manpower and reinforcements, which is fine by me. Maybe they’ll kill her so I don’t have to, because this isn’t going to be pretty.

Chapter Twenty-Five

A few minutes later, I’m in the back of the SUV, and the instant I connect with Tic Tac, he’s at me again. “Enrique is holding a gun on Lucas. You know that, right?”

“He deserves it. He kidnapped Pocher’s head of security. Apparently, he wants to die, and it might be me who kills him, so you can’t hold that against me. It’s easy to see he deserves it. You do not. We’re bringing you here with us. You’ll be as safe as a baby kangaroo in her mommy’s belly.”

“To stay where?”

“With Lucas and Enrique and a team of Kane’s people.”

“You mean a team of cartel members?”

I bristle at that. Kane is not the cartel, and I don’t have to look at Kane to feel his agitation. “Are you putting in a special request for cartel members? Should I tell Kane you want the nastiest cartel members possible to guard you?”

There’s a moment of silence in which I can feel Tic Tac’s panic before he bursts out with, “No. No. No. Stop it, Lilah. And don’t go telling Kane I said something I didn’t say.”

“You said—”

“I didn’t. I didn’t.I’m fine with Lucas and Enrique. And now for a poorly timed request. Can Jack come? He’s been here with me all this time, diving through the files.”

“You need me, Lilah,” Jack calls out. “I’m your secret weapon.”

That makes me feel like I’m being stabbed in the eye over and over. “Tell him to shut up or I’ll say no.”

“Quiet, Jack,” Tic Tac whispers, a plea in his voice that drives home how rare his earlier outburst was with me. “He’ll behave. And he’s helpful.”

“How?”

“You know what, Lilah,I needfor once. Can you not give me whatI need?”

“I needto know where every one of the six people on my list, outside of the VP, is right now.”

“I texted you that hours ago. The two that are not the VP and not going to the party were highlighted.”

“Just tell me.”

“Congressman Stevens is in her home state of California. Senator Soto is in her home state of Texas. Soto has a husband who’s a retired Navy SEAL and two brothers in the Army. She’s well-known for her love of guns.”

“I like her already, but she’s a hard target. Elsa won’t go after her first. Stevens is another story.”

“I can ask Rich to go look after her.”

Rich is such a pain in my ass—a crazy stalker, worse than Ghost in some ways. Because he does want me. Because he would hurt Kane if he had the chance and end up dead trying. I skip the Rich question. “You made sure the targets are all aware of what’s going on?”

“Yes. Of course I did, and so you know, Ellis had already called them. And no, his phone hasn’t moved.”

He called them, but he’s MIA. Either he’s dead or he set things up to look like he became Elsa’s victim. “What about diner girl?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell Jack if he wants to win me over, find her. Yes, this is a test.”

“Does that mean Jack can come with me to the Hamptons?”

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