Page 94 of Shadow Operative

“They want to hit you where it hurts.”

“What can they possibly want from me? It appearsthey already have all the files and even the contract. They killed Rob—the one person they could have gotten more information from. Why target me?”

“I don’t know what they’re up to, Nia.” Gage’s voice remained gentle. “But there’s one person I know who might have some of those answers.”

She looked up at him. “Cormac?”

“Yes. Cormac. We need to go back to the cabin and see if he’s back from that boating trip yet. We don’t have any time to waste.” A new sense of urgency pressed on Gage.

As soon as they climbed into the car, Gage’s phone rang.

Nia’s heart pounded harder as she anticipated more bad news.

She couldn’t get her sister’s image out of her head. Poor, poor Sophia. She didn’t deserve any of this.

She’d already gone through so much with her illness. Why did these men have to drag her into this?

The thought was enough to make Nia cry. But it also strengthened her resolve.

She’d do anything to get her sister back.Anything. And that was exactly what these people were anticipating.

What would these men demand of her?

Gage answered the phone, and Austin’s face came across the screen. “Hey. I’ve been searching other videofeeds, and I found something that may interest you. I’m going to send you a clip of it, okay?”

“Sounds great.”

They ended the call, and he told Nia while they waited.

Nia nearly felt sick to her stomach as the seconds ticked by. What would be on the video? What if it was proof Nia did have something to do with this?

She could hardly handle the thought.

The seconds crawled by with agonizing slowness.

Finally, Gage’s phone beeped, and he hit the link Austin had sent.

Nia leaned closer and caught the whiff of Gage’s piney cologne. She’d noticed it earlier when they’d hugged, but she hadn’t been in the mental state to enjoy it.

Right now, the aroma brought her a temporary burst of comfort.

She shoved that thought aside as a video began playing on the screen.

It was of Rob’s apartment building.

The footage was from a camera near the front door that picked up everyone coming and going. The time stamp at the bottom read three a.m.

“I woke up about three-thirty,” Nia murmured.

Her lungs felt frozen as she continued to wait.

Then she saw it.

A man walked into the building.

She squinted, needing to be certain her eyes were not deceiving her.

But they weren’t.

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