Page 128 of Shadow Operative

“I can’t believe you’d do all this.” The thought made nausea churn inside her.

“All I want is a nice house on the beach and endless hours to do whatever I want. You can’t really blame me for that, can you? At the rate I’m going right now, I’ll be forced to work at least another fifteen years. That just won’t work for me.”

Nia’s neck stiffened as she stared at the very man she’d once hired to work at her company, the one she’d thought had potential. Who’d come highly recommended and full of accomplishment.

How could she have been so wrong?

She stared at Graham, not bothering to hide the disgust in her gaze. “It all sounds selfish, if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you. Besides, you’re not going to remember most of this conversation anyway.” He held up a prototype of the app and hit a few buttons.

Nia knew what would happen next, and she pressed her eyes closed.

Was it even possible to stop herself from going into a trance-like state again?

She had no idea.

chapter

sixty-three

Gage pausedoutside the office door. He’d left Austin in the warehouse’s shadows just in case he needed backup.

He peered inside and saw Graham holding up the tablet toward Nia.

She pressed her eyes shut.

“Open her eyes!” Graham told one of the men in the room with them.

Gage had no time to waste.

Gun in hand, he burst into the room. When he saw the man reaching for Nia, he did a roundhouse kick.

Gage’s foot hit the tablet in Graham’s hands, and it fell to the floor.

Nia’s eyes flew open. “Gage!”

The man closest to Nia turned and raised his gun.

Before Gage could aim his own gun and pull the trigger, the second henchman jammed the butt of his gun into the side of Gage’s head.

Pain split through him, and he doubled over.

Graham scowled. “Did you really think that would work?”

The first guy snatched Gage’s gun and shoved it into his waistband. Then he raised his own gun at Gage again, his finger poised over the trigger.

“No!” Nia threw herself between the gun and Gage. “Tell him to stand down, Graham. He’d have to shoot me first, and I know you don’t want that to happen. You need me.”

“I do need those plans,” Graham muttered with a sneer.

Nia patted the air with her palms as if trying to calm the situation. “Then let everyone else go. You just need me.”

“I can’t let this guy and your sister walk away.” Graham let out a chuckle. “They know too much.”

“But don’t you see? You can let them go,” Nia murmured. “You have the power to make them forget this. No one else needs to die.”

“Nia . . .” Gage said behind her.

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