Page 37 of Redeeming Meg

As Declan breathed a quiet sigh of relief, she raised her hands. “I lost him.”

“Welost him,” Spence corrected. “I was helping the hostages out of the building at the rear dock when Tommy came barreling through. I didn’t recognize him. Meg told me what happened upstairs. I can’t believe he’s in cahoots with that wanker.”

Declan couldn’t believe it himself. “Did you see which way he went?”

One of the embassy employees sought out Spence to praise him for his assistance. He assured her it was no problem and directed her toward a woman with a medical vest on who was carrying a blanket.

Once she was out of hearing, he turned back to Declan and Meg. “He went south. I thought he was heading for the Metro, but by the time I realized it was him, he was blocks away. I trailed him until he jumped into a waiting taxi.”

“Tell me you can identify it,” Declan said.

“Of course.” Spence pointed at his earbud. “You better check in. Solomon is having a cow. I’ll dig up the number of the ride company, but it’s after hours. We may not be able to get any information until morning.”

A rumble of engines cut through the night air, and a line of black vehicles rolled up, sleek and imposing. There were no markings on the sides to identify them as Romanian or American, but the group that piled out in unmarked uniforms told Declan they were military.

They cut through the crowd, the lead operative confronting the Romanian SWAT team leader. “We’re taking custody of the prisoners.”

“Who are they?” Meg asked, getting pushed by the crush of people around them trying to evade the newcomers.

“You stay here with Spence,” Declan said. “I’ll handle this.”

She wasn’t about to listen to him. Imagine that. She took hold of the back of his jacket, trailing behind him. “We can’t let Hagar get away.”

He knew that, and yet… concessions would have to be made. It was something he hated more than anything, but they were still in the same position. Hagar graced plenty of Wanted posters in countries other than the States, and although plenty were after him for his crimes, he had friends and allies and high places, including the governments of many of those countries.

By the time the two of them reached the SWAT team leader and his military counterpart, the two men were in each other’s faces arguing. Hagar and his men were being jerked up from their seats on the ground and lined up against the wall. Hagar didn’t resist, but his eyes never left Declan’s. In those cold, depthless orbs, he was letting him know it wasn’t over yet.

Tessa emerged from the front of the destroyed building, stepping over the debris and hailing them. “Time for us to go,” she called, making shooing motions with her hands.

By the time she reached them, the argument had escalated into a yelling match that was gaining the attention of all of those on the grounds. She grabbed both Declan and Meg, pushing them with the strength of someone twice her size and marching them towards Spence. “We are not supposed to be here,” she said over the crowd noise and the arguing men. “And if we don’t leave now, we may find ourselves behind bars, right along with Hagar.”

Meg started to argue, but Declan grabbed her arm, and along with Tessa, they escorted her toward the destroyed gates, Spence falling into stride with them.

Once they were clear of the commotion, Declan forced all of them into a bus stop shelter near the spot where Spence claimed to have seen Tommy disappear into the taxi. It had to be nearing midnight, and the buses had stopped running hours ago.

“We have the drive,” Declan said, watching Meg stare into the distance. He knew what she was thinking. Could tell by the way she shook out her hands and paced that she was full of pent-up energy. The adrenaline hadn’t yet worn off, and now she had a new mission—Tommy. “The red bag mission is finished. We take the USB, and we meet Pegasus at the designated spot.”

Meg’s eyes flashed with irritation. “We’renotdone. Tommy’s out there, and he’s caught up in some kind of mess. If he’s working with Hagar?—”

“We don’t know that,” Declan interrupted, his voice low but firm.

“What if he’s the reason all of this happened in the first place?” Her eyes lost the snapping anger, and her voice lowered to meet his. “What if he’s after his own version of revenge for Jessie’s death?”

It was the only scenario she could spin that would make Tommy a hero. The alternatives were too painful for her to consider. “I know you want to think the best of him—I do, too—but he made a deal with Hagar to hand over the USB.”

She dropped her head into her hands. “I know. It was all too calculated. To premeditated.” She pulled out the drive and turned it over in her fingers. “What the hell is on here that would tempt Hagar enough to create a riot in order to retrieve it? He’s a showman, that’s for sure, but that little display back there”—she hitched a thumb over her shoulder toward the embassy—“isn’t his style. Too risky.”

Declan nodded. “The whole thing stinks, but right now, getting the USB to Flynn is our only priority. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

“You go, then,” Meg said, her tone now clipped. “You and Spence meet Pegasus at the rendezvous point. Tessa and I will find Tommy.”

In a show of solidarity, Tessa sidled closer to Meg, lifting her chin.

Declan glared at them, his chest tight. “Spence can take the USB. I’m not leaving you.”

“Wait just a bloody minute.” Spence’s hands fisted. “I thought we were a team. If you’re hunting Tommy, then we’re all hunting him.”

Meg shoved the USB at him and gave him a look that brooked no argument. “Wearea team, but right now, we have a dual mission that requires us to use our assets wisely. Take this and meet Pegasus. On the way, if you happen to break through the encryption and figure out what’s on it, you might accidentally let it slip to me, so I have leverage with Tommy when I find him.”

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