Page 67 of Fast Kill

The last part made his heart swell. Taylor was opening up to him more and more every day, and he was damn thankful that she trusted him that much.

Sure.It was only four o’clock now, so he could grab them something to eat and have it waiting at the apartment for when she got back.I can come pick you up at the office if you want.

I’ll let you know, thanks. Gotta go.

See you soon.He was smiling as he put his phone back into his pocket.

“What’s with that look on your face?”

He looked over at Kai, who was staring at him from a couple lockers over. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Kai snickered softly as he reached for a clean shirt and tugged it over his head. “Dude, you’re toast.”

On either side of him, Easton and Jamie both grinned and finished changing into their civvies.

Logan ignored the comment and reached for his leather jacket. Maybe he was toast, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait to see Taylor again. And tonight, he was going to make sure she knew he wanted way more from her than temporary or casual.

****

Dillon’s hands shook as he reached for the vial of pills on the battered bathroom counter. He couldn’t escape the crushing fatigue that threatened to pull him under, but somehow he had to if he wanted to stay alive.

Even the amphetamines weren’t working anymore. It was like his adrenal glands had been maxed out and were now as exhausted as the rest of him.

He took two more anyway and tossed them back with the remnants of his energy drink, the sickeningly sweet taste making him gag. The irony didn’t escape him.

He’d been involved with drug dealing and trafficking since the age of sixteen, and never once had he taken anything stronger than cold medicine. But he couldn’t function without help now.

For the past three days he’d gone without more than a few hours’ sleep combined, taking it in little snatches when he could. The rest of the time he’d spent on the move, looking over his shoulder and doing everything in his power to avoid the people hunting him. Including the two men he’d brought to D.C. with him.

Without a doubt, by now Carlos had tasked them with killing him and Taylor, because he was too high-risk for the cartel at this point.El Escorpionwould have been made aware of the situation and would be watching it closely. He would either have made the decision to replace or demote Dillon. He’d brought too much heat upon himself and the organization as a whole.

Dillon also had another problem to worry about.

The men he’d trusted to guard his back for the past three years were the closest availablesicarios, and they knew his habits. There would be others hunting him as well. Which was why he’d had to be so careful about being the opposite of predictable the past few days.

His plan had changed slightly. Salvaging his reputation and status within the cartel was paramount to him, even more so than saving his neck. His lifestyle and everything he’d risked to this point hinged on it.

He’d decided to allow himself one more shot at getting Taylor, then flee the country. Once he was free and clear he’d lie low until the fallout had settled and he could better read the situation within the cartel. If things had cooled off and he still heldEl Escorpion’sfavor, he’d return to Mexico. If not, he’d live out the rest of his days on a tropical beach in South Asia somewhere.

The drug hit his bloodstream in a powerful rush, bringing with it a wave of renewed energy. He was almost certain that Taylor was still being housed in the building she’d been taken to the other night. At high risk to himself, that same night he’d posed as a local telephone company employee and installed tiny surveillance cameras on all the telephone poles across from the various entrances and exits of the building.

From the safety of his hideout he’d remotely captured a brief glimpse of her as she’d returned late this afternoon in an unmarked SUV, with someone else driving her. He hadn’t seen her leave again via any of the doors or in another vehicle, so presumably she was still there. As soon as it was full dark out he would take his rental car there and stake out the building.

He needed Taylor, one way or the other. Dead, or even alive would serve his purposes too, at least to begin with. Then he could use her for collateral and a human shield to buy himself enough time to escape the forces that would come after him once he attacked.

Chapter Nineteen

“You ready to roll?” Chris asked her from near the apartment door.

“Yes, one second.” Taylor hurriedly pulled her hair into a ponytail at the back of her head and slicked on some pink lip-gloss to give her face some color. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, true, but today she was tired for a different reason.

A gorgeous, bearded, six-foot-two reason who’d tired her out before going to sleep last night, then again this morning.

Not that she was complaining. She planned to come back here and have a long afternoon nap once she was done with these meetings at the agency. Logan was coming over again tonight and she wanted to be ready for him when he got here, not on the verge of falling asleep.

She grabbed her laptop and briefcase holding all her files, and headed out of the bedroom. “Okay. Ready.”

Chris opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. “Driver’s waiting for us downstairs in the garage.”

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