Page 26 of Covert Vengeance

“I’ll alert Trinity and the others so they can let Landstuhl know. He won’t be granted access to their airspace.”

Amber nodded and closed Lady Ada. “Best I can do for now. I’m going to check on Kiyomi.” Mostly because her reaction to him unnerved her.

She put the laptop aside and got up, trying to squeeze past him. He surprised her by standing and capturing her chin in one hand.

Amber froze, torn between shoving his hand away and admiring his gall. But she found she couldn’t move. Could only stare into those gorgeous brown eyes as he seemed to probe her mind for all her secrets.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he murmured.

His tone was low, intimate, sending heat curling through her. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she muttered, pulling free and sliding past him, her face flushing. She needed space and Kiyomi might wake up at any time, disoriented and confused.

Cordova might not be a threat, but he was a danger to her all the same. The less time they spent together, the better.

She found her old friend asleep in the small, private cabin in the aft of the aircraft. Amber shut the door softly behind her and crossed to the bunk where Kiyomi lay. God, the bruising and swelling on her face were awful.

She knelt next to the bed and gently laid a hand on Kiyomi’s forehead. One swollen eye popped open as her hand shot up to grab Amber’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip.

“We’re on a plane,” Amber explained, keeping still, her voice low. “I’ve got an IV in you to give you fluids and antibiotics. We’re flying to Landstuhl in Germany to refuel and have a doctor check you out. Then we’re going to England to be with the rest of the team.”

“Team?” Kiyomi whispered, releasing Amber’s wrist.

Amber nodded. “I trust them. We’re trying to find all the Valkyries and bring them in.”

“Who’s we?”

“An NSA agent, some other former Valkyries, me, and my sister.”

“Sister?” Kiyomi frowned.

“Yes.” Amber smoothed Kiyomi’s lank hair back from her face. “It’s a long story I’ll tell you about later. Right now I need to know how bad you’re hurt.”

“Not that bad.”

Yeah, right. “If I gave you a mirror right now, you might change your mind.”

One side of her mouth lifted, then she flinched and touched the cut on her lower lip with her tongue. “My…ribs hurt. Not sure if any are broken.”

“What about inside?”

The partially open dark eye watching her glanced away. As though Kiyomi was unable to hold Amber’s gaze. “I’ll live.”

Amber’s stomach clenched at everything Kiyomi didn’t say.What did they do to you?Though she could imagine easily enough. “Here. Take these.” She shook out a couple of extra strength painkillers and gave them to her with a bottle of cold water. “Slow sips.”

Kiyomi nodded and pushed up gingerly onto one elbow, her lips pressing together and a low sound of pain coming from her. Amber wasn’t squeamish, but seeing her old friend suffering like this turned her stomach. “Who was that guy that helped us?” Kiyomi asked.

“Jesse Cordova. Contract killer now working with us, apparently.”

A frown. “You know him?”

“No, but you and I probably wouldn’t be alive without him. Plus my sister vouched for him.”

Kiyomi’s bruised gaze shot to hers. “Tell me about your sister.”

Amber told her about how she and Megan had been torn apart as kids and put into the Valkyrie program, then how Megan and Tyler had hunted her in Europe recently. “She’ll be waiting for us when we land in England.” Amber couldn’t wait to see her again, spend more time with her and get to know each other after spending over twenty-five years apart.

“Wow,” Kiyomi said when Amber finished.

“I know. It’s a lot to take in.” Amber took the water bottle from Kiyomi and gently grasped her shoulders to help her lie back down. “All right, back to sleep with you. I’ll wake you up a few minutes before we land.”

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