Page 41 of Covert Vengeance

Then he snatched his leather jacket from the back of the chair and stalked out of the hotel room, melding with the throngs of people crowding the sidewalks. Crowds of businesspeople and tourists, clueless that a lethal predator like him walked amongst them.

He had everything he needed to get what he wanted.

It was only a matter of time before he found Cordova, and thus Amber. When he did, he would kill them both. First her, then him. But he’d make them both beg for death before giving either of them that release.

No onethreatened him or tried to take what he had. Anyone who was stupid enough to do either, died.

Once these two were dead, he would finally have the vengeance Zoya deserved. And only then…

Maybe then Zoya’s soul could find some measure of peace.

Chapter Twelve

“He’s responding.”

Jesse lowered his phone and leaned in to peer over Amber’s shoulder at her laptop. He started to reach past her to type in his password for the forum again, then thought better of it. She was insanely protective and possessive of her computer.

“May I?” he said, his voice dry.

She glanced up at him, seeming annoyed by his closeness and tone. “You’re aware I can hack in on my own, right?”

One side of his mouth lifted. “You could. But this’ll be faster and it proves I’m not trying to hide anything. So. Can I?”

She folded her arms. “Fine, go for it. But make it quick.”

Jesse entered his password and answered the security questions. Yury’s curt response popped up on screen immediately.

Fuck you.

“Yeah, so that’s a no,” Jesse murmured, not in the least surprised. They’d stabbed Stanislav right in the ego with the demand for more money. Though this response wasn’t just bluster. It was an extra threat they needed to take seriously. “We poked the bear and got the expected reaction. Now what?”

“Part B of Rycroft’s mysterious plan, I guess.”

The team here had say in what happened, but Rycroft had the power and resources to pull together a wider intel net. From what Jesse understood, Rycroft had been dead on about everything so far, and while it was clear Amber didn’t love the idea of letting a former government agent dictate their actions, she seemed to trust Trinity’s judgment, and the other Valkyrie trusted Rycroft implicitly. So whatever Rycroft came up with was what they would ultimately act on.

Amber pulled out her phone to text Trinity the news.

“You know she’s just downstairs, right?” he pointed out.

She lifted a shoulder, busy typing on her phone. “I prefer electronic communication.”

Because it afforded her the ability to be impersonal, and that was her comfort zone. He got that.

But last night she’d let him see an intensely personal side of her. The fire and need beneath the cool exterior she showed the rest of the world. She wasn’t nearly as standoffish and unaffected as she let on, even now. Inside, her emotions ran hot, and so did her blood. Just like him.

More than anything, Jesse wanted to see more of what lay beneath that cool façade.

“He responded already?” Trinity asked as she walked into Amber’s room a moment later.

“Have a look.” Jesse stood and let her take the chair at the desk so she could access what was on screen more easily. “What’s the plan now?”

“That’s up to Amber.” Trinity angled a look at Amber over her shoulder.

Amber frowned. “The bait thing. That’s the next part of the plan?”

“It’s the best idea we’ve got so far. Unless you have any other suggestions?”

“Nope. Bait it is. I’m ready to take this asshole down.”

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