Page 35 of Toxic Vengeance

Now every time she saw him it was like a punch to the gut. She ached for him still, and part of her desperately wanted to find out how much of what they’d shared was real, and how much was lies. She’d told herself it was mostly lies, to make it easier. But not knowing for sure was eating away at her insides.

“Find him?” Trinity asked, standing.

Zack nodded, wiping rain from his face. It glinted on his dark hair and few days’ worth of growth on his face. “He’s at The Balmoral with a security team. My contact there said things have been calm there all night. When I fished a little, he didn’t seem to know anything about Penny, but there’s a dinner Popovich is scheduled to be at in two hours.”

“And you’re sure your source is reliable?” Eden asked.

He turned those piercing gray eyes on her, and something tightened in her chest. “Yes.”

The conviction in his voice and the sincerity in his expression looked so damn real. “And your handler? Did you call him back yet?” Amber had alerted them that Zack had been contacted two hours ago.

Zack nodded, not seeming surprised that she knew about it. “He offered me another contract, which I turned down. He knows I’m in Edinburgh, but not why, or with who.”

“Did he fish for any information about us?” Trinity asked.

“No. And even if he had, I wouldn’t have given it to him.” His gaze swung back to Eden. “I ditched the burner outside the Balmoral.”

She relaxed a little more, though she’d feel even better once Amber had confirmed what the conversation had entailed. And if there had been a problem, Amber would have alerted them already. “We’ve only got one location left to search for Penny. If she’s not there, we’re gonna have to start all over from scratch.” And in a hurry, too. If Penny planned to target Popovich at the dinner tonight, that didn’t give them much time to intercept her.

“Let’s get going, then,” Trinity said, pulling on her coat and tucking her weapon away. This time they all wore earpieces to communicate with one another. “You two go together and approach from the east. I’ll go in from the west.”

Eden turned for the door without looking at Zack, shoving aside the tumult inside her and locking into op mode. He was trained. If shit went down, he could handle himself.

The rain had eased up slightly, now falling in a steady rhythm instead of a chaotic downpour. Streetlamps and headlights glistened off the wet cobbles as they walked up the street together, heading for Stockbridge, just north of Edinburgh’s New Town.

It started out comfortable enough. But with each passing minute, everything left unsaid between them weighed heavier and heavier, until she was struggling to maintain her vigilance through sheer determination alone.

“Think she’ll be there?” Zack finally asked a few minutes later, halfway to their destination.

“Hope so.” The sooner they intercepted her and got her out of here, the sooner they could switch gears and start focusing on finding the masterminds behind all this death and destruction.

“And none of you know her?”

“No. But there used to be more of us, so I’m sure someone did.”

A man stepped out of the shadows as they reached the opposite sidewalk. Zack instantly shot out a hand to grasp Eden’s waist and stepped in front of her, but the man merely hunched deeper into his hoodie and kept walking.

The protective move was so foreign to her, she didn’t know how to react. Then she shrugged out of Zack’s hold and continued up the street, annoyed at how easily he threw her body and mind into chaos. One simple touch even with the barrier of clothes in the way, and her whole system was humming with awareness and need. If he ever touched her with intent, she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to stop him.

Thankfully he maintained a bit of space between them for the rest of the journey. Less than ten minutes later they’d reached the row of flats that followed the curving line of the road that bordered a small oval-shaped park across the street. Eden headed around back to the alley behind the long building, just as a lone female figure emerged from the shadows at the far end.

Trinity.

With Zack right behind Eden, she headed for the rear steps of number nineteen. At the bottom she turned to signal for him to stay put, then two faint pops suddenly broke the quiet.

She and Zack both spun around to face the rear of the flat.

Eden tapped her earpiece. “Suppressed gunshots,” she whispered to Trinity, scanning for signs of movement.

“Copy. I’ll head around front.”

Eden’s pulse kicked up as she stared at the back of the flat through the gloom, Zack just behind her. Then a crash came from inside.

If Penny was inside, she was under attack.

Drawing her weapon, Eden charged for the back door. Before she could reach it Zack shot past her, pistol in hand as he drew his foot up and kicked at the old lock. Two kicks and the lock gave. He shoved the door open with his shoulder, swept the entrance with his weapon. “I’ll go left,” he whispered.

They surged inside, scanning the darkened interior. He went left, Eden went right.

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