Page 42 of Toxic Vengeance

He almost dropped his gin and tonic when he looked up and saw Alex fucking Rycroft walk in. The man’s silver gaze locked on him and stayed there while he crossed the private room toward Glenn. What the hell washedoing here?

“Bennett,” Rycroft said, helping himself to the seat across the table. “Been a long time. Mind if I join you?”

Maybe this was coincidence. Maybe it had nothing to do with the Valkyries. He played it cool. “I’m actually expecting someone—”

“I won’t stay long. I’ll just catch up with you while you wait.” He leaned back in the chair like he planned to stay for a while. “So, how’ve you been? Retirement treating you okay?”

The intensity of that gaze made nerves come to life in the pit of his stomach. “Yeah. You?”

One side of Rycroft’s mouth kicked up. “Can’t quite kick old habits, I’m afraid. Still have my fingers in all sorts of pies. Guys like us never really retire, am I right?”

It was suddenly hard to swallow. The bastard knew something. Or at least had heard something. No way he was here right now by chance. And if Rycroft was sniffing around… Fuck. “Yeah.” He set his drink down, his mind working fast. “What are you doing here?”

“Lunch meeting.” He glanced around. “Nice place. You come here often?”

“No.” Only when he had someone to impress…or make an impression upon.

“Ah.” He focused back on Glenn, and those eyes held a glint that turned the buzzing in his gut into a swarm of angry hornets. “What do you do to stay busy these days? Still working the odd case, off the record?”

Glenn hadn’t risen through the ranks of the Agency the way he had by allowing himself to be intimidated or letting pressure get to him. Still, Rycroft was one of the few people on this earth who could make him nervous. “Nah, that’s all done.” He put on an easy smile. “I travel with my family. Play a lot of golf.”

“Golf? Huh. I heard you’ve been playing a lot of something else lately.”

Glenn would have had to be in a coma to miss the message.

They’re watching me. Theyknow.

He put on a puzzled frown, shoved down the spurt of panic that shot through him. Rycroft was tight with Trinity Durant and Briar DeLuca. Were they suspicious of him? “Really? Where’d you hear that?”

Rycroft shrugged. “Around. You know how it is. Our world is pretty small.”

Yeah, it fucking was. People you thought were friends and allies could turn on you in a heartbeat if it meant saving their own skins. Had someone sold him out? He couldn’t read Rycroft, other than the subtly implied threat underlying the conversation.

Someone else walked into the restaurant. Not Glenn’s contact. Rycroft glanced back, then faced Glenn. “Well. I’ve taken up enough of your time.” He pushed his chair back and stood, held out his hand. “Good to see you.”

Glenn gripped it, holding that eerily knowing gaze. “Yeah. Take care.”

“You too.” He let go and walked away.

Glenn stared after him, his heart hammering against his ribs. He waited two minutes before leaving through the back entrance and hurrying to his car. There was no sign of Rycroft, but the man would definitely be watching, and there were plenty of other vehicles around. Any one of them might have someone watching him or waiting to follow him. He checked beneath the vehicle and looked under the hood for any signs of tampering or explosives before getting in it.

After texting his contact to cancel the meeting, he drove west for an hour to ensure he wasn’t being followed before he deemed it safe enough to stop. Not trusting that Rycroft hadn’t bugged his car, Glenn got out and walked to a secluded side street before using a burner phone to place another call he didn’t want to make.

“It’s me,” he said when the Architect answered.

“You’re fucking kidding me. What the hell iswrongwith you?”

His pulse raced frantically in his throat. “Alex Rycroft just showed up at what was supposed to be a secret meeting with one of our colleagues. They’re watching me. They know.” He rushed to get it all out before he was hung up on. “Penny’s dead—”

“I’m aware.”

He paused. Aware of which part? He didn’t bother asking, because he wouldn’t get an answer. “But the others are still out there. Eight of them, and Rycroft has close ties to two.” He listed them all by name. “…Chloe and Eden, and—”

“Kiyomi.”

The way the name was said was odd. Full of interest and a sort of pride that struck Glenn as weird. “Yeah, and if they’re doing what I think they’re doing, then we’re both fucked.”

“I’m not fucked,” the Architect flung back at him. “But you will be if you don’t quit with this bullshit. You hear me? Don’t. Ever. Call. Me. Again.”

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