Page 21 of Toxic Vengeance

“Because we have questions.”

“We?”

“Rycroft and I.”

Was this a setup? If Rycroft had been here Zack would have been less suspicious.

He leaned back and folded his arms, not giving a shit if it broadcast his defensiveness, though the abrupt shift straight to business was almost a relief rather than talking about their past and her ditching him. “Such as?”

“A good friend of mine was killed yesterday in Vermont.”

The pain and anger in her eyes bothered him. He wanted to wipe it away, fix everything and make things the way they had been before. “Sorry to hear that.”

Her wary expression didn’t change as she pulled out a small photograph from her jacket pocket and slid it facedown across the table. “We found the hitter dead in his car nearby a few minutes later. Apparently he did contract work for the same people as you. You know him?”

He took the photo and flipped it over. Shock punched through him when he saw the face of the dead man slumped behind the wheel, followed immediately by a sharp pain in the center of his chest.

Yeah, Zack knew him.

He turned the picture facedown, stared at the back of it as he absorbed the blow, unable to get the image of John’s bloody face out of his mind. “When was this taken?”

“Yesterday morning.”

Why hadn’t Zack received word that John had been killed? John’s parents had Zack’s cell number. God, what an agonizing loss this would be for them. As to who had killed John… The woman across the table was more than capable of it.

He collected himself before looking up at Eden again, fighting back his anger. “Did you do it?”

Surprise and a flash of indignation flared in her eyes, then was gone. “No. But he killed my friend and tried to kill me as well. I wounded him in the back of his right shoulder before he got away.”

Her answer seemed honest. She might be a consummate actress, but Zack believed her, and relaxed a little. She’d been defending herself. If she’d killed John, this would have been way harder than it already was.

Eden studied him, cool and remote. A virtual stranger compared to the woman he’d known. “Who is he?”

“A friend of mine.”

“How good a friend?”

“Good enough.” Enough that this news hurt like a bitch. He and John had worked together off and on for a couple years. He knew John’s family. Had spent some time with them, sat at the parents’ kitchen table at Thanksgiving.

“Did you send him after me?”

“No,” he said, adamant. So who had?

Eden set her jaw, anger now visibly bubbling beneath her calm surface. “Why did he target my friend and me?”

“Who was your friend?”

She was silent a moment. “My former handler.”

Zack covered his surprise. John always obeyed the rules. So if he’d gone after Eden and her handler, it was because he’d been following orders.

A long, taut silence built as he and Eden stared at each other, suspicion and mistrust filling the space between them. And he hated it. Couldn’t stand it another moment.

He broke eye contact to glance around the place, assuming they were being watched, but didn’t spot anyone who stood out. Decision made, he met her gaze once more. “Can we talk somewhere more private?” There was so much he wanted to say and ask, but not here, not in public and not while her shields were up. She had to be wearing a wire or whatever. He didn’t want anyone else overhearing the conversation he had in mind.

Eden debated it for a few seconds, then relented with a nod. “Fine, follow me.”

She was up and out of her chair before he could move, left him staring after her as she made her way to the door. He followed, watching for signs of someone tailing him, but this whole area was too crowded so it was hard to know for sure.

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