Page 27 of Beautiful Vengeance

Looked like she would be flying across the pond any day now to put the final phase into action. Right after she laid the groundwork for the invitation she would be sending.

Glancing around her facility one last time, Janelle took in every delicious detail and envisioning what would happen here soon. Seeing her design brought to life was almost as thrilling as what she was on the verge of accomplishing.

After more than two decades, she was closer than ever to finding her remaining targets, who were now all in their early to late thirties. How convenient for her if they’d decided to stay together in one place.

Once she found them, it was just a matter of separating the wheat from the chaff.

The blueprints were in place. Her soldiers were ready to be deployed. Planning and design were her specialties—she just used them in non-traditional applications.

She smiled to herself as she walked to her vehicle, the physical form of her dream nearing completion behind her.

And to think her parents had said she wouldn’t amount to anything as an architect.

Chapter Eight

Kiyomi mentally prepared herself before entering Amber’s room the next morning after breakfast. As usual Marcus had been up and gone by the time she’d arrived in the breakfast room.

Things had finally shifted between them last night. She wanted him more than ever, and time was running out. She was torn between wanting to leave to spare him more pain and danger, and wanting to stay.

Trinity was peering over Amber’s shoulder as Kiyomi approached them. Three computer screens were set up on the wide desk beneath the picture window overlooking the west lawn. Kiyomi pretended her heart and head weren’t at war. “Well, roomie? What do you think of my final contenders?”

She had been in charge of finding places for everyone to rent in the Coventry area once they moved out of Laidlaw Hall. While everyone else moved in with their significant other, she and Trinity would be roommates.

“I’m leaning toward the cottage,” Trinity replied, her eyes on screen as she draped an arm across Kiyomi’s shoulders. “Only because it’s more private.”

“Works for me. Moving date still set for the end of the week?”

Trinity nodded, studying the map on screen where Amber had put a series of red dots to mark everyone’s rental accommodations. They were grouped within a few miles of each other, making logistics easier. “Maybe sooner, depending on how this shakes out.”

A wave of sadness hit her. She loved it here and wanted more time with Marcus. Though it was for the best if they left soon. He’d done more than enough for them, and he’d put himself at risk by having them here in the first place. Sure he was former SAS and could handle himself, but she didn’t want to endanger him any further. They all had targets on their backs. The bounty made her a high-risk houseguest. “Anything new on Rahman from those possible sightings I sent you?”

“Yep.” Amber switched keyboards and began typing something. “Last sighting of him was when he left Latakia the other night.”

A coastal town almost a four-hour drive from Damascus, the capital city being his usual base of operations. “Visiting his mother, I presume.” He went there so infrequently it was impossible to target him there. It was also hard to believe a monster like that even had a mother, but for some reason he doted on her. That made his cruel treatment of women all the worse.

“Must have been. The last security cam footage I have of his vehicle is leaving the city at twenty-one-hundred-hours two nights ago. I couldn’t find it entering Damascus after that.”

“He’d have changed vehicles again. Probably won’t go back to Damascus for a few days now anyway.” That was his pattern, never going straight back to the capital after he’d been away. Always trying to throw off anyone who might be trying to track him.

She straightened, didn’t resist when Trinity pulled her closer and gave her a squeeze. “A lot of smart people are looking for him. Only a matter of time before he makes a mistake, and then we’ve got him,” Trin said.

Kiyomi nodded, tamping down her frustration. Finding Rahman couldn’t happen fast enough for her liking. She neededthemto be the ones to get a bead on him, not leave his capture up to another organization or government.

Amber turned slightly to aim a smile at her, green eyes sparkling. “In happier news, I found your DNA results listed in your old Program files.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t even known Amber was looking for that. “Anything in there about who my father was?”

“Nope. But I did find something else you might find interesting.” A few keystrokes later, another map popped up on screen. “You’ve still got relatives living in Japan.”

Kiyomi held her breath as she studied the dots on the map and names on screen. “Who are they?”

“Most are distant, from what I can tell. But there’s one lady who I’m pretty sure was your mom’s half-sibling living in Kiyoto.”

Kiyomi had never known her mother had any siblings. A smile spread across her face, awe and excitement temporarily banishing all thoughts of Rahman. “My aunt.”

“Yes.” Amber smiled at her. “You’ve definitely got family out there.”

But none of them wanted me.Kiyomi blocked the thought and wrapped her arm around Trinity and set her other hand on Amber’s shoulder to squeeze it. “I’ve already found my family.” They might come from completely different backgrounds and had only known each other for a short time, but these women were like blood to her.

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