Page 108 of No More Spies

“I have no idea why people consider you dangerous,” Lenashot back.

“I could show you,” Kala offered. “But right now I want toknow who you are.”

“My father was a CIA operative,” she announced. “Yourparents killed him.”

Eve gasped. “Eli Nelson was your father? He didn’t have anychildren.”

“He had me,” Lena practically shouted. “He just didn’t knowit. And I didn’t get the chance to meet him because your father murdered him.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She was here for this? This? “Firstoff, my father didn’t kill yours. That was my mother, and she blew his lying,murderous ass all over the Arabian sea and…”

She’d been ready to explain the world to Lena when the womannodded to one of the men and a shot blasted through the space. Devi went whiteand started toward the floor, but the other guard caught her, so the ploydidn’t work. It merely allowed Lena some freedom as she passed Devi off.

At first Kala thought she was dead. She’d been shot before,and sometimes adrenaline played tricks on a mind.

Then Eve fell, her body twisting toward the floor as bloodstained her silk shirt.

Kala dropped to her knees, unable to stop the panic now. Herchest. How close was the bullet to her heart? Eve’s eyes were still open, butshe was a pasty white.

“I can finish the bitch off or you can come with me,” Lenaoffered.

“Don’t,” Eve whispered. “Fight. She’ll kill me anyway.”

“I won’t.” Lena stayed out of range of Kala’s hands, whichtwitched to strike. “I think Cooper is here somewhere, and it’ll slow him downif he has to save his mother. I like some chaos, too, you know. I missed herheart. Looks like I nicked a lung. She’ll survive for a while yet. Likely justlong enough for us to make it to the airfield and get out of here. If you wantto fight, I can do that, too. But the first thing my men are going to do iskill your cousin. You might take a couple of us out, but she’ll die and so willEve. Though I suppose it would fit the Taggart way to choose the selfish path.”

“Kala,” Devi began.

Kala looked down at Eve. “Tell Cooper I love him.”

The rest went without saying. If Lena wasn’t lying and Evecould survive, she would tell them everything. Her parents would come for her.

Cooper would come for her.

And hey, maybe the bad guys wouldn’t look in her butt cheekfor the tracker. Probably not.

She squeezed Eve’s hand. “And I love you, too.”

Tears slipped from Eve’s eyes. “I love you, sweet girl.”

She hadn’t been a sweet girl for a very long time. Maybenever, but then perhaps the people who loved her saw her differently. Shestood. “Let’s do this then.”

Lena chuckled, a nasty sound. “Like I would let you walk outof here. I never intended to do that. I was going to slip this into your drink,but this will do.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe,setting it on the floor and rolling it Kala’s way. Like she was too dangerousto get close to. It was the one smart thing the woman had done all day becausesimply laying hands on Devi had signed her death warrant. Much less shootingEve. It might not be Kala who did it, but she had no doubt her family wouldtake the trash out. She reached down and picked up the syringe. Ah, here shewas. Full circle. Except this time she had to choose. Once she was out, theycould do anything they wanted with her body.

And Cooper would still love her. Her parents would stilllove her. Her family would put her back together if they tore her apart.

It was oddly simple, this thing that had haunted her most ofher life. She had to choose to go back to hell or watch her cousin andmother-in-law die.

Hell it was. She’d been through it once. If Satan wanted todance again, he’d learn how good she’d gotten at it.

She stared at Lena as she shoved the syringe into her armand pushed the plunger. “See you soon, Doc.”

The world went dark as she felt herself falling to thefloor.

ChapterSeventeen

Where the hell had she gone? A dude takes one little nap andhis soon-to-be wife slips away. Cooper yawned and rolled out of bed,stretching. How long had he been out? She couldn’t blame him. He’d performedvaliantly. He’d fucked her at least four times. Maybe five. It was a lot ofsex.

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