Page 39 of Fight or Fly

“Yes,” she said. “Move.”

We entered, having little choice since the security door behind us was already closed. The woman drew her sidearm but kept it pointed at the ground.

She jerked her head toward the table and chairs. “Sit.”

Cautiously, we crossed and did as we were told. I locked eyes with Kam—his left shoulder lifted in a bewildered shrug. Once we were seated, she turned to her subordinates.

“Close the door and wait outside,” she ordered in a clear tone of command.

The men left without question, closing the door behind them and leaving us alone with the woman. She regarded us from beneath her cap, face still in shadow.

“Be aware that if you were to succeed in overpowering me—which is doubtful—it would not help you escape this room.” She stepped back to lean her shoulders against the wall. “And now, we will talk.”

“Show us your face,” Jax rasped. “Show me your face, damn it.”

Full, red lips twitched beneath the cap’s shadow. The woman lifted a hand to tug it free, the gun in her other hand never wavering. Honey blonde hair swept up in a practical chignon topped a pixie-like face with large gray eyes. I heard Jax draw in a sharp breath. Kam and I traded a brief, mystified look.

“Irina,” Jax breathed, barely the shape of a word.

Irina smiled, sharp and sibylline. “Hello, Jax. Fancy meeting you here.”

FOURTEEN

Leona

KAM AND I gaped atthem.Irina? As in,Alex’sIrina? What the actual...what? Of course, Jax looked every bit as gobsmacked as I felt. Maybe even more so.

“You... you’re... not dead?” he choked out, at more of a loss than I’d ever seen him before. In the next instant, anger slid over his pleasant features. “And you’re working forthem?”

Not just anger. Rage. It dripped from every pore.

Irina raised an eyebrow. “No, Jax—I’ve cunningly infiltrated their operation over the course of several years, and now I’ve randomly decided to blow my own cover by talking to someone who can identify me. I know you’ve had a rough day, but do at leasttryto use your fucking brain.”

A low, menacing growl rumbled through Jax’s chest.

“Excuse me,” I said, rising from the table and stepping in front of Jax before alpha rage could get the better of him. Kam mirrored me, and between us we cut the woman off from his line of sight. “It’s pretty clear there are some undercurrents here I don’t understand, but for now, maybe you can tell me why we’re in Euro-Soviet custody after an operation that took place inside UFNA territory.”

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