Page 47 of Assassin's Game
They hadn’t left her alone in the basement. I guessed that was something.
“Tell me again what happened, Monty,” I said instead.
Before he could start, Titus entered from the hall under the staircase. “Sullivan is still out,” he said, moving to join us. “That second dose is doing the trick.”
“He’s secure?” I asked.
Titus nodded. “I’ll stay with him tonight; just wanted to hear the story.” He jerked his chin toward Rhys.
“Just in time, bro.” Monty raised a hand for Titus to clasp tight. I waited impatiently for him to continue.
“They were waiting for us in the study.” Monty laced his fingers together and inverted them. A series of pops sounded. His tell—he didn’t want to relive the moments when Rhys’s life had been in his hands, but he knew how important the details were.
“How could they be waiting?” Eli asked. “We’ve got access to the security feeds from Sullivan’s house. No one has been in or out except for household staff.”
Monty frowned. “I don’t know. I only know that when we moved into the study to search, they were already there.”
“How much of the house did you get through first?” I asked.
“We’d been through it all except that room.”
I could tell the fact that their mission had been incomplete was riding Monty, but Rhys’s safety had been more important. Family came before the op, always. Having met the Agozi brothers, I now knew they held the same view.
“Find anything?” Eli asked.
I opened my mouth, ready to tell him to shut it, that he wasn’t running the show—and then our gazes clashed. Eli stared me down as if he knew exactly what I’d been about to say. Exactly what I was thinking and feeling. And he was willing to take it if I needed him to.
I looked away first, hating myself for it but unable to stop.
As if he’d been waiting for Eli and me to settle our battle of wills, Monty continued. “Not a fucking thing.” He leaned forward, planted his elbows on his knees. “I’d almost swear the man doesn’t live there, or at least doesn’t use most of the rooms. That house is like a magazine.”
“He might not use much of it,” Remi pointed out. “He lives alone. He probably prefers certain rooms.”
“And the house is a showcase,” Eli agreed. “I’ve seen photo spreads of parties held there. The upstairs might be where he mostly lives.”
Monty shook his head. “That’s just it—there wasn’t even a speck of toothpaste in the bathroom sink. No books on the bedside table. Nothing. Only the worst kind of OCD could keep a place that spotless. I’d hoped to find more in the study, at least work intel, but…”
We’d find the tie between Sullivan and X one way or another. “We’ll take it up with him tomorrow,” I said, impatience roughening my words. I’d work the man over tonight if I thought it would get me anywhere, but my team needed to be at a hundred percent before we tackled anything else. “Tell me what happened in the study.”
Monty sat back. “We entered the study last, began clearing it immediately. Same routine as in every room. One guy lunged out of a closet as Rhys opened it. Got him with the needle straight off. I ran for them, but another man tackled me from behind.” Monty’s fists tightened at the memory. “I flipped him—”
“Him?” I asked sharply.
I could see him thinking back, weighing his impressions, making certain he was right. “Definitely too big and bulky to be women.”
“Did the second guy have a needle too?” Remi asked.
“Lost it when I tossed him.” Monty’s smile wasn’t happy. He opened a flap on his fatigues and retrieved an uncapped hypo wrapped in a tissue. “I grabbed it before we left.” He passed it to Titus, who took it over to the computer table. “We were fighting when the guy with Rhys shouted. I could hear Rhys gasping for breath. I guess it scared them, because they ran out.”
Soldiers who could take my guys by surprise didn’t get scared. The story made no sense.
“I’m not sure where they went out—I was too busy taking care of Rhys. Maybe we caught them on the feeds?”
Eli nodded. “I’ll see if they show up on the external cameras we planted.”
“I’ll watch Rhys for a while longer,” Monty said. His body went boneless as he laid his head back on the chair. “He’ll sleep.”
“I’ll be in with Sullivan,” Titus said.
