Page 71 of Tag
He smirked. “He wanted me to deliver this in person. Eye to eye.” His free hand dipped into his vest and came out holding a folded scrap of paper.
My gut tightened.
“You drop the rifle,” he repeated, “and you get the message. Otherwise—” He jabbed the pistol harder into the hostage’s head. The man whimpered.
Through my communication, Gideon’s voice murmured in my ear.“We’ve got the back wall. Two shooters down. One left inside.”
I kept my voice low. “Hold. This is still live.”
The gunman tilted his head, reading me. “Tick tock, Tag.”
I let the seconds stretch, my mind running every angle. Then I eased my finger off the trigger and let the rifle drop to my side—not slung, just enough to make him believe I was bending.
That half-second of smugness in his eyes was all I needed.
I lunged, closing the distance in two steps. My left hand wrenched his pistol arm up and away from the hostage’s head while my right slammed into his throat. He gagged, stumbled, and I ripped the gun from his grip, spinning it back on him.
One shot. Center mass.
He dropped, the folded scrap tumbling from his hand to the dusty floor.
I kicked it over, keeping my rifle up now, and snatched it before Gideon’s team swept in to pull the hostages out.
The note was short. Just six words, written in a sharp, deliberate hand:
“You can’t keep her forever.”
My pulse hammered. I didn’t need to ask who “her” was.
I stuffed the note in my vest and keyed my communication. “Package secure. We’re done here.”
But inside, I knew this wasn’t over.
Graves wasn’t done—not with Aponi.
67
Aponi
Tag didn’t say much when he got back.
Whatever happened out there had him wound tight, tighter than usual.
He just sat there for a moment, jaw working like he was chewing over the words he didn’t want to say.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
He reached into his vest and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “He sent you a message.”
The weight of it was heavier than the paper should have allowed. I took it, unfolded it—and froze.
You can’t keep her forever.
I read it twice, the edges of my vision going sharp. “He’s still trying to get to me.”
“He’s not just trying,” Tag said. His voice was low, even, but I heard the steel under it. “He’s promising.”
I looked up at him. “Then we take him down before he gets the chance.”
