Page 131 of Her Filthy Reverse Harem Romance Collection

Crowe returns to his meek demeanor and I shelve my anger for some other time. He’s not worth the effort it would take to teach him some manners.

I pull out my phone. “It’s her.” I meet Callahan’s stone-hard gaze.

“She’s wanting to be extracted.”

My fingers tighten around the phone. She knows better than to text unless it’s bad.

Callahan’s hand slides down his face. “No,” he says with an air of finality I don’t expect. He usually isn’t one to leave the innocent out there like bait.

I try again. “We can make it work without her in the middle.” That is as far as I can risk pushing the topic without stepping over the line and giving Crowe fuel to push his agenda.

“Antonov is moving pieces on the chess board. We wait until the girl feeds us intel on the shipments. Team A, make sure you can back up what she gives with your contacts down at the docks and the freighters.”

“Yes, sir,” I hear from a group of seven agents who are looking to climb ladders and get awards. They don’t care about the actions they have to take or if those actions will get Lilith killed.

“Priest, you are to hold back. Keep her engaged. She has to go through with the wedding. She’s our only in and she has to stay if she wants our deal to hold. Push her to find out information. Forty-eight hours and this case will be closed, two killers and major traffickers behind bars if all goes smoothly. Let’s make sure it does.”

“Copy that,” I lie, fighting to be civil. I thump Mace on the shoulder as everyone leaves. “Stay in contact. Any whispers you find through the web feed directly back to me first.”

He nods, already moving toward the door. I follow him out. When we are alone, I palm my phone. I can’t believe this shit. Then again, maybe I can. Time after time, Callahan follows the law down to the last period. I don’t know why I expect him to treat this case any differently.

I swallow thickly and keep my heart from falling to the floor.

“Yo?”

I look up at Mace.

“Exit strategy is in place. Docs, IDs, money.”

“It’s time. The whole nine. Fuck this two day shit. Twenty-four hours and we move in. You know who to tap on the shoulder.”

Just because I am an agent doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cut ties and disappear should it come to that. Why? Trust issues a mile long. I’ve seen good people burned by bad deals. I won’t be one of them. I had no idea my exit strategy would be used because of a girl though. Hand to God, I never saw it coming.

But I’m glad I’m not alone. My cousin had always had my back and me his.

My lips curl into a slow predatory smile at the idea I get to go hunting for a killer. If that makes me no better than the men I hunt, so be it. Antonov has a clock on his head and I just pressed the timer.

The Feds have twenty-four hours before I do this my way.

Chapter Two

Lilith

It’s the perfect night to die.

Rain, thunder, and not a beam of moonlight in sight.

I brace an arm around my midriff and wheeze a little when a sharp pain stabs through my ribs. It might feel like I have a foot in the grave, but I’m not dead and I could really use some source of light right about now. Running through pitch black is hell on a girl’s nerves and bare feet.

I should have taken the time to find a pair of flats or even some socks. Anything really. Hindsight and all that. Four-inch heels make terrible running partners so I ditched those halfway across my father’s manicured lawn half an hour ago.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. When it came down to the state of my feet or my life, I picked the latter and then hauled ass before a fresh wave of guards could get their hands on me.

With the adrenaline wearing off, I’m starting to feel the hits I took and now the jagged pavement under my feet.

Like a scoop of crap on top of a shitty Sunday, misty rain blankets my face and bare shoulders. It won’t be long before it soaks the heavy dress clinging to my body. Why my father insisted on such an elaborate wedding is beyond me.

I move deeper into the alleyway, unable to see where I’m going. Another step and my foot connects with a bottle. Glass skitters and tinkles across craggy asphalt before abruptly stopping against the side of a rusty dumpster.

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