Page 18 of Rhys

“And then…” He waited for her to pass before shutting the door and turning to face her. With his eyes locked on hers, Rhys finished with, “You and I are going to have that talk.”

4

“Where is she?”

The man hired to kill the sexy CIA agent popped an olive into his mouth and began to chew. Taking his time, he answered the arrogant bastard at his own pace.

“I lost her.”

“The fuck you mean, youlosther?”

“Relax. It’s only been a few hours. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“You don’t find her and put an end to this, my underwear is going to be the least of your concerns.”

“I told you the last time we spoke that I’d find her.”

“You’d better.” A loud, annoyed exhale filled the burner phone’s speaker. “If you hadn’t missed your shot, we’d both be sitting on a beach somewhere sipping on Mai Tais and a couple mil richer.”

“Separate beaches, I hope,” he only half-joked. “’Cause once this job is done, I don’t want to see your ugly face ever again.”

“Right back at ya, asshole. But this job can’t get done until you take care of business. And the first step in doing that is to find your target and end her. I mean, she’s been shot, for Christ’s sake. Surely whoever the man who drove off with her took her to seek medical treatment. Did you check the local hospitals?”

“That you feel the need to ask that question is insulting.”

Pushing himself up from his comfy chair, he headed down the stairs into his basement. Punching in the secured code, he waited for the locks to disengage before opening the thick metal door and entering what he thought of as the heart of his operation.

It wasn’t a large room, but it served its purpose well.

“I wouldn’t have to ask it if you’d bothered calling with an update like you’d promised.”

He rolled his eyes at the man’s dramatics. “I didn’t call because there was nothing to update youon.”

“That’s exactly my point! I have someone to answer to, as well, you know. Kenneth Austin is not a patient man.”

Ah, yes. Austin. He was familiar with the man and his work. He’d also heard the rumor making its way through the underground circles that Austin was planning something big.

Something that was going to make the United States fall to its knees.

“I said I’d find her, and I will. I just need a little more time.”

“You’ve got twenty-four hours. That’s the longest I can give you. After that, you’ll have to answer directly to Austin.”

The man said that as if he were supposed to be scared. He shook his head and rolled his eyes again.

Amateurs.

Just because the guy worked for the government, the asshole thought he was the one calling the shots. Little did the smug prick know, once the sexy spy was eliminated, Mr. Tough Guy was the next one on the list.

“Twenty-four hours. Got it,” he confirmed he’d heard the deadline correctly.

“Good. Like I said when we first spoke…Vanessa Marsh is one of the best. She won’t go down easily. And if given the chance, she’ll make you work damn hard to earn what’s coming to you.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not afraid of a little hard work.”

With that, he ended the call. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he walked over to the wall he’d constructed specifically for his work. Pinned to it were about fifty photographs. His targets, past and present.

The ones from his past had all been marked off with a large red X. Those he had yet to take care of smiled back at him, their view unobstructed.

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