Page 92 of Abduction

Only, he didn’t get to answer.

Adder knew.

“We worked mostly for the military. We’d use CIA intel, but Spiders ARE CIA and use military intel. They work strictly out of that division and are just as ruthless.”

Jinx nodded.

“While Snakes are solitary, those particular Spiders will work in a unit, building a trap for prey. Wherever one is, the others aren’t far away.”

He grinned.

“My brothers are definitely around. You just don’t see them. When I get paid, I share that with them since they have my back.”

Interesting.

Elizabeth might need the other three at some point. New Orleans was becoming dangerous—and that was saying a lot since it always had been.

“Do we know them?” Maura asked.

“One of them, yes. The rest, no.”

That told her all she needed to know. She’d bet that Harvey was one of them. At some point, he’d gone off the radar after he retired from their unit.

“I’m glad you’ve been safe,” she said.

He winked at her.

“I’m good, Mar. You taught me well. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve built a nice web for myself,” Lewis said, strapping into his armor.

“When did you go in?” Jagger asked.

He was honest as he got into his gear and weapons.

“They recruited me after I got back from Columbia. I took some time off, stayed in DC, and was approached to help the CIA.”

They knew why.

“Truth be told, I couldn’t stomach it anymore,” he said. “I couldn’t handle working under the Major.”

Zayn got bitchy.

“You got an issue with our boo?” he asked. “Because no one talks shit about the Major.”

Oh, it was anything but that.

Lewis glanced over at Maura.

“It’s okay, Captain. They know what happened,” she said. “They know about the assault. I declassified it and told them. They are my family.”

In that moment, they all saw it. Lewis’ face registered rage, and then, it was gone.

“I felt like I let her down because I couldn’t protect the single most important Marine asset. It made me unable to work in a team. I’m a Spider for a reason. While we work in tandem, we don’t work the same way our unit did. Only one of us is in danger at a time, with the others watching. In that prison cell, I heard what happened to our Major, and I couldn’t do that again.”

Jagger kissed his wife’s temple.

“The Major is doing just fine,” he whispered. “She’s stronger than ever.”

Maura nuzzled him and placed her hand on his thigh to join them. There was no doubt that what they had was strong, and Lewis was glad.

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