Chapter 27

The hits kept coming. First a deadly toxin that could cause an apocalypse was being produced in the place built to save mankind in the event of one. Now this. Suspecting Tony ripped a hole through Gaige. Not so much for him but for Alec. This kind of betrayal would wreck him.

But now this. The pretty Southern blonde who had been a bit too understanding about her boyfriend’s demanding boss. “Caroline?”

They’d stood in her hotel room and talked around what was happening, tried to shield her from it and…what? She was in on it? She was behind it? Then there was Pam. Caroline’s sister had access to so much information and the computer system at Drummond. She’d been so angry about his presence. Maybe…

Gaige couldn’t take it all in but now he understood why Caroline didn’t mind being dragged up to the middle of nowhere. This was likely exactly where she’d wanted to be all along.

“Leave it to a big alpha man to underestimate a woman.” Caroline pointed the gun at Gaige. “Make that two.” She looked up at the man she was supposed to love. “Three.”

“What the hell?” Alec’s voice sounded so distant. So filled with shock and confusion.

Gaige knew how he felt. He’d met Tony only a few weeks ago but he understood where the man fit in at Drummond. The idea that his girlfriend had been right there, with access of sorts, burned through every theory Gaige had come up with for what was happening here.

She could get to Tony’s computer. He might have let something slip here or there. She would know the right questions to ask. Be able to grab his keys or his computer for just a second while he was out of the room.

All of Jase’s deception came rushing back on Gaige. He knew how this shit happened. He knew what it was like to play the role of the duped partner. It sucked, and it never stopped sucking.

As they stood there Caroline turned her focus on Alec. “You just don’t know when to let things go.”

Alec frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

“And who knew that all it would take to bring you down was good sex.” Caroline’s gaze switched to Gaige.

It was his turn to stare at her. “What?”

“Tell him, Gaige.”

The friendly tone threw him off. “What the fuck?”

Caroline pushed Tony forward a few steps. Put a little space between her and the others. She likely knew the four of them might be able to overpower her. But she held the gun. What she thought was the only gun. Gaige knew better.

“He’s an expert at breaking into secure locations and computer systems,” she explained, spelling out pieces of his life she should not know. “You hit NORAD as a teen, right?”

“How do you know that?” That file was sealed. Even Seth admitted unburying it took some work.

“You can stop. I’m sure he’s figured it out by now. Right, Alec?” Caroline smiled as her gaze went from Alec to Gaige. “It’s not a new trick. You send in a hot piece of ass—in this case, a man—and he sleeps his way into a position of trust.”

They were all staring at him now. Gaige could feel the anger pounding off Tony and aimed right at him. Alec hadn’t moved, hadn’t even looked at him, but Gaige felt a shift. A new tension wrapped around them. The air took on a charged feel. Danger, fury…it was all there, choking the room.

This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not here.

Gaige shook his head as he mentally searched for the right words to say. “No.”

“But really, Alec. Who knew you’d be so easy? All that talk about being anti-relationship and how lethal you are. God, my sister and Tony talked about you as if you were invincible.” Her tone flipped from amused to chiding as she toyed with them. Then she settled her gaze on Gaige. “You must be really good at screwing.”

Alec would believe her. Gaige could sense that Tony already did. Even Astrid narrowed her gaze as she watched him now.

He had to give Caroline credit. With a few choice words and only a few facts, she took over the room. She broke them apart and had them doubting.

Gaige refused to go down this way. “I notice that your Southern accent has slipped.”

Tony flinched at the reminder.

“I took a class with a speech therapist. If I’m going to disappear, and I am, that has to go, too.”

Before she finished the sentence, Tony lunged for her. But she was ready. She slammed the gun into the side of his head and he went down. Dropped right to the floor.

Alec rushed forward but she aimed the gun at him. “Stop.”

He froze. Gaige could tell he wanted to drop to the floor and check on Tony. Gaige did, too, but he stood there. Waiting. Letting her think she was fully in charge because if the two of them aimed guns at each other he was pretty sure she wouldn’t hesitate to take her chances and fire.

“Who are you?” Astrid asked.

“I’m sorry you got mixed up in this.” Caroline actually sounded like she meant it. “The plan was easy. We use your facility to prepare some weapons then use Alec’s transportation apparatus to funnel them where we need them to be.”

With that, Alec’s demeanor changed. The shift was subtle. Gaige picked it up because he knew Alec’s body so well. He stood straighter.

“Who is we?” he asked.

Caroline shrugged. “Sometimes the government needs a little help.”

“What does that even mean?” Gaige knew she wouldn’t volunteer any information, but he thought maybe he could get her to say something that would help Alec or Astrid put it together. They had more facts. They knew how the facility operated and what other players might be out there.

“Basically, I and some of the people I served with are ready to finish a job we started before the higher-ups in the government got scared and backed off. All of you are now collateral damage.”

“How are you going to manage that?” Gaige asked.

“I figure we’ll come up with some sort of jealous lover angle and have poor Astrid be the innocent who stumbled over the grisly scene and died, too.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “Who cares?”

“What about your sister?” Alec asked.

Gaige didn’t know how deep this went. The people Alec trusted were almost all connected to Caroline.

“She’s the one who gave me the idea.” Caroline shook her head. “Pam and Tony bragged about you, Alec. About the money and the clout. Your resources give me access.”

“So this is about stealing.” Greed drove the worst incident in Gaige’s life. It wasn’t a surprise it was the cause here, too.

“It’s about taking control. About not being the assistant or the person that gets shoved aside when you bring in a so-called outside auditor. My sister might tolerate that bullshit, but I won’t. That’s not how I was trained.”

Alec took a step closer. He was right at Gaige’s back now. “Who’s really in charge here?”

“Don’t even try it. You aren’t the women-can’t-lead type.” Caroline blew out a loud breath. “Do you know how much Tony talks about you? It’s a sick kind of hero worship.”

She glanced down at Tony’s body sprawled on the floor. He hadn’t moved.

Gaige hoped that he was awake and planning. They needed another advantage. Caroline didn’t seem to have many boundaries, and she clearly had training. Gaige didn’t know how much of that was in combat, but she had no problem handling the gun and she’d fooled a lot of very smart people into thinking she was someone she wasn’t.

It might take all of them to wrestle her down. But then there was the problem of her accomplices. There was no way she did this all by herself. She didn’t have the access to Svalbard, which meant she needed someone who did.

“You’re going to kill all of us and then take the weapons away?” Alec asked.

“With some help.”

There it was. The factor they all knew.

“From?” Astrid was the one who asked.

“Gaige, for one.”

Back to this shit. The divide-and-conquer method. Have them distrusting each other. Gaige was about to reach for the gun when he felt Alec’s hand touch his back then drop.

Gaige took that as a sign not to move. Not yet.

“He doesn’t work with you.” Alec shook his head. “I’m not buying it.”

“You keep thinking that, sugar. He’s a worker bee for hire. He might be committed to the cause, but we didn’t care. We needed a job done.” Tony’s hand moved. Caroline looked down and put her foot on his wrist. Shifted her weight until Tony’s body jerked. “Are you waking up?”

Alec took a step toward her. “What are you doing?”

“Putting an end to this game.” Caroline pointed the gun at Gaige. “Ready?”

The act sent fury sailing through Gaige. He could feel the anger rise up and threaten to overtake him. “I don’t know you. We are not partners.”

“Then you’ll be the perfect person to go in there and secure the abrin.” This time she aimed at Gaige’s head. “Now, or I shoot.”

Alec stepped right in front of Gaige. “It’s not safe for him in there.”

“You still care. Right to the end.” Caroline shot him a sad smile. “That’s kind of adorable, actually.”

“I’ll do it.” Alec held up his hands.

Gaige felt everything inside him tighten. His gut actually twisted. “Alec, no.”

Caroline peeked around the men. “Astrid? You’re the only one not volunteering. Did you want to offer?”

“Not even a little.”

Alec nodded. “You’re saying military, but you were deeper than that. I’m thinking black ops. Possibly CIA.”

Caroline winced. “What does it matter now?”

“I’m thinking it does,” Gaige said, guessing she wanted to talk.

“Fine.” She shrugged. “Former. I jumped from the military to the CIA. The skills were transferable. Lied to my family and gave up having a life, but that wasn’t good enough for the CIA. Langley fires you up then sets you loose…then administrations change, priorities change, and all of your work is useless.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

Gaige was stunned she responded. Even more shocked by her answer. “You’re saying this, what you’re doing here, is CIA sanctioned?”

“Is your work here sanctioned?” She shot back the question.

“She was fired, or burned or whatever term the CIA uses,” Alec said. “No way she’s still in. This has rogue ops written all over it.”

“Let’s say my bosses frowned on my level of commitment.”

Caroline was throwing out a lot of excuses, but it sounded to Gaige like she went rogue. Got too hot or too hostile, and now she was their problem.

Well, Gaige was fucking done. She wasn’t going to let them out of there. She was either on an operation or blowing one. He didn’t care.

He took out the gun and aimed it at her. “Looks like we have a stalemate.”

“Wrong.” She was so sure of herself. Confidence radiated off her.

“I don’t care if you shoot me.” That was the truth. Fear surged through Gaige. He didn’t have a wish to die, but he wasn’t going to get on his knees either. He would go out fighting.

She took a step toward Alec. “No, but you care if I shoot him.”

The lock clicked and the door opened again. Daniel came rushing in with Einar right behind him. Only Einar had a gun, and it was out and ready.

But Caroline didn’t so much as flinch. Gaige knew what that meant. She was expecting at least one of them.

Daniel stepped up first. His gaze flicked around the room and stopped on the plastic sheeting behind them. He shook his head as if confused by what he was seeing before looking at Caroline again. “What the hell is going on in here?”

“Good question.” Alec nodded toward Caroline. “Take her gun.”

Daniel stared at her. “Who are you?”

“She’s with me.” Einar shifted positions to stand next to her. There they were, the two of them. The partners, one inside with access and one outside with resources. Einar looked at Gaige. “You, put the gun on the floor and kick it over here.”

Tony’s eyes popped open. He didn’t move but Gaige saw the determination burning there. He saw that same look in Alec’s eyes.

Only a few seconds had passed since Einar stepped inside, but tension strangled the room. It was now or never. They had a lot of people. A lot of potential targets and too many guns.

Tony started moving. He rolled to his back and grabbed for Caroline’s ankle. She kicked out. Clocked him in the shoulder, but he held on. Her balance fumbled just as Alec dove for Einar.

A shot rang out and Astrid screamed behind Gaige. He threw his body to the side, thinking to shield her. They both fell sideways, but Gaige went down firing. The first shot hit Caroline in the shoulder just as she was firing at Tony. The second clipped her in the side.

A few more seconds ticked by that felt like hours. The action blurred. Gaige’s mind flashed from Alec to Tony. He thought about Astrid, the innocent person stuck in the middle of this. As he hit the ground, he rolled on top of her, protecting her body with his.

He looked up, desperately searching for Alec, but spied Daniel. He was on the ground, holding his stomach with one hand. Blood seeped through his fingers. Caroline was down and Tony knelt over her, aiming the gun at her. But his body kept shifting. He looked ready to fall.

The only sounds came from Alec and Einar. They were locked in battle. On the floor, punching. Einar was younger but Alec was bigger. The match looked even except for the gun in Einar’s hand.

Gaige moved then. He scrambled onto his knees. Ignored the carnage around him and the shouting he heard in the hallway. Someone was here but who knew if they were friendly or if they could even get inside the locked door.

Gaige didn’t care about that. He aimed the gun, thinking to hit Einar, but the two men rolled across the floor. They battled and kicked. Einar landed a hit to Alec’s neck, and his head shot back. Einar took the advantage and raised his gun. The barrel came around and Gaige fired. Nailed him right in the hand and heard him scream.

As soon as he fired, all the energy ran out of him. Gaige could feel the bruises but he couldn’t move. He heard Alec’s voice and saw his head turn. When Einar made a noise, Alec landed one final punch and grabbed the gun.

Ignoring the blood and the bodies, he crawled over to Gaige. “Are you okay?”

The door broke open then. People poured in, and Gaige struggled to focus on them. He felt something digging into his side. A ripping sensation from the injury from the explosion.

Gaige raised his gun thinking to fire again. Then he saw Seth’s face. Heard him issuing orders. Alec sat in front of Gaige now. Blood collected over his eye and dripped down the side of his face.

“We’re okay.” Alec said the words then repeated them.

He looked furious. His voice sounded pinched.

Gaige said the only thing he could think to say. “Are we?”

Then everything went dark.