Linc had wanted a few minutes to hold Ella. To make sure there were no bad moments, but Frank had reported movement from the occupants of the vehicle down the street.

Linc quickly disposed of the condom and got dressed. He took his weapon from the ankle holster before he unmuted his earpiece. “Two here. Where are the men?”

“One went around to the rear of the property, the second one is on the side. Damn. He’s rappelling up the house. Should I take him out?” Frank asked.

“Is he coming to the third window?” Linc asked.

“Affirmative.”

“I’ll get him when he’s inside. Where is Three?”

“On my way. Ten minutes out,” Cory said.

The bathroom door opened and Ella came out in the large tracksuit. He tried to reassure her with his gaze that everything was okay, but she just wrapped her arms around her body.

“Move toward the doorway,” he said. “Sorry about this, but I need you to crouch down over there in the corner. Someone is coming up the outside of the building.”

She didn’t say a word, just did as he’d told her to. He noticed that she’d taken a position that gave her the best view of the windows and the door.

“How’s his progress, Four?”

“He’s nearly there. I can get him from here.”

“No. I want to find out who sent him. Suddenly everyone thinks they can mess with Cockram. That doesn’t bode well for my rep.”

“Agreed. Maybe it’s time he died,” Frank said.

Maybe.

But before he could answer, two booted feet came through the window in a spray of glass as the blinds were ripped from the window frame. The man rolled into the room and came to his feet with his weapon pointed at Ella.

Linc brought his fist down hard at the back of the assailant’s head, but he turned at the last moment so he only got a glancing blow. The assailant kicked out, aiming for his legs. Linc moved quickly, kicking the man hard in the side, using all the force of his body. The man grunted and rolled, coming to his feet.

Linc almost groaned. But instead he used a roundhouse kick to the man’s upper torso, driving him back, and then following it up with a quick one-two jab to his face. The man’s head snapped back and Linc kept kicking and punching him until the man was against the wall, then he put his hands on the man’s throat as their eyes met. He took his weapon and tucked into the back of his pants.

“Henry, get up here and bring some rope.”

Ella stayed in the corner, but Linc couldn’t spare her a look. He had to take care of this man.

“Who sent you?”

“An interested party,” he said, his voice rusty.

“I want a name.”

“The devil himself,” the man said.

“I have a gentleman’s agreement with him. He wouldn’t shit on it. Who really sent you?”

“You might have thought you did, but he sent us to get back what you’ve taken from him.”

“Us? How many are with you?” Linc asked.

The man just shrugged and Linc squeezed his throat. He had no idea if the information he’d gotten from the man was true or not. The door opened and Henry came in with the rope. He handed it to Linc who quickly tied the man’s wrists behind his back.

“Take him down to the closet and lock him in. He has company,” Linc said.

Henry forced the guy down the stairs and Linc realized he couldn’t leave Ella up here by herself.

“You,” he said, pointing at her with his weapon. “Let’s go.”

She got to her feet and walked out of the bedroom. Henry was at the bottom of the stairs with his captive, forcing him into the closet under the stairs and locking it. “What now, boss?”

“Go outside and see if you can find his companions. I’m going to get her to a safe place until our makeup guy gets here. I want this auction on Pirate’s Bay as soon as possible. Everyone thinks they can steal from me all of a sudden.”

Henry left the house and he turned to Ella, holding up his hand when it looked like she was going to say something. “Two here. One assailant is down, where is the second one?”

“Out back. Your guy is almost on him,” Frank said. “I’ll make sure he finds him.”

“Affirmative. Three?”

“Pulling up now.”

Linc took Ella’s arm in his and pulled her toward the study. “The makeup guy is on my team. Stick close to him if I’m not in the room.”

She nodded.

“You okay?” he asked. He wanted to say more but couldn’t, since his earpiece wasn’t muted and he needed to stay on his guard.

“Yes. No regrets,” she said softly. Then she moved past him to sit on the loveseat that was against one of the walls and faced the bay windows and the door that led to the hallway.

“Four here. He’s got the second guy.”

“Affirmative.”

There was a knock on the door and Linc went to answer it, knowing that it was Cory, but when he saw him he took a step back. He didn’t look like his normal self at all. He wore a wig that made it look like he had an afro, and he wore some loud, outlandish skintight clothing.

“I’m Antoine. Someone called for a makeup artist?”

“I did.”

“What kind of photo shoot is this?”

“None of your business,” Linc said. “She’s in there.”

Cory walked to the doorway, looked in, and then back over his shoulder at Linc. “I’ve got my work cut out for me. Better get started.”

“Make it quick and keep it as natural as possible. Nothing over the top.”

“You leave it to me,” Cory said.

* * *

The makeup guy came over to Ella and gave her a very practiced looked and then a quick smile before he opened his bag. The first thing she noticed was that it was stocked with top of the line cosmetics.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. “I’m Ella Kennedy. I have a really popular blog and YouTube channel. I can make you a star doing makeup. What’s your name?”

“Antoine,” he said.

“You know that I’m not supposed to be here,” she said, thinking that if she wanted to pretend that she didn’t know that he was working with Linc she should ask him to help her.

“All I know is who pays my bills,” he said.

“I can pay you too,” she said.

“He’s bigger and scarier than you are,” Antoine said. “If I cross him, he’ll kill me.”

She nodded. “It was worth a try.”

“It always is,” he said. “Now, I’m supposed to make you look pretty, but it seems to me you have been ill-used tonight.”

“I guess you could call it that,” she said. “Just do what you have to.”

He leaned in close, pushing her hair behind her ear and whispering, “I’m on Ares Team.”

“He told me.”

“Good,” Antoine said, still talking in a voice that carried no further than her ears. “There’s a gun in the bottom of the makeup kit. If anything happens to me, use it.”

She thought about telling him she didn’t know how to use a gun and wasn’t too sure she could shoot anyone, but just nodded.

“Now. I’m going to make you look as different from your blog images as I can, in case these photos get out,” he said.

She hadn’t thought about what helping on this mission would do to her career. But then again, there was a distinct possibility that her old life wasn’t going to be waiting for her once this was done. She couldn’t think about that. She’d been all about five-year plans and building her platform, but now she just wanted to do what she could to catch Diavolos, protect her sister, and stay alive.

Tonight had shown her how precarious the last goal was.

Antoine’s hands were surprisingly gentle as he went about putting on primer and started working on her face.

“How did you learn to do this?” she asked. Wondering if this was some kind of training that Grimaldi Global gave all of their operatives.

“My momma has a beauty salon. I grew up sweeping the floors in there and picked up a lot from her,” Antoine said.

There was a hint of the south in his voice, and she wondered how much of what he told her was the truth and how much was his character. Was this a persona he had, like Linc’s Cockram? And what did it matter? Right now, listening to him was helping her forget the pain in her body from her abduction, and her confused emotions after what had happened with Linc.

She’d ignored it since the moment she’d come downstairs. She thought of the power she’d felt when she’d made love with Linc, but that had been shoved to the back of her mind as that man had come through the window. Linc had fought and bested the man, of course, but there was a chance that next time he wouldn’t.

She didn’t understand why men kept coming after her. She’d been safely hiding in plain sight for a long time.

“Why is everyone suddenly so interested in me?” she asked, as he told her to close her eyes so he could put on the eyeshadow.

“Cockram put out a teaser ad on the Pirate’s Bay marketplace,” Antoine said softly. “Everyone knows who you are, because Diavolos has a standing bounty on your and your sister’s head.”

“Does he know where she is?” Ella asked. Linc had promised that his boss would keep Bri safe, but had he lied to her?

“No one does. Do you?” Antoine asked.

She shook her head and looked down at her lap. “No. We were separated after we escaped ten years ago.”

“Then she’s in the wind and safe,” Antoine said.

“Safety is just an illusion,” Ella said. She’d once thought she’d carved herself a normal life, but she knew that had been an illusion. She’d been lying to herself all along.

The open loft apartment. A life lived online with prettied up pictures and advice and advocacy for kids like herself. The first man she’d ever trusted was more comfortable with his fists and living in the shadows than he was anywhere else.

“You have nice cheekbones,” Antoine said as he swept bronzer and contouring powder over her face.

She didn’t say anything else. Just sat there, remembering that it was her distinctive features that had caught the eye of the real Cockram when she’d been a girl. Her large eyes and high cheekbones had given her child’s face a maturity that he had thought was unique.

“All done,” he said, stepping back and handing her a mirror.

She lifted it up and looked at her face. She looked really different from how she normally looked. He’d enhanced her eyes, making them seem larger and more almond-shaped with eyeliner and shadow. Her cheekbones were prominent and her lips more bow-shaped than normal. She hardly recognized herself, which was a blessing.

“Thanks,” she said, fighting back real emotion as everything caught up with her. She couldn’t cry, not here, not now. So she blinked and looked away from the mirror until the urge passed.

Antoine took the mirror and suggested she move to one of the arm chairs so he could do her hair. She shoved down everything until her emotions were safely tucked away again. She needed to be strong and not Ella.

She did a good job of believing she’d succeeded until Linc showed up in the doorway. Their eyes met and she realized that she couldn’t pretend where he was concerned. He made her feel safe. It didn’t matter that she’d decided safety was an illusion.

* * *

Linc and Henry had questioned the guy they’d found in the garden. He’d told them Quentin sent him earlier in the evening, but Linc’s gut said they had to be working for someone else. Right now they were knocked out and locked in the closet under the stairs.

He was trying to stay focused on the mission, but Ella looked so different, he barely recognized the clean-faced woman he’d made love to upstairs.

He’d told himself he could be dispassionate about this entire mission, but he couldn’t. He wanted to push Cory out of the way and take her out of this house. Go on the run and never look back. He knew he couldn’t walk away from this, or his real life. That was part of why he’d been torn before. He loved his father and brother and couldn’t just disappear.

“She looks good,” Linc said, using his Cockram voice. “I need her ready in ten minutes. I’m doing a livestream to show everyone her good looks.”

“I’ll have her hair done by then. I brought some outfits for you to choose from.” He gestured to the garment bag hanging over the door.

“Good.” Linc went to it and flipped through the clothes. “I like this dress for her. Just get the hair done,” Linc said. He couldn’t let Cory leave, given the men who had twice tried to take Ella. Cockram would probably have killed Cory, but Linc planned to just lock him up when he was done.

He came into the room, walking to Ella and lifting her chin to examine her features as Cory started to blow dry her hair. Linc spoke just loud enough for his earpiece to pick it up. “I’m going to have to either kill you or lock you up, Four. My men will expect it.”

“Affirmative. I’m wearing squibs and a vest,” Cory said.

“Always planning ahead,” Linc said.

“It was One’s idea,” Cory said.

“Stop chitchatting,” Mick said over the earpiece. “We’re in place. When do you go live?”

“Ten minutes,” Linc said. “Anything new on the street?”

“It’s quiet. I’ll take care of any threats before they reach the house, so you can stay focused there,” Frank said.

“Affirmative. When I was outside the bar, I got an invitation to meet with an interested bidder privately,” Linc said. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Mick about it prior to this point.

“Negative, Two. Priority is your current location.”

“Affirmative,” Linc said. “Want the other location?”

“Yes. Send it when you have a chance. One, out,” Mick said.

Cory turned off the hair dryer. “Just have to straighten her hair and I’ll be done.”

Linc nodded. “I’ll be back.”

He left the room without looking at Ella. He didn’t know how much she’d caught, since they’d been talking softly. The earpieces were high-tech and could pick up voices and not background noise.

Henry already had the room set up for the live feed. They used a relay that they’d paid a hacker—probably Dirk Thomas, Linc realized—to set up. Which meant that Diavolos would likely be able to track their location.

Which was fine with him. He wanted the bastard to come for Ella so he could capture him. Or kill him. Whatever was necessary to keep the man from escaping.

“Everything ready to go, Henry?”

“Just waiting on the girl.”

“She’s almost done. I’ll send her in and then take care of the makeup guy.”

Henry raised both eyebrows. “Want me to do it?”

“No. I’m still pissed about Quentin. I want to kill someone,” Linc said.

The other guy nodded. “Me too. This job has been in the shitter all night. I’ll be glad when we collect the bounty and get rid of her. You know how in the old days they used to say a woman on a ship was bad luck?”

“Yeah?” Linc said.

“I think she’s bad luck. If we can’t get the money, we should kill her,” Henry said.

Kill Ella? Never. He’d die before he let that happen, but he understood where Henry was coming from. “If she is bad luck, maybe she will be for Diavolos too.”

“You think he’ll win the bidding?” Henry asked.

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t.”

“She’s done,” Cory said from behind him, and Linc pulled his weapon as he turned, firing at Cory and hitting him in the chest. His Ares Team brother reacted with shock and then hit the floor as blood spattered from the squib in his vest. Cory was good too. Just laid there with his eyes open.

“Damn, Cockram, you aren’t playing tonight,” Henry said.

“No, I’m not. I’ll be right back with the girl and then we go live,” Linc said. Walking out of the room, he stooped down to grab Cory’s arm and dragged him down the hall, out of sight of the other man.

He knelt next to his friend. “Okay?”

Cory winked at him. And then went back to looking lifeless.

The sooner this auction was over, the better, as far as Linc was concerned. The hair on the back of his neck tingled as he entered the room where Ella was waiting. He felt a cool breeze from the window and looked over to where she should have been sitting only to find that the chair was empty.

“Crap.”