Targeted

would be impossible to explain.

“Did you know about those weapons being shipped by Keane? Is that why someone tried to kill me? Did you set me up, you son of a bitch? Is this all about money?” Sophie’s voice rose with each word. She silently prayed Ronald didn’t give away Jack’s position.

Ronald stared at her. “I can explain—”

Sophie grabbed Ronald’s hand, pulling him to the floor at the same time Jack made his move. Everything happened so quickly, Sophie didn’t have time to do anything other than stare from her position on the floor.

A loud yelp sounded from Mandy as Jack slammed his gun across her head. The woman crumpled under the force, her body hitting the floor with a loud thud.

Jack kicked her gun away, then immediately trained his own weapon on Ronald. “Move away from her slowly.” His voice had a deadly—and damn terrifying—edge to it.

He had that same look in his eyes he’d had after he shot those men. Seeing him in action now sent shivers snaking throughout her body. He’d been bossy as hell with her, but he hadn’t been scary. Not even when she’d tried to escape. If anything he’d just been frustrated. She was so glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of his wrath.

Wordlessly, her boss pushed up from the floor and stood.

“Now sit. Hands on the desk where I can see them.”

“You okay, Soph?” Jack asked, never taking his eyes off Ronald.

“I’m fine.” The way he shortened her name warmed her insides, but she brushed it away. Moving quickly, she shut and locked the door.

“Take off your tie,” Jack ordered Ronald.

Sophie came up to stand next to Jack. “What are you doing?”

“I want you to tie her up,” he said quietly.

Ronald slid the tie across the desk. Without making eye contact, Sophie took it and bound her assistant’s wrists tightly behind her back. Mandy didn’t move once. When Sophie rolled her over, she was deadweight. Maybe things would register later, but for now it was hard to feel anything for a woman who had just told her with no emotion she was going to kill her.

“You can sit, Sophie,” Jack said. She couldn’t help noticing that his voice softened when he said her name. And she didn’t know what to do with the feelings that evoked inside her. She certainly liked it, though. Way too much.

She sat on the edge of one of the seats across from Ronald’s desk. Jack did the same, but his gun never wavered.

“Who are you?” Ronald asked.

“You are going to answer my questions. If I think you’re lying, I will kill you.” Sophie didn’t think he would, but Jack’s icy voice was convincing. “How long have you been working for Miguel Vargas?”

Ronald shot a mournful look at Sophie, then returned his gaze to Jack. “Six months.”

Hearing him admit it sent a punch of shock slamming into Sophie. She’d known Ronald for years. He’d devoted his life to helping people. It was the reason he’d started SBMS. To get medical supplies to countries that otherwise wouldn’t have any. How had he become involved with a man like Vargas?

Jack continued, that same edge in his voice. “Who is he working with in Africa?”

“I don’t know.”

Jack’s gun hand shifted along the desk and Ronald threw his arms up.

“I don’t know, I swear. Miguel doesn’t tell me anything.”

“Why does he want Sophie dead?”

“I . . . I’m not sure. He knows she was at Keane’s hangar Sunday night. And now he also knows she took pictures.”

Jack was silent for a moment as he watched Ronald. “Is that why he tried to have her killed?”

Ronald nodded and once again Sophie felt as if someone had punched her right in the gut. Ronald had known Vargas tried to kill her. She struggled to find her voice, wanting to know if it had been before or after she’d almost died the first time.

Jack took a menacing, controlled step closer to the desk. “Did you know he planned to kill her?”

Tears burned Sophie’s eyes as she waited for the answer.

“No, I swear it. He called me Monday and said he’d be taking care of her, but then you guys disappeared. When she called me I told her to stay away.” He turned to look at her then. “I told you to stay out of Miami. Sophie, you have to believe me, I never thought you’d be affected by any of this. It’s—”

“Shut the fuck up. You don’t talk to her unless I give you permission.” Jack tapped the desk with his gun, drawing Ronald’s attention back to him.

Ronald paled as he stared at Jack. “How long has Mandy worked here, Sophie?” he asked her, his focus never wavering from Ronald.

She wiped away the few stray tears threatening to spill over, refusing to cry in front of either of them. “About a year, but she interned here her senior year in college.”

Jack’s mouth pulled into a thin line as he directed his next statement to Ronald. “You said you’ve been working with Vargas six months.”

Ronald shifted nervously in his seat, his eyes on the weapon. “I have. I didn’t know Mandy even worked for him until tonight. I swear! She said she’s been monitoring Sophie’s actions and basically admitted she’s the one who told Vargas that Sophie took pictures at the hangar. She found them on her computer.”

Sophie gripped the edge of the chair. If Mandy had been monitoring her, then Vargas would definitely have known of Hannah’s importance in her life. Hannah was the only friend who called the office. Hell, Sophie had even invited Mandy out to have drinks with the two of them on more than one occasion. That treacherous bitch.

The fear and worry she’d been keeping at bay pushed at her again, making her entire body tense, but she ruthlessly shoved them back down. She had to get through one problem at a time.

Chapter 13

Tradecraft: the methods developed by intelligence operatives to conduct their operations.

Jack tilted his head toward Sophie but still didn’t take his eyes off Ronald. “Sophie, I want you to take a picture of Mandy with the cell phone I gave you.”

“Uh, okay. Why?”

Always so inquisitive. Jack bit back a smile despite the situation. “I’m going to send her picture to my boss and see if they get a hit.” Normally he would handle an interrogation situation very differently, but with Sophie in the room, he was keeping himself restrained.

Barely.

Ronald was holding something back. Jack could feel it straight to his bones. Every time the man spoke, Jack could see the lies and worry in his eyes.

Jack waited as Sophie stood and did as he asked. When he heard the faint click of the phone, he spoke again. “Sophie, there’s a supply closet at the end of this hall. I want you to find anything you can to further restrain Mandy.”

Though he couldn’t see her, he could actually feel Sophie pause before leaving. Probably because she could sense the contained violence inside him. It wasn’t directed at her. Could never be directed at her. But if Ronald had had anything to do with those men going after Sophie, Jack would kill him here and now. Everything else including his fucking job could be damned. The thought of this bastard being in on that hit against her life made the primal man he kept locked down come roaring to the surface with the need to protect a woman who could never be his.

When he heard the door close behind her, he rounded the desk. With a foot, Jack shoved the chair back and placed his weapon over Ronald’s knee. “What aren’t you telling me?” Getting information out of people could be tricky. And Jack didn’t have time to figure out this guy’s weaknesses. Information gained from torture was rarely reliable, but the fear of pain was often worse.