Targeted

office were also clear.

“Start with her bedroom. Pack a small bag of her clothes and take all her jewelry and cosmetics. Leave things messy. Make it look like she left in a hurry,” Jack said as soon as he finished with the last room.

While Sophie was busy, he started in Mandy’s office. After downloading anything that looked as if it might be helpful from her computer, he sent Wesley a message, then riffled through her two-drawer filing cabinet.

“What about shoes and stuff?” Sophie called out from the other room.

“Grab a few pairs. Make it look good . . . Oh, see if she’s got any nail polish remover in the bathroom.”

Sophie stepped in and handed him a half-empty bottle of pink liquid. “The bag is packed. Why do you need nail polish remover?”

“I’m making this look good.” He shoved the drawer shut, then rounded back to the other side of the desk. After tipping the computer tower on its side, he poured the liquid through the round vent, then stomped on it. It might not destroy everything on the hard drive, but it would make Mandy look even guiltier. And it would send Vargas’s men in the wrong direction. They’d be wondering where she went and who she talked to before she left. Hopefully this would take some of the pressure off Ronald Weller.

“Her place is very sterile,” Sophie commented as he stood.

“I noticed.” The place had a few tropical pictures hung up, but all the walls were stark white, and there weren’t any personal pictures. The office had an inexpensive fiberboard desk, a metal filing cabinet, and an office chair. Even her bedroom was bleak. No pictures, no television. Just one dresser and a bed. With the exception of her expensive clothes and a few bottles of pricy perfume, the place looked as if she might have been planning to leave anyway.

“Do you think she was planning to leave town?” Sophie asked, reading his mind.

“I think it’s more than probable. Vargas probably approached her with a deal she couldn’t pass up. He pays well, but she’s likely smart enough to realize she’s expendable and eventually, she would be a liability to him.”

“Expendable,” Sophie murmured before turning and walking out.

Damn it. His gut twisted as he watched her disappear from the room. Ronald had treated her as if she was expendable, and he wasn’t the first person to do so. She didn’t have to say any more for Jack to understand what she was thinking.

At the moment he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, but they needed to get out of there. He flipped off the light in the office, then followed her to the master bedroom. Half the hangers were on the floor, and clothes were scattered around the carpet. “Nice job,” he said quietly.

He was rewarded by a small smile that did something insane to his insides. Hefting the bag onto his shoulder, he flipped off the light, then drew back the floor-length blinds to reveal another sliding glass door.

Sophie came up next to him. “Think she hid anything on her porch?”

He shook his head. “No, I just wanted to check—”

She stiffened as a rattling sound reverberated through the place. She opened her mouth, but he held one finger to his lips and opened the glass door. He motioned for her to step outside, then shut it quietly behind them.

They stepped into the shadows of the porch, but the darkness wouldn’t provide them cover for long. He glanced over the balcony, then tossed the bag onto the grassy area.

“Come on. I’ll hoist you over,” he whispered.

Sophie’s eyes widened as she glanced over the balcony. She shook her head, but loud cursing from inside spurred her into action. He climbed over the ledge and she followed. Staring at him with those big dark eyes, she clutched on to the railing.

He glanced down again. The drop wasn’t far, and they had a soft, grassy landing.

“On the count of three,” he whispered.

On three he pushed off and landed with a thud. He rolled onto the grass before jumping to his feet. She still hung on.

“Sophie,” he whispered, fighting panic. He was too far to help her if someone discovered her.

Staring down at him, she shook her head. It was dark, but with the moon and lighting from other balconies, he could see her expression clearly and she looked terrified.

“I’m right here,” he whispered again.

Something must have startled her because she turned back around toward the balcony, then looked at him and pushed off.

She landed with a quiet yelp, but he didn’t give her time to react. Jack grabbed the bag and her arm and they started running parallel to the building. Weapon drawn, he rounded the corner of the building and found himself staring down the barrel of a SIG. No matter how many times he’d been in the same position, having a loaded gun pointed at his head didn’t get any easier.

Without pause, he lifted his own weapon.

Behind him, Sophie gasped, but he focused on the man in front of him. Thinking about her could get them both killed and he needed to stay calm.

“Put your weapon down,” his friend—ex-friend—Levi ordered.

His finger twitched on the trigger. “You first.”

A long moment ticked by. “Same time?”

Jack narrowed his eyes but nodded. As Levi lowered his weapon, Jack followed suit so that they both held their weapons at their sides. “What the hell are you doing working for Vargas?”

“You have forty-five seconds to get to your vehicle and get the hell out of here before Vargas’s guys spot you.”

Jack felt as if he were staring into the eyes of a stranger. “Damn it, Levi, I just heard about Meghan and I’m sorry, but talk to me. What’s going on? Why are you working for that piece of shit?”

“My problem isn’t with you. Stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours. You’re down to forty seconds now.” His voice was icy.

Jack could stand there all day and not squeeze any information out of him. “Fine . . . How deep are you involved with Vargas?”

“Deep enough to know he’s got a mole in the NSA. You need to close that leak.”

Jack didn’t show any outward reaction. He couldn’t afford to. Whatever he’d originally thought about Levi, it didn’t sound as if he was betraying his country. This had to be about revenge. It was the only thing that made sense. Maybe that was wishful thinking, but he’d known this man too long. “Is this about her death?”

Levi’s jaw clenched once, but he gave an imperceptible nod.

“Why are you telling me this?”

He snorted. “Because fuck Vargas, that’s why. He’s a means to an end. You’ve got thirty seconds now.”

Jack blocked Sophie’s body with his as they walked around Levi. “You almost got us killed in Marathon. You get in my way again, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Levi said.

Jack stayed close to Sophie as they rushed down the side of the building. But he kept his eye on Levi, who still hadn’t moved.

Once they made it to the other corner, he had full visibility of the parking lot. No one was around. Levi must have been their lookout man.

Jack didn’t say a word, but Sophie remained close as they maneuvered their way toward the SUV. Tomorrow he’d have to ditch it, but for now they needed it to get to the hostel.

Once they’d pulled out of the parking lot, Sophie breathlessly asked, “Why did he let us go?”

“I have no clue.”

“Do you think he’ll follow us?”

“No. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s not interested in us.” This had everything to do with his wife’s death. Jack was sure even if he didn’t know the details. The truth was, if someone killed Sophie he didn’t even want to think about what he’d do to get revenge.

“Do you think . . . we could stop by Hannah’s house? She still hasn’t called and I’m worried.”

Considering he’d already dragged Sophie all over the city and nearly gotten her killed more than once, he