The camera lifted off the ground and pointed at two men sitting in chairs, gags in their mouths. One had a bloody, busted nose while the other hung his head forward to the point she couldn’t make out more than his profile.
Standing between both men was the man she recognized.
Thomas.
“Is that thing on?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah,” someone of screen said.
Mark Forest stepped into the frame, gun in hand. “This is proof of job completion, invoice twenty-three ninety-four.”
Riley reached over and closed the laptop, but not before she heard the first blast of gunfire.
She covered her mouth. Her whole body trembled.
“Erin? Erin, look at me, please?” Riley took her hands in his.
Parts of the events leading up to now made sense. Not entirely. Someone had sent this video to her Osman. Why? Was he blowing the whistle on people? Was his death really an accident?
“I need to see the email,” she said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She pushed his hands away and opened the laptop. Before the video could continue, she closed the tab and went to the email. She studied the sender information. The email was generic, likely a throwaway from someone who didn’t want to be identified.
Someone had sent this to her co-worker.
He’d marked it as important.
She needed to know what became of the meth lab report.
“Erin, talk to me.” Riley turned toward her, his hand braced on the back of her chair, his other hovering over her track pad hand.
“I think...” She swallowed, fitting her hypothesis together. “I think Osman was ratting people out, and that’s what got him killed. That’s what made Mark try to kill me.”
There was no doubt that if this video got out, Mark and his company were over. They’d be lucky to be arrested if not outright killed.
“I can’t give this to NexGen.” Her next leap of logic was that her parent company knew. “NexGen had to know something. They had some idea this was going on. He would have told them, don’t you think? That invoice bit. Unless, he paid for the hit, and that video is the confirmation?”
“We don’t know anything.” Riley took her hands in his.
“I have to do something with this—”
“We will. Give this to me. Grant and Melody can take the video up the chain. We’ve got people who can have this figured out before we land, okay?”
She nodded.
This was so over her head she didn’t know what to do.
MONDAY, DALLAS INTERNATIONAL Airport, Texas.
Mark sat in the SUV parked across from the terminal. Any moment now, Erin Lopez would arrive, and a series of events would be set into motion. Ever since Mark began doing these off-the-book jobs, he’d used others to cover up the end goal. People asked fewer questions about a freak allergic reaction resulting in death than they did when someone was killed during a mugging.
With any luck, Erin’s story would be neatly wrapped up in a bow.
Following her kidnapping by the family members who held her responsible for the deaths of parents, siblings, and cousins, one, lone survivor would finish the job.
Khalil would get the revenge he’d always wanted and Mark would have one loose end tied up. There was still the matter of that email to deal with, but Mark could handle that. There were ways.
First, Erin. It always came down to her. He’d misjudged her the first time around and suffered from that mistake. Once she was out of the way, it would all fall into place.
IT WAS EARLY EVENING by the time Erin’s flight landed and they were through with customs. She shuffled forward, still no less stunned by the video she’d witnessed hours before. Riley kept a steadying hand on her lower back, guiding her through the crowded airport.
Everything came back to her. The kidnapping, the attack, Thomas, yesterday. It was because of that damn video. She hated being helpless, unable to change the course of things. The series of events that landed her here weren’t even because of her. Not really.
“Come on, this way,” Riley muttered.
Erin placed her hand against her ribs. She needed to breathe evenly. More controlled. Yet she couldn’t make herself slow down and take a damn breath. Pain stabbed through her spine and organs to bore against her sternum.
“I need a moment.” She side stepped the crowd and braced her hand on the back of a chair near the doors.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Sit.” Riley directed her into the closest chair and knelt in front of her.
“It’s just the pressure changes and sitting. I’ll be fine.” Not to mention stress and everything else.
“When was the last time you took something?”
“I don’t know.”
The hair on the back of her neck rose.
Erin glanced over her shoulder. Through the glass, out by the curb, a man was staring at her. He turned his head the instant their gazes crossed. She was left with the impression of tanned skin, dark hair and eyes.
“Are we ready to go?” She winced.
“I think so.” Riley stood and peered outside. “Yeah, looks like Grant and the others are loading. You okay to walk?”
Erin wanted out of here.
Riley took her hand and helped her to her feet. Together they stepped through the sliding glass doors out into the hot sauna of a Texas day. She fanned herself and glanced at the same man standing at the curb.
He was looking at her again, and this time he didn’t back down
There was something about his stare, the way he had it aimed directly at her that caused a shiver.
“Erin? Hey, Erin?” Riley stopped her halfway to the car. His gaze searched her eyes. “Something’s not right.”
“I’m fine. Can we just go?” She winced, the muscles in her back cramping up.
“Hey, guys?” Riley waved at Grant.
Erin put one foot in front of the other, but it was a challenge. She finally gave up and let go of Riley’s hand to bend forward, hands on her knees and struggle for breath.
“Fuck this. Erin, I’m sorry.”
Riley scooped her up in his arms. She cringed at the
