He slowed, staring down at her with that unreadable expression. Mountainous shoulders blocked moonlight filtering through the trees, but she didn’t need to see him clearly to know what he was thinking. She’d memorized every angle of his features the first day they’d met, and while seven years had gone by, he hadn’t changed much. He’d become part of her, and there was nothing—no one—who could change that. Least of all her. “Caring about someone doesn’t limit your ability to do your job, Ana. It’s because you’re emotionally invested in the people you’re assigned to protect and recover that makes you such a good agent.”
He meant every word, conviction strong in his voice.
She raised her gaze with his. “You really believe that.”
“Yeah, I do.” His voice dipped into dangerous territory, the scent of pine and soap diving into her lungs as he inched closer. “I know you, and I know despite the effort you go through to prove nothing gets past that guard you’ve built, you’re one of the strongest, most caring and competent women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Of all the agents I could’ve requested to recover my son, I chose you. Because you’re all I need.”
Her throat swelled. All he needed? “I—”
A scream turned her blood cold.
“Olivia.” Benning ran toward the sound, his back slightly hunched as he clamped a hand on his wound in his shoulder.
The darkness seemed thicker then. She raced after him, every cell in her body focused on getting to his daughter. They’d made it about fifty yards—maybe a bit more—into the wilderness, but it sounded as though the scream had come from the cabin. The possibility they were walking straight into a trap crossed her mind, but she struggled through the snow in spite of that. They had to take the risk. Thin twigs and branches caught on her coat sleeve as she tried to keep up. She hit the button on the flashlight and threw them into complete blackness. If the shooter saw them coming, he might do something rash, irreversible. Sweat built along her hairline as she forced one foot in front of the other. The pain was back, stitches stretching with every step. She couldn’t stop. She had to find Olivia, had to bring her brother home. Blood soaked through her jeans and T-shirt, but the clock hadn’t stopped because she was on the verge of passing out.
They cleared the tree line. Motion-censored lights kicked on, blinding her for a split second. She raised her hand to block the light, and there, positioned near the stairs, Ana made out his outline. The man who’d kicked her through a second-story window waited, his weapon in hand. And beside him, the shape of a six-year-old girl who’d known nothing but fear and loss these past two days.
“Didn’t think you had what it took to survive a fall like that, Ramirez.” The way he said her name, as though they knew each other, grated on her nerves. A gloved hand rested over Olivia’s shoulder, pulling her into his side. “You’re going to need to have more than that leg looked at when we’re finished here, though.”
“You say that like you think I’m going to let you walk away.” Not happening. She raised her gun, taking aim with both hands gripped on steel. Benning shifted beside her, but didn’t protest the fact with one wrong move, one pull of the trigger, she might accidentally hit his daughter. Tension rolled off him in waves, but she’d promised to protect his girl. That was exactly what she was going to do. “Hand over the girl, give me the location on her brother and I’ll consider not pulling the trigger.”
The mask covering his face shifted as though he couldn’t help but smile despite the brand-new bullet hole in his own shoulder, courtesy of Benning. The shooter fanned his gloved grip over his gun, and a rush of nervous energy shot down her spine. “Tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. Seeing as how I don’t particularly enjoy hurting kids, I’ll make a trade. I’ll give you the girl and the location of the son, in exchange for Mr. Reeves.”
“And what’s to stop me from shooting you right now and putting an end to all of this?” she asked.
“Because I’m the only one who knows where the boy is.” Slowly, the shooter reached into his pocket and extracted his phone. Turning the screen toward them, he tossed the device at her feet. “Kill me, and you kill Owen Reeves, Agent Ramirez. Is that what you want?”
Forcing herself to keep her expression blank, Ana braced her feet apart and picked up the phone. Her insides jerked as she recognized the little boy from the file Director Pembrook had handed to her less than twenty-four hours ago. Owen Reeves. The footage looked as though it’d come from a hidden camera tucked into a corner of a small, dark room. And there he was. Alone. Afraid. Tears cutting streaks through the dirt on his cheeks.
Benning in exchange for his children.
No. There had to be another way out of this. She just had to find it. Olivia’s sobs broke through her racing thoughts. She shook her head to clear out the chaos, but the answer was there, right on the tip of her tongue. The bastard had been playing games with them this entire time. Bringing the Samantha Perry case into this, leaving the charm at the crime scene on Benning’s property, destroying evidence. He was trying to manipulate her. Offering a deal had to be another move in a long line of manipulation he’d put into play from the beginning, and she couldn’t let herself fall for it. “No. No deal—”
“I’ll do it,” Benning said.
Her heart plummeted as she realized he’d seen the footage from the phone.
