Adrian reached over and touched her hand. Meganshifted her fingers and grabbed onto his. Her lifeline in themiddle of this. She wanted to pray, the way she’d prayed all theway here that Remy would find the connection between everyoneinvolved—a connection that would lead back to the blackmailer.Otherwise, they had little method of discovering who he was.
Now that she’d started praying, it almost felt likeshe couldn’t stop.
The man behind all this was a master of technology. Amaster of disguising his own identity behind layer after layer ofanonymity. Hiring people to operate on his behalf, folks happy toaccept payment and never learn their employer’s identity.
Uncovering his—or her, she supposed—identity was thekey to all of it.
And one of the factors that remained an indisputablepart of that, was the part El Cuervo played in all this. There was aconnection. But how important was it?
Hank looked down at his lap. “We got a picture ofhim. Do you want to see it?”
Megan really did not. Though she’d only seen himonce, and just from the side, he’d seemed an imposing man. Whetherthat was due to his reputation, or the fact she and Will had beenhis prisoners, she couldn’t have said.
She swallowed, then reached with her free hand forthe phone Hank held out. She looked at the screen. Dark gray suit.Dark hair. Thick, heavy brow. It was the same angle she’d seen himfrom before, and it wasn’t completely in focus. Taken on the sly,moving fast, by someone who knew they would likely be killed ifspotted.
“Was this the man who ordered Will’s death?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Hank lifted a black radio. “All units be advised,suspect has been identified. Stand by.”
Adrian squeezed her hand.
She said, “Are you going in there to pick him up, orwill you wait until he leaves?”
“As much as I’d like to know what exactly he’swaiting for,” Hank said, “I’m inclined to interrupt his meal, andsnatch him up. We may not get another chance.”
She nodded, hoping he didn’t ask her to join theoperation. They likely had enough agents here. Maybe even local lawenforcement backing them up. They didn’t need her, right?
And yeah, she was a total chicken. Or it was straightfear. Though understandable given her trauma, she didn’t like it.Megan had spent her life so far trying to live up to her dad’slegacy. To honor his memory. Here she was, practically shaking,because a man was in a restaurant eating dinner that was no doubtbetter at home.
Where was her drive to kill him? Apparently when itcame down to it, she was all bark and no bite.
Why was he here?
What was Hank waiting for?
Why had ElCuervo left her alive?
The question had been haunting her for years, and shehad no more answers now than she did the day she walked into theAmerican embassy in Mexico City, in ragged clothes and covered withWill’s blood.
Megan felt the tears gather and squeezed her eyesshut.
“We move now.” Hank’s voicewas solid. Sure. That father figure, determined to protect her. Theway she remembered her dad doing when she’d fallen ice skating andbroken her arm. He’d stayed up on the couch and watched movies allnight with her because she’d been too uncomfortable to sleep withthe cast.
“All units, green light. I repeat, green light.”
The car door opened. Then another. Adrian didn’tmove, and neither did she.
Megan opened her eyes and saw the driver and Hank hadboth gotten out. Bullet proof vests. Weapons ready.
They made their way across the lot to the front doorof the restaurant. Megan saw other agents head toward the side, togo around the back. They would get in position at all entrances andexits and make sure every way out was covered.
Then, when the signal was given, they wouldconverge.
“You okay?”
She didn’t turn back to Adrian. “Yes.” Did he really want to stay here with her? “Youcan get a vest and go with them if you want. You don’t have to sitwith me.” She didn’t call it babysitting. He knew how she feltabout him being here purely to “take care of her.” That wasn’t whatthis was. She needed his hand holding hers right now. They bothknew it.
“I’m fine.”
She knew that.
Megan smiled to the window at her own joke. Sheopened her mouth to offer him another chance to get in on theaction, but a crack like a firework cut her off.
“What…” She tugged on the door handle on areflex.
“I don’t think—”
Another shot sounded. It didn’t hit the car,though.
All the agents she could see ducked and ran forcover.
She tugged on the door handle. Nothing happened. Shetugged again. It was locked. “Hank!” She called his name, and thesound echoed in the car.
Another shot came.
“They’re shooting at the agents.” That didn’t makesense, but she couldn’t think. All she could do was watch, and keeppulling on the handle. Hard enough it would break any moment.
The front.
Megan pulled herself up between the seats with hergood hand and then got her legs over the center console.
Adrian pulled on her belt. “We’re protected in here. Hank doesn’t want you inthe line of fire.”
“I’m not just going to watch him die.” The words lefther mouth in a rush, her stomach sour. Her mouth filled with water,and a sick taste. “I won’t do that again.”
“Then draw your weapon,” Adrian said. “We get out thepassenger side, and we hunt the shooter.”
Shots were still coming. Out there, in the glow ofstreetlights, they could see agents hunkered down all over. Sheclimbed out the passenger door and kept her head low. Leanedagainst the SUV. When Adrian shut the door, she looked aroundhim.
Found the muzzle flash.
“There.” She pointed high on the building, thencounted floors. “Eight. South-west corner.”
“Stay low, and stay behind me.”
Neither of them had vests. Hank and his people weresitting ducks until they flushed out the shooter.
El Cuervo knewthey were waiting outside. That was the best explanation herharried mind could come up with right now.
And he’d sent someone to kill law enforcement, beforethey could take him in.
**
Adrian went first. Using cars and shadows for cover,they made their
