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“You don’t have time,” Sloane said. She pointed at the screen. “She doesn’t have time.”

“Fuckin’ aware. You better be damned sure, Sloane.”

She glanced at the screen and then back at me.

“I’m sure.”

“Then let’s go get my wife.” I turned to Nico, but before I could say anything, he said, “I’m coming with you.”

“I’m not wasting my time saying no. You drive. I ride shotgun. Sloane and Trevor behind me. Tommy, follow our vehicle, but do not engage until I say so.”

I didn’t wait for anyone to contradict me and headed for the exit. My Expedition with its own veritable armory was parked outside. I tossed the keys to Nico. It was only when we were on the road and our plan was set that I clicked on the link again.

The video came up. Tremors shook my body and I whispered hoarsely, “Sunlight.”

The water had risen and she kept slipping and sputtering.

“How is she?” Nico asked from beside me.

“She’s hanging in there. Your sister is a fighter.”

“She is.”

I wished I had a pill that would numb me through all emotions so I could remain clear-headed to execute this task. I was too close to this, but I wouldn’t trust anyone else to get it done.

“Miller is Kaz Doku’s bastard son,” Trevor said behind us.

Fuck. My first kill. The Albanian mob boss that cemented my place in the Rossi crime family as their assassin-for-hire. The Rossis awarded me that Harlem kingdom. It would explain why Miller went after it. Most of the puzzle had fallen into place.

“He’s planned it for a while.”

“He was using his mother’s last name. That was why we couldn’t link him immediately to Doku. From what I can tell, he landed in Iowa after his father’s death and assumed the identity of an army veteran named Crowe Miller.

“The Albanians run a stolen identity ring. They keep track of returning veterans who join support groups for PTSD.” Trevor’svoice grew progressively sharper, angrier, but I could see where he was going with this. “Veterans who’ve been abandoned by family and friends because they can’t cope. So when they go missing, nobody questions it.”

“Someone has access to government databases and changed the fingerprints and pictures?” Nico asked.

“Yeah, so they have connections to the FBI’s fingerprinting system,” Trevor said. “The Office of Personnel Management holds all information of government employees. They might have changed current details like photos. That is why I dug up the archives.”

“That’s fucked up,” Sloane said.

Nothing surprised me anymore. Everyone had a price. And the Albanians were ruthless. They targeted veterans because they would have enough combat experience to infiltrate an organization’s security regardless of what background check was done. When Miller joined, it was for the security of the club.

As I continued to keep my eyes on Bianca, details about Miller’s secret life emerged. Did I think my life as an assassin wouldn’t catch up with me? There was never any association between my kill list and myself except that very first job. Raffa was the last one alive who knew about it.

“Right here.” Sloane pointed at the street coming up.

The Expedition turned into a narrow road. That was when Bianca slipped again and went underwater. “How many more minutes? Bianca is almost outta time!”

Panic warred against my ability to stay coherent. She was bobbing under water but coming up just enough to suck in air.

It was a four-lane road that narrowed into two lanes until houses with acres of land between them surrounded us.

“We’re coming up on it, right?” Nico said.

“Yes. Next property after the crossing, but you might want to set up on the street over,” Sloane said.

“I wish I had my drone and shit,” Trevor said.