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B raxton and Quinn returned to his room, and while he packed a bag, her phone rang. Her heart knocked against her ribs when she saw Unknown Caller flash across the screen.

“It’s probably Cross,” she said, and Braxton moved up beside her. After pulling in a steadying breath, she calmly answered, “Hello, Merlin.”

“I’m very disappointed that you haven’t managed to take out Ex Nihilo yet,” Cross said, sounding more than a little annoyed. “I thought you were the best.”

“I am the best, but my goal is to take them out all at once. No loose ends.”

“Good to know. You can do it in Paris.”

Her eyes flickered up to meet Braxton’s. “Paris?”

“I’ve worked out an exchange with them—Ryland’s wife for Dr. Zaitsev.”

“You have Harper Mills?” she asked, pretending ignorance.

“The only thing you need to worry about is getting over here as quickly as possible. I want you close by when the trade happens.”

“As your bodyguard?”

“No, as my sniper.” Everything within her tensed. “Then you’ll kill them all. Understand?”

“Roger that,” she responded, doing her best to sound completely indifferent.

“Leave now.” He paused. “Oh, and good work taking out Mesa. I assume that was you?”

“I was there, but his lion got to him first.”

“Doesn’t really matter. I’ll be in touch.”

She hung up and turned her full attention to Brax. “This is the perfect opportunity to take out Cross.”

He nodded slowly and she could see his gears turning. “We’ll discuss it on the way and come up with the best possible plan.”

“The best plan is cutting the head off the monster.”

“That won’t kill this monster,” Brax stated ominously. “We have to get all his tentacles, too.”

A chill ran through her and she knew he was right. In order to stop The Agency once and for all, they would need to destroy the entire beast in one fell swoop.

◆◆◆

The flight to the City of Lights went far too fast and was full of planning. It was hard to lock down exact details though when they didn’t know where the exchange with Cross would take place. Good thing Ex Nihilo was a highly-adaptable group.

After Pyro smoothly landed the jet at a small, private airport, Braxton, Quinn and crew unloaded their gear and stowed it into two separate SUVs, courtesy of River who was back at the warehouse running ops with Lucas. Zaitsev gave them zero trouble and had proven to be a very cooperative prisoner. Especially after the chemist found out Saint was in charge of guarding him. The diminutive scientist had no intention of challenging the much bigger, very scary, black-inked man.

Cross had contacted Quinn, telling her a car would pick her up in front of a specific cafe in exactly—Brax glanced down at his watch—thirty-two minutes. With Paris traffic, they didn’t have a moment to spare.

It had been determined that Ryland and Braxton would escort Zaitsev to the exchange, wherever it would be. Gray, Saint, Inda and Zane would be close by, ready to move if and when necessary. And Quinn would take the kill shot, ending Nathan “Cross” Mills once and for all. Ryland hadn’t argued. He was too lost in worry over Harper and their baby.

A baby. Christ, it’s happening , Brax thought. His teammates would all be starting families, and as happy as he was for them, he was also a little sad that their days as Ex Nihilo would be coming to an end. Yes, he wanted to destroy The Agency, wipe those fuckers from existence. But he’d miss this battle-hardened group that had become his family since his dad had passed away. Just like he’d lost touch with his Delta team, he assumed the same would happen with Ex Nihilo, and that bothered him. A lot.

Giving his head a shake, Brax forced his thoughts back to the op. First things first. It was time to say goodbye to Quinn. Since they didn’t want anyone seeing them together, they had to go their separate ways now.

Pulling her aside, he laid his hands on her waist and let out a harsh sigh. Damn, he was reluctant to let her go. “Are you ready for this?” he asked, searching her gorgeous gray-green eyes.

“I was born ready, Graves.” She gave him a determined smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Be safe, okay?”

His hands slid around to her back, moving beneath her leather jacket, and tugging her closer. “You, too,” he whispered. Leaning down, he caught her mouth in a kiss that became emotional fast. Her arms wound around his neck as they devoured each other.

After what felt like forever, but wasn’t nearly long enough, they broke apart. His hands reluctantly released her and he stepped back, forcing himself to move away. But nothing about it felt right.

Fuckit. He grabbed her, hauled her up off the ground, hands clasped beneath her ass, and kissed the holy hell out of her. If this was it, if something happened, he was going to give her a goodbye to remember. Her fingers slid through his curls and she moaned into his mouth as his very soul kissed hers.

He loosened his grip and her body slowly slid down his front, lighting a fire inside him. If only they had more time. Pulling his mouth away, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Be careful, Cherry.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “I’ve got plans for you and me.”

She smiled, and this time it was genuine. “I like the sound of that.”

After stealing one last, quick kiss, Quinn turned toward her SUV and Brax moved over to his ride. Looking over his shoulder, he watched her get in and close the door. Their gazes locked and he gave her a reassuring nod before the vehicle began to drive away.

Brax climbed into the front passenger seat then looked over at Gray who sat behind the wheel. “Let’s do this,” he said, voice laced with determination.

The call from Cross came while they were still driving to the city. Brax turned in his seat, his attention on Ryland, who spoke through clenched teeth. The normally laid-back surfer was wound tight, worry pouring off him.

Cross gave them strict and implicit instructions. Other than Zaitsev, Ryland could only bring one other person to accompany him, and no weapons. Yeah, right. If Cross thought they would come unarmed, he was insane.

“The Louvre, 1500 hours. If you don’t show—”

“I’ll be there,” Ryland snapped. “No need to threaten my wife’s life again.”

“It’s not a threat, Ryland, it’s a promise.”

Ryland squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his phone so hard his knuckles turned white. Beside him, Inda laid a reassuring hand on his arm. “I said I’ll be there,” he said in a very low, scarily-controlled voice. “And if I find out you touched one hair on her head, I will end you.”

“Don’t ever let a woman control your emotions. It makes you weak.”

“Great advice, Dad ,” he responded dryly. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand how Harper has made me a stronger man in every single way.”

Cross sighed. “Good chat, son. Remember, no weapons are allowed in the Louvre.”

The moment he hung up, Ryland slammed the phone down against the seat and cursed. “I’m going to fucking tear him apart.”

“No, Rip,” Brax warned him. “Your only concern is getting Harper back. Quinn will take Cross down.”

A muscle flexed in his cheek, but he forced a nod. “Roger,” he gritted out.

“The Louvre?” Saint said, not sounding happy.

“Cross is a snake.” Gray turned the SUV toward the famous museum. “Of course he’d pick a place full of innocent tourists just to make sure we don’t all wind up in a shoot-out.”

“There’s no getting weapons into that place,” Zane said, studying his laptop screen. “Louvre security is tight. We’re talking thirteen-hundred security guards, metal detectors, body scans and bag scans.”

“That means Rip and I will have to go in unarmed while Saint, Demon and Bruja find positions outside the museum. Be ready to grab Zaitsev back once Harper is secure. Banshee, you’ll be running comms and Quinn will take care of Cross.” Brax glanced over each member of his team, secure in the knowledge they would be able to get the job done.

They arrived early, found a place to park and discussed the situation and every possible angle of the op. But the main objective was to get Harper away from Cross and safely back to Ryland. Then, if Quinn could safely take the shot and neutralize Cross, Brax knew she would.

After a quick look at his watch, Brax realized it was getting close to three o’clock. “Go time.” He gave Ryland a confident look, full of reassurance. “Let’s get your family back.”

◆◆◆

A driver picked Quinn up from the cafe almost immediately. Her French was excellent and she asked him where they were going, but he ignored her. It didn’t take long before they were driving down Rue de Rivoli and she caught sight of the Louvre. The driver took her as close to the museum as possible, weaving through traffic and a sea of tourists.

When the SUV stopped, she slid out and her phone rang.

“Merlin,” she answered, waiting for instructions as she looked up at the huge pyramid in front of her. It was a large glass and metal structure located in the museum’s main courtyard—Cour Napoléon—of the Louvre Palace and surrounded by three smaller pyramids.

“Enter the museum and go to the Mona Lisa exhibit in Salle des états.”

He hung up and she cursed beneath her breath. Of course, he picked the most visited painting in the most famous museum in the city. There was no way she could smuggle a weapon inside. Hesitating, she looked around, then discreetly dropped her Glock in a trash can. She supposed everyone being unarmed would be a good thing in case tempers ignited. Besides, there was more than one way to neutralize a threat than with a gun.

After waiting in line to purchase a ticket, she moved easily enough through security. To find the Mona Lisa, she pretty much just followed the crowd. She’d visited the painting before and, in all honesty, had been slightly underwhelmed. Of course, to be fair, she hadn’t studied much art history. Even so, she’d failed to see why exactly Leonardo da Vinci’s painting drew such a crowd and was considered a beloved masterpiece. Personally, she found the Venus de Milo sculpture to be much more interesting.

After finding the gallery room, she ignored the famous painting enclosed behind bullet proof glass and scanned the crowded area. People clustered everywhere, chatting and taking pictures. Making her way along the perimeter, she searched for Harper’s blonde hair, but didn’t see her right away.

Unease began to trickle through her and Quinn didn’t like how the situation was changing. Cross originally told her she would be his sniper. So why did he suddenly want her inside and unarmed? Before she could come up with a suitable answer, she saw Harper standing beside a tall, lean man with a head of thick, sun-bleached hair with silver temples. Other than the slight gray, she could see the resemblance between him and Ryland. But while Ryland was usually laughing and emanating good vibes, his father had a more sinister energy, and she felt it immediately.

As Quinn walked over, she sent Harper a warning look, silently reminding her they didn’t know each other. The other woman played along beautifully. Thank God. As far as Cross knew, Quinn was merely the Cardinal, a hired assassin. Unless he’d managed to figure out her true identity. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she had an inkling that maybe he knew more than he was letting on. After all, her real name had popped up on The Agency’s roster.

“You do realize this is highly unorthodox,” she said. “I don’t normally meet my clients in person.”

“Well, considering you’re going to be a part of The Agency, I thought it would be a good time to meet face to face,” he responded evenly. “And I think we can cut the bullshit.”

Her stomach dipped, but she remained cool and merely arched a brow.

“I know who you really are, Quinn Graves.”

“And I know who you are, Cross Mills.” She didn’t miss a beat, turning her attention to Harper. “Spending a little quality time with your daughter-in-law?”

“Touché.”

“I thought I was playing sniper today, not bodyguard.”

“The plan changed. We’re exchanging my son’s lovely wife here for Dr. Zaitsev. Then you and the good doctor are coming with me.”

Her pulse sped up. “Where are we going?”

“It’s time you met the final players and learned the ultimate plan. If you want to sit at the high table with us and make decisions that will affect the world, you’ll have to be brought up to speed. And be accepted by the others.”

She wasn’t sure how much she liked the sound of that, but she nodded. Then, the crowd seemed to shift and part. Her attention moved to the two tall men stalking toward them, towing a short, scared-looking Russian chemist.

Her heart soared.

Braxton and Ryland had arrived.