Page 127 of Dual

“It’s so good to hear your voice.” I can hear the choke in his voice. How strained and restrained he’s sounded on the callslately. I know it’s because he’s learned I’ll hang up if he shouts for me to tell him where I am.

“Thank you for the intel. It helped.”

“How?” He sounds frustrated. “What on earth could a South American diplomat’s offshore accounts have to do with any of what you’re doing in Europe?”

I smile. “Who said I’m in Europe?”

He scoffs. “Obviously, you’re in Europe. Doing god knows what, but I’ve managed to figure out that much.”

“Don’t, Domhn. Don’t hunt for me, or I won’t be able to call you anymore.”

We finally gave in several weeks ago and called Domhn in on his offer of help. We couldn’t risk staying in one place long enough to build the kind of servers we needed to stay truly off-grid, and it was the safest choice. Okay, that’s a lie.

The truth was, we missed Domhn’s voice.

But it does help having him track down some of the financials I don’t have time or patience for.

“Did something happen tonight?” Domhn growls over the phone.

Before Pavel died, he gave me a name. An image of his terrified, bloody face as he pled for his life before Red dispatched him flashes in my mind, and I lean my face into the hot spray of the shower water for several long seconds.

Pavel had whispered a single name before the last of the blood gurgled up out of his throat—not to give me information, but to inspire terror in me:Kozlov.

The Kozlov Bratva was the only syndicate that had everintimidated The Librarian, and monsters like my father didn’t scare easy. He’d gotten on their bad side with some deal, and one of the reasons we’d stayed on the run my entire childhood was so we could stay one step ahead of the Kozlovs.

I was still several rungs away from Kozlov himself, but tonight Red took out another of his lieutenants.

“Red took out another cell tonight, and Mads got copies of everything before Red set the place on fire. We’ll be uploading it all to the secure server tomorrow at our next location.”

“Tell me where you are,” Domhn demands. “Or where you’re going. I can meet you. You shouldn’t be out there alone like this.”

He’s right. It’s insane, the little quest we’re on. If it were just me, I’d totally wimp out and go drop myself in a hole somewhere, praying no one ever found me again.

I pump floral-smelling bodywash into a cloth and scrub down my arms, breasts, and belly, my breath expelling in surprise like it does every time I touch there.

Because this isn’t just about me anymore, is it?

No, we have to finish this.

“Mads?” Domhnall calls over the phone.

“It’s Anna, actually.”

“Anna.” I can hear the surprise in his voice.

“I know, can you believe they actually let me out of the cage sometimes?”

“Anna, thank god I’ve finally got you on the line. Tell me whereyou are.”

I sigh and lean against the cool tile wall while the hot water blasts my front. “You know I can’t, honey. Mads and Red would be furious. And we’ve been… ah… trying to work together lately.”

“You… have?” I can hear his skepticism.

I know, I wouldn’t have believed it either.

I turn the hot water off, a small smile crossing my face.

“Right? Wonders never cease.”