Page 12 of Lethal Vengeance

“Raider hasn’t seen anyone enter the building in the last thirty-five minutes,” he relays, still typing. An image comes up on the screen. Quinn is standing in front of our door with a box in her hands.

Sterling’s eyes widen. He informs Raider of her arrival.

With gun in hand, I cross over and open the door.

Quinn enters slowly, taking in the three of us, before setting the pink box down on the coffee table. “You should tell the man on the roof across the street to come in and grab some breakfast before it’s gone.” She flips the lid open and waves a hand over the assorted pastries inside.

Zane steps forward, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “Weapons?”

She tilts her head to the side. “As a show of good faith, I only brought two weapons with me—a gun and a knife. I’ll keep them both, if you don’t mind.”

Zane nods uneasily. “As a precaution, Cruz will keep his weapon out.”

“That works for me,” she coolly informs him. “Does anyone want a pastry?”

When we don’t move, she picks up the box and carries it over to me. When her eyes meet mine, I notice the softness from last night is gone. She’s all business today.

“It would be counterproductive for me to poison them. It’s a simple gift. My mother taught me to bring one when visiting. And with the amount of tequila I consumed last night, bread was the only choice this morning.” She states matter-of-factly, then folds the lid back. “Choose one for me to eat. I’m not picky.” Her light green eyes flash with a challenge I can’t resist.

Picking up the chocolate croissant, I hold it to her pink lips until she takes a bite. When she reaches for it, I pass the box to Sterling. He sets the box down on his desk.

While she eats, Zane begins. “Quinn, err… Smith, is it? I’m Zane Boseman. I run operations for the Santos Foundation, among other things.”

“Quinn is fine,” she replies, walking over to shake Zane’s hand. “I’ve heard good things about you and your team, particularly the success you’ve had with rescue missions. I’m sorry to hear about your friend, Marcos.”

At five feet, four inches, she looks tiny standing in front of Zane, who’s a foot taller, and yet, her stance is wide and full of confidence.

Zane stills, studying her with new interest. Very few people know about Marcos. Her network is good, damn good. As an opening remark, it was stellar.

She waits patiently for him to make the next move.

“Why did you pick us for this mission?” Zane asks, his voice gruff with suspicion.

“I could state your success rate, but there are other successful outfits out there,” she answers coolly. “Only two groups offered the key ingredient… integrity. Most of the groups do it solely for the money. You’ll do it for them: the girls we’re rescuing. The innocents.”

“Sounds altruistic,” Raider sneers from the doorway. He strides confidently into the room, his eyes riveted on her.

She swivels to face him, an empty laugh filling the air. “On the contrary. It’s for purely selfish reasons. Individuals who are interested in saving innocents aren’t likely to shoot me in the back. This mission is going to be tough. The last thing I need to worry about is whether you’re going to turn on me.”

“Maybe we should be worrying about your intentions,” Raider taunts, glancing at my leg.

Her face turns delightfully pink. “Purely self-defense.”

Zane points to Sterling. “Slick, show her what we’ve discovered.” He turns back to her. “Unless you have a magic key, the mission isn’t going to be successful. We’re a small group. It will take more soldiers than we have at our disposal to break into a facility as heavily guarded as these to extract two individuals.”

Sterling types a few things on his keyboard. Three facilities appear in 3D on top of the dining table. Tiny dots move rapidly in all directions, like a swarm of ants protecting a hill, showing people and guards everywhere.

Instead of studying the projection, she’s staring at Sterling. “You must be Sterling. I saw you at the restaurant last night. Thanks for helping me escape Rodrigo.”

He leans forward and clasps her hand. “I am, and it was my pleasure. You can repay me by recounting the best moments—stabbing Cruz, holding a gun on him, etc. Oh, by the way, do you have my earpiece? We only brought a few of them with us.”

Her head tilts. “British, huh? That’s an unexpected delight.” She pauses for a second. “I don’t have it anymore. Sorry. How about I give you another gift to show my appreciation?”

When she pulls her hand back, Sterling is holding a flash drive. “What’s this?”

“A magic key,” she states flatly. Her eyes dart to Zane. “Isn’t that what you called it?”

Raider moves to my side and flashes a look at me. I nod subtly. She’s prepared for every answer, maybe too prepared. Could this be a trap?