Страница 123 из 349
I check the rear-view again, this time finding the white car riding my ass. I narrow my gaze, my stomach hollowing as the vehicle becomes familiar. An even more familiar woman sits behind the wheel.
Fuck.
Anissa found me.
Even worse is the thought of how she did it. Did she hack my cell? Or was she always watching?
Keira touches my arm, and I jolt from the unexpected co
“Sebastian?” Her brows pinch in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I bite back the growl in my voice and return my attention to the mirror. “Just concentrating on the road, that’s all.”
I flick my indicator, preparing to turn off the highway and into the small town. My tail follows, inching the nose of her car closer to my bumper.
She wants to cause trouble. Big trouble. And I’m not sure I know how to stop her.
“Is someone following us?” Keira swivels in her seat to look out the back window. “Answer me.”
I grind my molars. “Yeah. We’ve got a tail.”
A tail we won’t outrun. Not easily. Or without attracting attention. I’m going to have to talk to Anissa. She’s not going to leave me alone until I face her.
“What do we do? Can we outrun them?”
“No. It’s okay. I know who it is.”
She keeps her focus out the back window. “It’s a woman.”
“Yes,” I mutter the confirmation.
“Is she a friend of yours?”
“No.”
“Then how did she know where to find us?” Anger creeps into her voice.
“I don’t fucking know, which obviously isn’t good. I have to pull over.” I straddle my attention between the road in front and the bitch behind as I drive into the main street of town. “I need you to stay in the car. Don’t get out. Don’t even look through the back window. It’s best if you remain out of sight, keep your belt on, and be ready for us to leave as soon as I get back.”
“Am I in danger?”
Good question. “I don’t fucking know.” I hold her gaze for long seconds, then return my attention to the road. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Just follow my instructions and you’ll be fine.”
I indicate. Anissa copies.
I pull to the curb. She follows.
I cut the engine, unfasten my belt, and open the door as my pulse pounds in my ears. “Remember what I said. Don’t move. I need you to lay low until I get back.”
She nods. “I will.”
I slide from my seat, but Keira reaches across the car interior and grabs my wrist.
“Wait,” she pleads. “Please be careful.” Her eyes implore me more than her words, the glassy blue depths hitting me in the feels.
I fake a grin. “You know my motto—it’s better to be safe than stupid.”
She winces. “Don’t joke at a time like this. I’m worried about you.”
It’s not me she needs to worry about. “I’ve got this under control.”
I pat her hand then climb from the car, all humor vanishing as I shut the door and turn to find Anissa leaning against the side of the white SUV.
I storm ahead, waiting until I reach her hood before I snarl, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
She smiles, the curve of lips sinister. “Hey, lover. How are you?”
I scan the sidewalk, not appreciating the audience. “Why are you here?”
She crosses her feet at the ankles, her arms over her chest. “Your call was out of character. I was hoping you woke up and realized you made a mistake.”
“There’s no mistake. I’m done. You need to back off.”
Her smile doesn’t falter. “That’s not how this works.” She pushes from the car and closes the space between us.
I’m tempted to back away. Only because I don’t want her close enough to sink her nails in. But I refuse to retreat.
“You promised to stick by me,” she purrs. “You can’t leave now.”
I don’t mistake her statement for anything other than the threat it is.
“We had a mutually beneficial agreement.” I measure my tone, refusing to lose my cool. “And your part of the deal is no longer relevant. So, like I said, we’re done.”
“We’re not done until I say we are.” She leans close, whispering in my ear. “I call the shots here.”
I turn my head to face her, those venomous lips bare inches from mine. “Like hell you do.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. Where’s that sweet Decker I know? The one who always used to say my name with reverence.”
My nostrils flare. “Quit playing games.”
“I’m not.” Her smile widens, a tiny dimple peeking out. “But make a woman happy and say my name one last time.”
I glare. “Not go
“Say it or I go over there and introduce myself to your travel companion.”
Fucking bitch.
I want to hurt her. Strangle her. If I was Torian, she’d already be dead.
“Anissa,” I grate.
She chuckles. “You’ve gotta say all of it, sweetie. My first name. My last. And don’t forget the title.”
My nostrils flare as I clench my fists. “You’re fucking with the wrong person.”
“Fu
My pulse pounds beneath tightening ribs as I utter the words that make my stomach turn. “Special Agent Anissa Fox.”
Her flirty smile falls back into place. “Good boy. Now make sure you keep repeating my name in your head every time you think about backing out on our fucking agreement.”
“There is no agreement,” I snarl.
“Because you think Luther is dead, right? That’s the only assumption I could make from your ‘I don’t need you anymore’ comment.”
I fight a fucking war inside myself, unsure whether to answer her or make more threats of my own. “It doesn’t matter. I’m out.”
“Oh, honey, it matters. You know it does.” She inches closer, narrowing her gaze to scrutinize my expression. “Where did you get the information?”
I press my lips into a tight line, scowling out my refusal to answer.
“I thought you were smarter than that, Deck. I know very few people who would cut ties before determining fact from fiction.”
“As far as I’m concerned, the news is concrete.”
She raises her brows. “Yet in the last five hours, not one of my sources could confirm a damn thing.”
My palms sweat with the need to do something, anything, to shut her up.
“You wanted to take them down,” she snips. “You came to me for help, remember?”
“And now I’ve got what I wanted. Richard is out. Luther is dead. The fairytale lives on. Just as soon as you get out of my fucking face.”
She narrows her eyes. “They’ve messed with you, haven’t they? She got in your head. She worked you over.”
“No.” I lean close, unable to control my breathing. I’m livid. Furious. “I worked her over. How else do you think I got the fucking information, you co
“You think this is me being a bitch?” She snickers. “Sweetie, I’m only doing my job, and to be honest, I’m just getting started.”
She pulls a cell from her jeans pocket and taps the screen, opening icons and folders. “If you bail on me and Luther isn’t dead, I’ll make sure not only you get named as an informant, but your best buddy, too.”
She holds up the device, showing me a picture of Hunter beside a guy I don’t recognize. She flicks through more images, displaying different locations with various people, all of them interacting with Hunt in some way.
“The men in these pictures are undercover agents,” she explains. “I spent months setting up these scenarios, ensuring we had the necessary leverage to tie him to us. All it took was a bump to the shoulder, a dropped piece of paper or a wallet. Anything at all, really, to make the shot look like an exchange of information.”