Page 143 of To Catch a Sub

“Does Novak outrank you?” she asked softly.

Technically, yes, but they worked for different NCBs, and the technical organization of Interpol was a bureaucratic nightmare. Landon squeezed her to him. “He can’t order me to do anything.” Novak could talk to his boss, Anu, and ask her to order him to do something. “If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to.”

“I would if I were you,” Andrei said.

“Why are you still here?” Landon snarled.

Andrei smirked, looked at his watch, and said, “Five minutes,” before pulling the door closed.

Landon released Colette as she pulled away. “Colette, I won’t let them force you to do anything that would compromise your safety.”

She slid naked off the bed, and he was terrified she’d walk out without turning back, the way she had the night she tied him down and fucked him.

But she did turn, smiling softly, though her eyes were worried. “I know. I’m going to get dressed.”

She slipped through the connecting door, leaving it open. He stood and stretched, listening to her move around and then exit her room, undoubtedly going to the bathroom.

Three minutes later, he met her in the hall. Colette wore casual loose slacks, a satin dress shirt, buttons undone low enough to create a deep V neckline, and a trim sweater. She looked effortlessly elegant and composed. She was even wearing makeup, and after days of seeing her bare-faced, it was almost startling to see her with eye makeup and maybe some lip stuff, though he couldn’t say what.

He started to gesture for her to proceed him, but changed his mind. Landon laced his arm around her waist, yanking her against him. He grinned at her surprised squeak, and kissed those glossy lips.

He kissed her hard, reminding her who she belonged to. When they broke apart there was a faint smear of pink on her chin. He wiped it away with his thumb.

“Ready?”

She smiled. “I am now.”

* * *

“The safety of an informant or witness is paramount. If we start fucking them over, no one will talk to us,” Landon said through his teeth.

Colette was perfectly still beside him, staring at the speakerphone. They were crammed into the small storage room turned office on the first floor. Andrei leaned against the door frame, his expression flat, almost bored, unless you looked at his eyes.

“Ms. Beaumont is uniquely positioned to give us unprecedented access. Damien Tarasov is a major threat to all member countries.”

It wasn’t the first time Novak had said this, and each time he did, it pissed Landon off a little more.

“He didn’t trust me before, and he certainly wouldn’t trust me if I went back,” Colette said. Again, not for the first time. Her accent was becoming more pronounced, and he wasn’t sure if it was on purpose, or if she was getting more and more upset. Like Andrei, she was almost blank, no emotion showing even as Novak outlined his plan.

“Who else knows about this plan?” Landon said, deciding to go on the attack. “Because I doubt any director would agree to this. And there’s no way the executive committee would sanction it.”

“Why not?” Novak sounded genuinely curious.

“You really think we can send a civilian woman to infiltrate the fucking Bratva? Knowing full well what they’d do to her?”

“The information she’d have access to?—”

“Do you know what he’d fucking do to her?” Landon cut in

Novak paused. “I agree there’s some risk of physical assault.”

Colette looked away from the phone, her only sign of distress.

“No, there’s a fucking certainty that he’d rape her and beat her.” Landon clenched his fists together, knowing that the angrier he got, the less Novak would respect what he said.

Andrei stepped closer. “How did you pass the exam to join? I am certain you said yes when asked if you’d sacrifice someone to try and save many.”

“Sometimes the ends justify the means,” Novak said stiffly.