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But he couldn’t. The situation was dangerous enough, and he wouldn’t risk Edward’s life just because he couldn’t control his temper.
“Dillinger,” Edward said between clenched teeth.
“Raines, right?” As he got closer, they could clearly see the gun he had in his right hand. It was resting at his side, but Daniel didn’t doubt the man was going to have perfect aim at this close of a distance.
“Yes, and you can lose the gun. I thought we could have a nice, civil chat.”
Marcus gave a little shake of his head and stopped when he was still ten feet away from them. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Daniel and Daniel was trying like hell not to squirm under the man’s gaze. “The gun stays until I know everyone here is on the level.”
Edward’s smile returned, but it was the ruthless, feral one that caused the hairs on the back of Daniel’s neck to stand on end. He’d never had it directed at him, but the previous times it had preceded some rather spectacular violence on Edward’s part. “The similarities are stunning, aren’t they?”
The former general grunted. “I’ve known Jones for nearly five years, and I could swear he was standing right in front of me.” There was a soft, distracted quality to the older man’s voice that made Daniel wonder exactly how well he knew the dead man, but it didn’t seem like a good time to ask.
After another couple of seconds, Marcus turned his glare on Edward. “You got the list?”
Edward slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small blue thumb drive. The thing was brand new and completely blank. When they picked up a laptop in Paris, Edward had grabbed a package for just in case, like he knew he was going to need a decoy.
“You got the rest of the blueprints? We’ve got buyers who aren’t going to wait much longer now that the heat is on,” Edward said. “And with the CIA on to your ass, I’d prefer not to get swept up in their investigation.”
“Then we make the deal with Russia today,” Marcus growled. “You know their contact. Make the deal. Get the money shipped to my account today, and I’ll send your half wherever you want.”
“How do I know I’m going to get my share of the money? How do I know you weren’t the one to leak Jones to the CIA?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, boy? Why would I double-cross Jones? Did revealing Jones’s activities in any way make my life easier? Did it get the deal done faster? Fuck, no! How do I know that you’re not going to double-cross me?”
“Because I brought a gift.”
Daniel’s heart picked up its pace and he fought the overwhelming urge to take a step backward. Something felt wrong. Edward hadn’t discussed what they would talk about at the meeting or how he was going to finally take down the general. Daniel’s job was to simply follow Edward’s orders.
But suddenly, that single instruction felt…wrong.
“What gift? All you brought me was a damn civilian pretending to be CIA.”
Edward turned his feral grin on Daniel, and his blood ran cold in his veins. Oh, God. No.
“I brought you our one and only loose end.”
His lover seemed to be moving in slow motion when he pulled the handgun he’d been using from the holster at his lower back. But instead of pointing the gun at Marcus, he raised the muzzle to point directly at Daniel’s chest.
Daniel could feel the blood drain from his face and his knees go weak at the sight of the gun in Edward’s hand. The gun pointed at his heart. At that range, Edward wouldn’t miss. The bullet would kill him almost instantly and Edward…the man he’d fallen hopelessly for…would be the one to put it there.
This had to be a mistake. He couldn’t have misjudged him so completely. Sure, Edward had lied to him in the beginning, but things had changed. He was sure Edward had been telling the truth in Barcelona and Toulouse and Paris. Edward needed him to be bait. Needed him to meet with the other buyers.
And now, he needed him…
Fuck. Why? Why did Edward need him at this meeting? He had the information to lure out Marcus.
“No,” Daniel choked out, his voice barely over a whisper. But Edward’s word kept repeating over and over in his head.
Loose end. Loose end. Loose end. Loose end. Loose end.
He was more than a fucking loose end.
“Sorry, babe,” Edward said with a snicker. “I’ll give you that you have been an absolutely amazing fuck the past week. And I am sorry to see that come to an end. But really, with the money I’m going to make off this deal, I can buy and sell a dozen of you.”
Daniel couldn’t stop himself from backpedaling. With a shaking hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the gun Edward gave him. He pointed it at Marcus and then Edward, hating the way the end shook violently, giving away his distress. “No! I’m not a loose end. You dragged me into this. I was just on vacation!”
