“Oh, that sounds like fun,” Hadley said, feigning excitement.“Maybe I’ll come, too, and bring my new friend,Stella.”
The name had barely passed Hadley’s lips and Franklin’s entire demeanor changed.Gone was the smug, smirking prick who thought he had them both over a barrel.In his place, was a slightly wild-eyed, sweaty, noticeably paler man who’d just realized he wasn’t as untouchable as he thought he was.
It was enough to warm even the coldest heart.
“You didn’t think it was important to tell us that your ex lived in the neighborhood?Or that she was married to the man you suspected was a sleeper agent?”Cole asked casually.
Franklin shook his head and sneered at him.“No.Not really.Because if you’d just done your damn job, you would’ve found the proof I needed, got out, and been none the wiser.Butno, you just had to go digging, didn’t you, Clayton?”
He shrugged.“If you wanted someone who wouldn’t ask any questions, you should’ve blackmailed someone else.So, humor me, Franklin, let me know if I’m on the right track here.You, still utterly obsessed with your ex, do a background check on her new husband.You realize something is off, but you can’t prove it.Then you ask your boss to send in a couple of operatives to research the guy and get proof he’s a sleeper agent.But your boss won’t do it, because you sound exactly like the paranoid, delusional, stalking piece of shit that you are.That’s where we came in and you decided to fund this whole mission yourself off the books.”
Franklin’s mulish silence spoke volumes.
Hadley’s nose scrunched up in disgust as she said, “I can’t believe you were willing to let me die just so you could make sure your ex-wife wasn’t happy.That’ssopathetic.”
“It doesn’t even matter,” Franklin eventually said.“I could kill both of you right now, hire a freelancer to collect the evidence I know you found, and still geteverythingI want.”
Cole sucked in air through his teeth.“Wouldn’t recommend it.Did you honestly think we came without backup?”
His head whipped around as he looked for anyone who might have a gun trained on him.He wouldn’t find anything.Ren was too good for that.“I’d lie to you about a lot of things, Franklin,” Cole said dryly.“But not that.Trust me.I have backup and cameras.”
Franklin’s chin came up defiantly.“You can’t kill me, either.I have fail safes in place.”
“You mean the check points on your home computer that would send my information to the FBI and the Irish if you don’t sign in every day?”Hadley asked innocently.
“Yeah, those,” he sneered.
She scoffed.“Please.We wiped those outagesago.”
“When we planted the evidence that makes it look likeyou’rethe Russian sleeper agent,” Cole added helpfully.“So, this is your last opportunity to disappear.I’d take it if I were you.”
A bead of sweat ran down his temple.“No one will believe that.Especially since I was the one who suggested the CIA look into that neighborhood to begin with.”
Hadley pulled out her phone.“Oh, they already believe it.Here, check it out.”
She took a few steps toward Franklin, holding out her phone, allowing him to see the live feed Ren had set up in front of Franklin’s house.The feed that showed the swarm of CIA agents who’d just broken down his front door and were searching the place from top to bottom.
Everything happened in slow motion after that for Cole.Hadley moved within Franklin’s reach.Franklin looked down at her screen and the realization that she wasn’t lying crashed over his face like a tsunami.His expression shifted from panic to dismay to rage in quick succession.
That’s when Cole’s bad feeling morphed into something much, much bigger and even more ominous.
Chapter37
She was an idiot.
Hadley realized that the second she got within reach of Franklin.She’d just been having so much fun sticking it to him that she forgot what she learned from Homelander inThe Boys.
Once someone had nothing to lose, they hadnothingto lose.
And Franklin, who clearly had nothing left to lose, seemingly planned to take her down with him.
Cole made a grab for her arm but was a split second too late.Franklin got her first, yanking her back against his chest, slinging his meaty arm around her neck.
“If she stays still, I have a shot,” Ren said over the com system.
“No!”Cole shouted.“She’s too close.”
Boy, this whole men-trying-to-choke-her-out thing was gettingold.Hadley knew she should be scared—and therewasa tiny bit of fear there—but more than anything?She waspissed.Because how dare this asshole who’d blackmailed both of them into this mess to begin with grabher?The fucking audacity!
