Page 22 of Deadly Alliance

Shane shuffled to retrieve his phone. As he let her go, she pushed herself into a sitting position and was happy to see that the walls weren’t dancing around her. She noticed a bandage on her arm as if they had injected her with something. A quick look at Shane who nodded his head at her silent question, reassured her.

“Yeah, she’s awake and well.” The male voice on the other end seemed impatient. It sounded like Zack, but she couldn’t be sure. “Yes, of course.” The call ended abruptly, but that wasn’t unusual when speaking to Zack.

Shane turned and sat back down. “Zack, and the rest of the team, for that matter, want to know if you are okay and, if you are well enough to work with Will on a composite drawing of the man who drugged you. I’ll leave the decision up to you.”

It was apparent he was fighting against his instincts and would prefer her to rest, but she appreciated his newfound openness.

“After a shower and a coffee, I’ll be ready to kick ass.”

* * *

It wasthe first time Shane had to remind himself that patience was a virtue. He’d always been a patient man, and that was the reason why he always succeeded. When possible, it was better to know all about a situation and a target before launching an attack. Preparation was key.

But in this particular case, there were too many emotional layers playing against him. Nicolas, Misty, and now Emme. He couldn’t determine how he felt about her, but he cared. There was the sexual connection between them, but he had enough clarity to admit that it wasn’t only that.

However, he was also a realist and knew that anything developing beyond that connection was unlikely. Emme was bright and young, dedicated to her work, and eager to have a career of her own. After ending his official career in the Navy, Shane had found his calling with Purgatory. He may still participate on missions but being a team leader within the organisation was his ultimate goal. That was when their age gap showed, as well as the reality of an ocean between them.

Unable to comprehend how his mind had drifted from its initial course and blaming his lack of sleep, Shane rubbed his eyes and told himself that the subject was closed. Anyway, nothing could happen between them beyond their mission.

Emme was lockedin Will’s lair working on the composite drawing while the rest of the team packed in the conference room, helping Dee go through all the evidence they had gathered. There were so many machines whirring at the same time; it was starting to get hot.

Dee directed the research like the captain of a very complicated ship and he was glad she had the helm. It was tricky making sure everything was scanned and verified so not a single second of video or picture was overlooked. It was frustrating work, but the entire team was on board, including Beatrice and Zack, so at least they had hope of getting through it in a timely manner.

Everyone worked in silence, except for Lance who bitched and whined the entire time. As the rest of the team ignored him, Shane decided it was normal behaviour for him. Dee passed behind him to help Zin on a file and smacked Lance soundly on the back of his head, bringing blessed silence to the room and a grin to her face.

Shane was finishing one of his files and waiting for Dee when Emme returned to the room with Will on her heels. Everyone stopped and looked at her. She was clearly tired, but the resolve he saw in her eyes settled his gut. She had this.

Will sat down and whirled his chair a little. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, a little show and tell. Let me introduce you to our mystery man.” He clicked on a remote and a face appeared on the screen on the wall. Strong jaw, deep, sunken eyes, mid-forties maybe older? Difficult to say from a drawing. And the glimpse Shane had gotten as he’d burst into the bakery was fleeting.

“Emme and I tweaked it as much as we could.”

She sat on the only available seat in front of him and shrugged. “I did my best. But after a while everything became blurry.”

Lucy extended her hand and touched Emme’s. “It’s great! You have a good memory.”

Zack turned to Beatrice. “Anyone you know?”

For a long moment, his boss examined the face before she shook her head. “He’s looks familiar, but I can’t place him. I’ve seen so many people in my lifetime it’s hard to remember everyone.”

Lance got to his feet and went to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “If you don’t remember him, it means we’re dealing with a psychopath. Maybe someone who saw you one day and developed a fascination with you. There isn’t always an explanation for a broken mind.”

Jace nodded and turned to Will. “Did you run it through the Interpol database yet?”

Will rolled his eyes at him. “Hey! I only have two hands! Gimme a break!”

“His name is Paul Marcus Bolton, forty-two years old from Ocean City, New Jersey. He drives a yellow Subaru Outback and arrived at Heathrow Airport two weeks ago.”

Will swerved to Dee, an astonished expression on his face. “Hey! I just got here! How could you? You hacked into my computer and you peeked at the picture? That goes against every rule!”

Owen winked at Dee who grinned at Will’s outburst.

Zin ignored all of them and focused instead on what they had. “Any intel on his background? Military? Criminal?”

Dee continued her search as Will cursed and dragged Owen’s laptop in front of him, literally attacking the keyboard. Shane didn’t mind the competition between the two hackers if it brought information faster.

“Dual citizenship, American father, British mother. Three attempts to join the Marines before finally getting accepted.” Dee’s voice droned in the room.

Zack frowned. “Quite a kick to the ego, wasn’t it?”