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Kate leaned forward and locked eyes with him. “I promise you, Ash. I have kept nothing back from you, that I know of, on WREN. They are even more mysterious and elusive now than they were when Lars was murdered. I want those monsters destroyed with every fiber of my being, and I’ll do anything to make that happen.”

Ash wasn’t one for snap judgments, especially when it came to the safety of those he loved. But he believed her. Throughout the years, Kate had aided OZ in innumerable ways. The intel she had provided had saved lives, and her friendship had been one of their most treasured and reliable mainstays. And she had brought Jules into his life.

Glancing at his wife, who was an excellent judge of character herself, he saw that her thoughts mirrored his. Kate Walker, despite her secrets and having an agenda of her own, could be trusted.

Feeling like a half ton of bricks had been lifted from his shoulders, Ash said, “Then we need you, Kate. Serena’s in the belly of the beast right now. We need to find her and save her.”

“Serena’s been taken?” Her eyes went wide with shock and worry. “When did that happen?”

“A few days ago. It’s a long story. We’ll catch you up as soon as we—” The buzz of an incoming text message stopped him. The number was identified as unknown, but Ash had no trouble knowing the sender’s identity based on the message.

Your guy has three different contracts out on him.

Kingsley was not giving up, and was apparently more determined than ever to ensure Sean’s death.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kingsley’s Compound

Slipping into a navy blue pencil skirt, Serena zipped and buttoned it as she stepped into the sensible two-inch matching heels. She pulled on a short, silky white blouse with navy piping at the collar. Taking a step back, she examined her reflection and shook her head. She had to hand it to whomever had picked out her wardrobe—they had been right on target. She preferred skirts or dresses over pants. She remembered pouting as a child when she had been forced to wear pants to play in the snow. Her mother had compromised and allowed her to wear a skirt over her snow pants.

Her brothers had often teased her. She could shoot better than most of them and could hold her own in a fight—a girl didn’t grow up with five brothers without learning how to defend herself—but she still preferred to do all those activities in a skirt or dress.

Sandy, one of her sisters-in-law, had told her she was a girly girl with an edge. She had enjoyed that description.

She closed her eyes as an intense wave of longing moved through her. How she missed her family. Even though she didn’t see them as frequently as she liked because of the distance between Montana and Wisconsin, she had always known what was going on in their lives. She talked to her parents almost daily and her brothers, sisters-in-law, and grandparents almost as frequently. It was who they were as a family, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But now, distance wasn’t the only thing that separated them. They were in hiding, endangered because of her work. She could only pray that they were safe. They, unlike most families, had been prepared for this kind of event, but plans went awry all the time. She just had to have faith that they were okay.

She pulled in a deep breath and opened her eyes again, feeling more centered. This was the beginning of her second “work” week at the compound. This week should be a little less unsettling, as she believed she had found her rhythm.

Each day, she rose, went to the gym for a workout and a run, and then returned to her room. She showered, dressed for the day, and went down for breakfast, where the rest of Kingsley’s captives gathered for breakfast. The meal was often awkward and strained, but each snippet of information she picked up she counted as a win.

After breakfast, she would begin her work. Most of it, so far, had been hacking into various organizations and businesses. With each assignment, OZ received a mirror of what she found, along with a message. The intel she was providing would go a long way in destroying this evil entity. That was at the forefront of her mind, and when the day came when she felt she was no longer providing anything useful, she would give the go-ahead for rescue. Until then, she would do what Kingsley ordered her to do.

With that settled in her mind, she swiped some lipstick on her mouth, gave her hair one last brush, and headed out the door.

Smith no longer followed her around or directed her steps. Kingsley had told her she was free to go anywhere inside and outside. He did warn her that if she came upon a door that was locked, then she had no business going inside. If she tried, he assured her, she would pay the consequences. She believed him. After seeing what he’d done to poor Maggie for spilling a bit of coffee—which had been his fault—Serena was even more convinced that she was in the presence of a true sociopath. Until she was ready to leave, she needed to step carefully. Colton Kingsley was a dangerous, volatile man.

She stopped at the doorway of the dining room and took in the occupants at the table. Kingsley had not yet arrived, so one would think they would feel freer to have normal conversation or, at the very least, feel more relaxed. Instead, every one of them had a strained, anxious appearance. Their posture was rigid, their movements jerky and almost animatronic. Then she noticed one of the chairs was empty—the one assigned to Jenson Mosley. What had happened to him? Had Kingsley done something else to the poor man or his family?

“Good morning, everyone,” Kingsley said from behind her.

Disturbed that she’d been caught unaware of his presence, Serena stepped forward. Before she could seat herself at her usual place, Kingsley said, “Serena, why don’t you sit where Jenson used to sit?”

Pulling out the chair he’d pointed to, Serena said, “What do you mean ‘used to sit’? Where is he?”

Kingsley unfolded his napkin as if she hadn’t spoken. He took several sips from his water glass and let his gaze roam around the table. The smile was smug, and there was an unnatural brightness in his eyes as he said, “Good morning, everyone. I trust you all had a good night’s sleep?”

In unison, everyone but Serena answered, “Yes, I did. Thank you.”

Turning to Serena, he said, “Serena, I don’t believe I heard you.”

“That’s because I didn’t answer.”

“It’s customary to answer when someone asks you a question.”

“On that we can agree. However, I asked you a question, which you ignored.”

She knew she was poking a hornet’s nest, but she also knew that Kingsley didn’t necessarily like it when she complied. He seemed to enjoy her occasionally challenging him. Picking and choosing when to do that wasn’t something she’d yet mastered, but since she was extremely concerned about Jenson Mosley’s whereabouts, she chose to challenge him now.