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He slowed as he neared the end of the house and the voices became clearer.
“Diaz, stop!” Anna screamed. “Stop! You’re losing your mind! This is Ryley—you have known him all your life! He has never betrayed you!”
A guttural groan echoed and Jackson was glad he was not the one making that sound.
“Stop. Take a breath. Come on, this isn’t right!” Anna said, still trying to negotiate with a madman.
Jackson heard Diaz curse, followed by the sound of footsteps.Pacing.
He crept forward, moving like a silent predator.
He peered around the corner of the house and saw a man sitting with his back to Jackson, bound to a column that supported the house.
Two pools of blood by his thighs explained the gunshots they’d heard.
Diaz was indeed pacing, his back turned to Jackson while four other men stood around, looking confused and nervous.
Anna seemed to be the only one attempting to pacify Diaz.
And she was the only one who looked in his direction—like she could feel his eyes on her.
Her eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. She shot him one look and shook her head ever so gently.
There was no mistaking her message.
No, not now. Don’t come in here.
ANNA
She saw the indecision in his eyes. He wanted this—he wanted Diaz—but what he didn’t know was that Diaz had buried explosives around his house like a booby trap. One press of the button and Jackson and his men were all dead.
That wasn’t part of the plan—at least not hers.
She went into this revenge mission knowing that she’d see people die and not be able to do anything about it, but she’d justified it by remembering that most of the people that Diaz interacted with were criminals.
This was different.
The FBI agents were just doing their job, and they had families to go home to, children who needed their parents. She swallowed hard, her heart racing. If Diaz saw them, it was all over. And she’d reacted yet again without thinking... if Diaz looked on the cameras later and saw her shake her head in Jackson’s direction, she would take her final breaths.
No, she needed to do something now to fix her mistake.
Her eyes fell on Ryley. If Diaz was right, he’d been betraying them for years, giving information to Diaz’s rivals. Ryley denied it, of course, and Anna wasn’t sure where the truth lay. Maybe Ryley wasn’t the person they’d thought he was.
Maybe he had an ulterior motive, just like she did.
Her eyes darted in Jackson’s direction, meeting his. He hadn’t backed away and she needed to move fast.
“Give me a knife,” she said, her voice loud, strong, and steady.
It had the desired effect. All eyes were on her, including Diaz’s.
And for a moment she saw the reaction she wanted flicker in his eyes. A heady excitement—the darkness in his soul. He was excited to see what she did next.
She didn’t look back in Jackson’s direction and she knew she was about to commit a crime in front of federal agents; but she hoped that, if she had to talk her way out of it, they’d understand why. If she were arrested, it might help her case with Diaz. It would be a temporary blip in her plan, a delay, but she needed time to regroup and get the train back on the tracks.
Ryley’s eyes widened like a deer in headlights. He hadn’t seen this coming, which was exactly the plan. The more she surprised people, the better. Anna liked surprises—at least the ones she planned.
Diaz moved quickly, grabbing a knife from a table nearby and passing it to her.
