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“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Did you forget that Sam King doesn’t have a heart? You can’t hurt me. I’ll be fine.” He released me and rolled me to his side as he shifted and rose from the bed.
As he reached the doors leading out of his bedroom, he said over his shoulder, “Don’t come back, Devani. What we had is over. You’re moving on. I’ll take your cue and do the same.”
I closed my eyes and nodded.
Ending things was for the best. Though one thing would never happen.
There was no moving on from Samir Krishan King.
* * *
Present Day
“Ladies and gentlemen,you have your assignments.” I studied my team, feeling the weight of what would become my last mission as Lead Director of Solon North America.
After over a year of planning, everything sat on the precipice of activation. No going back now.
Whatever the outcome, one thing remained the same.
I’d go down in flames or die trying. I planned to take every risk necessary to reach my end goal.
Get my revenge and complete my last mission—ever.
I had nothing to lose.
I hadn’t earned the reputation for being a manipulative fucking bitch for nothing.
“As of now,” I continued, “we are on active. We will regroup in a week at a location relayed via our network.”
“When will we receive our security clearances?” Jesika Rawal, a field operative, asked.
In her non-Solon life, she was a managing partner of a well-known New York law firm and the daughter of an Indian-American venture capitalist.
We ran in the same social circles, and she would be my eyes and ears from the periphery for any necessary intel.
And based on the gossip sites and rumor mills, she was Sam’s new lover. I’d seen firsthand several events they’d attended together. Striking was an understatement to describe them when they entered a room: tall, stylish, and rebellious in a world where rules and expectations were the norm. Then there was the chemistry between them. They laughed together, genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, and no one could doubt their relationship went beyond sex.
I never begrudged any of my agents taking lovers. We all had them, but Jesika with Sam…
Just the thought of it brought bile to my throat.
“With the high-profile level of the case and the need for increased security,” Noah Carter, one of my field leads, answered, snapping me out of my thoughts, “each of you has a different security protocol that we will monitor using a trusted outside vendor. She is the best of the best.”
I’d trained Noah when he’d first come into the game as a green eighteen-year-old, who couldn’t believe someone the same age as him was his superior officer and could lay him on his ass if he got out of line. He understood me as a person and accepted all of my quirks, as a boss and a friend. Plus, I trusted him with my life. He’d head up my ground crew and cover my ass if I ever ended up in a situation where I needed extraction.
“And the equipment we are using? Can we trust it?” Tasha Lee, another of my team, probed.
“The equipment we are using is from one of our own, a former agent, now a freelance developer.” This time my partner and future replacement, Neil Joshi, spoke. “Director Patel, Agent Carter, and I know her well. There isn’t anyone else we would trust with devices for this assignment.”
Neil’s gaze flickered toward me for a second and then back to Tasha.
“Are there any more questions?” I scanned the room, holding each team member’s eyes for a second before moving on to the next.
When everyone remained quiet, I said, “As I stated a few moments ago, we are now active. Continue normal daily operation and training while you await location and placement. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”
Slowly, the room cleared, with the exception of Neil and Noah. The two men remained quiet until we were alone and the door closed.
