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“I see you found your quarters.” Like a piercing alarm, Jekyll’s barely composed voice claws through my head, and I jerk back until my back hits the wall.
Jekyll measuredly shifts his eyes between us as Jack straightens and turns to his friend.
No words are offered, but the glares between the two of them suck the air out of the room around us.
Both men are clearly cut from the same cloth, and, from the looks of their silent exchange, neither is about to back down.
The weight of their presence mentally crushes me. I can no longer stand their harsh stares, so I shoot my eyes to my feet, chastising myself for breaking the three-way staring contest I know I just lost, even though no one was staring back at me.
Without a word, Jack nudges me into the room, and I obey, keeping my eyes down until I’m all the way inside and the hinges creak as the door shuts behind me.
Once the lock clicks into place, I lift my head to take in the room that’s now mine.
The space is small, but, considering its purpose, that isn’t surprising. There is enough room for a cot and a table with one chair. There is a small opening for a window, but it is barred the old-school way, with nuts and bolts. Nothing about the room is computerized, except for the camera in the corner of the ceiling.
Escaping this room will be difficult.
On my own for the first time in hours, I sit down on the cot and take a deep breath, releasing the tension I’ve been holding.
I bring my fingers up to my lips where Jack just kissed me, and they feel puffy at my touch. Everything I thought I knew about Jack was a lie. I need to let go of old facts and assumptions and move forward with my new reality.
Does Maxwell know that we’ve been captured yet? Our working relationship with him, if you can even call it that, is volatile. It’s a delicate balance between what Zane holds over him and the leeway he grants us in living.
We are still alive because of two things.
For the most part, we are alive because Maxwell hasn’t been able to physically get his hands on Zane. He’s more elusive than Dana and I are, and, for the sake of everyone’s safety, I can never reveal his identity.
And also, we are alive because we are needed. We have taken on jobs when his own team lacks expertise, which happens fairly often. We do enough work to keep him happy while doing our best to stay away from any jobs that would harm innocent lives.
In short, we’ve been helping him take down his competition, which creates even more adversaries for us, but it keeps us breathing.
There is a heavy truth in the old saying,Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Resting my head against the wall, I close my eyes. I need to be ready for things as they come, and right now, that is Dana. I hope she’s being cooperative. There is no reason for her to challenge either of them.
Once she tells them what she knows, they’ll come for me, and that’s what I need to prepare for.
CHAPTER5
JACK
I kissed her—just like that. When Jessa pulled me close, a fire I hadn’t felt in a decade lit me up like napalm, and I wasn’t ready to let her go.
And it’s just perfect that Logan saw everything, I think to myself as he circles Dana in the interrogation room.
I watch through the one-way mirror. Their eyes are locked on each other, and neither is going to be looking away any time soon.
Judging by Logan’s delay in asking his first question, he’s not happy that she’s challenging his authority. Logan thrives on getting under people’s skin and managing the situation around him, but Dana isn’t backing down.
She’s leaning back in an unforgiving metal chair as though she’s resting comfortably in a recliner, and her foot is tapping against the table in a repetitive thud, further agitating him.
Now I remember Dana. Defiant as ever. She’s been given the go-ahead to tell us everything she knows, yet her body language tells me she hates giving even one piece of information up to Logan.
“So, Dana, what were you doing at the farmhouse?” Logan starts off easy, extending an olive branch by finally using her actual name.
I’m sure he’d love nothing more than to continue their verbal sparring match, but he needs to approach this with caution. There are so many questions, and this is our chance to fill in some blanks. We can’t afford to have her shut down on us.
“We were supposed to be on vacation.” She shrugs, appearing to drop her attitude. It’s a new approach. “Jessa said she worked it out with Zane so we could take off for a bit.”
