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The goon hesitated. I sighed. “Look, the worst that will happen is your boss will say I’m lying and then he’ll order you to kill us. But if you kill me now and the boss wanted to see us, thenyou’redead. So. Your choice.”
My words must have made sense to him because he jerked his head down the hall. “That way. Go. Now.”
Feeling relieved that they hadn’t killed us outright, I obeyed. Ethan tried to walk close to me, but one of the men grabbed his arm and pulled him away. I don’t know what they thought we could do by simply walking next to each other, but they were either paranoid or overly cautious. Either way, it proved they weren’t completely stupid.
We were led down another hall and through a door, which opened onto the manufacturing floor. Large machines filled the floor space in an assembly line pattern. Metal scraps were heaped in scattered bins, screws littered the area, and I had to step around a dubiously colored liquid staining the concrete floor.
“I don’t care what your excuses are, Emerson, I want my shipment. I don’t care if you were robbed, or if the IPF confiscated it, or if your ship fell into a black hole! I want my product.” That voice did not seem happy. Irate was a better description. “You will find my shipment, or I will take what I am owed from you and yours. Is that clear?”
Emerson’s voice reached my ears. My shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.He’s here.“We were set up. If it wasn’t by your men, then it was by your supplier. Either way, this wasn’t my screw-up.”
“I don’t care whose screw-up it was. I’m holdingyouresponsible.”
We came into view, and heads turned our way. There were eight men gathered in a loose circle in the center of the room. All talking ceased abruptly.You had better be sure this was a good idea, Jules.
A tall man on my right with a thick neck and a bulky frame seemed to be in command. He was dressed in a suit, though he wasn’t wearing a tie. He didn’t have any visible weapons, and he seemed noticeably displeased by our interruption. He glared at us and shifted his feet. Four armed men stood directly behind him, watching us with more wariness than anger.
Emerson stood across from him, not quite as imposing, but standing his ground, nonetheless. His blond locks sat in more disarray than normal, and his jaw was clenched in obvious anger, making his scar stand out more. His arms were folded in front of his chest, but he looked more than ready to act if the situation called for it. Two men stood on either side of him. Though I didn’t recognize either of them by name, their faces looked at least a little familiar.
“What the devil is this about?” The man on the right gestured at us angrily.
One of our escorts stepped forward, obviously deferring his authority to his boss, but not acting like a coward, either. “We found these two sneaking around. She claims they were invited.”
Emerson’s eyes landed on mine and surprise appeared on his face and disappeared almost as fast. That was good, since everyone was looking at me and not him. I couldn’t exactly sell that I was invited if Emerson looked surprised to see me there.
The leader growled. “I have no idea who they are. Find out why they’re here and then kill them.”
I smirked, though my insides were trembling. Guns lifted in my direction, and I put my hands out in a placating motion. “Easy there. I was invited to the party, don’t you worry.” My eyes went from Emerson back to the other boss. “I’m sorry to have crashed in like this, but I was a little later than I intended to be. Emerson invited me.”
All eyes went to Emerson. He kept his normal, hard expression on his face, but his eyes were locked on me. I lifted my eyebrows at him, urging him to say something. He looked from me to the other major player in the room with a half-shrug. “I didn’t expect her to show up so fast.”
Inside, I melted into a pool of relief. Thank goodness Emerson could act better than most people and was willing to play along. The other man looked between the two of us. “What is this, Emerson? Who is she?”
“The name’s Carter.” I stepped forward and held out my hand. Guns cocked around me, and some of the men shuffled nervously. I lifted my eyebrows at the boss, daring him to have me shot. I left my hand outstretched, but he didn’t take it. I finally tilted my head to the side and dropped my hand with a dramatic sigh. “Emerson asked for my help.”
I knew Emerson would throttle me for saying it, but I didn’t have a choice. This was the best play. If he wasn’t going to give me away as being an IPF agent, then he was in this with both feet.
He sneered. “Why would he need your help?”
“Because I’m a tracker.”
He didn’t seem impressed. Emerson spoke from behind me. “She’s good at finding things. And people. I’ve worked with her before.”
Thank you, Emerson. I owe you.I smiled again, feigning a confidence I didn’t feel. My fingers trembled, and I linked them behind my back. “I gather you have a problem on your hands.” My mind whirled, trying to pool together what little knowledge I had about their situation and his arrangement with Emerson. “A missing shipment is not good for anyone involved. Emerson has a reputation to uphold, so he hired me to help locate your merchandise.”
The leader sneered again. “And he needs you to help find it? Little red-haired vixen won’t be able to find a missing hairbrush, let alone my shipment.”
The smile disappeared from my face, and I glared. “Don’t insult me. Big things come in small packages. And Emerson didn’t lose it; he was set up, and you both know it. He doesn’t have to help you find anything, but he’s going to because that’ll keep his reputation intact.”
He eyed me for a long moment. I held my ground even though my heart was pounding. He could crush me with one word. It wouldn’t be hard. I’d have no way of stopping him. But I was betting he would want his shipment—whatever it was—more than he would want to kill me.
“Emerson, you vouch for her?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Emerson was looking at me with eyes that said I was in serious trouble, but he nodded. “I vouch for her.”
He gave me another long look before glancing at Ethan. “And him?”
“He’s with me,” I answered.
