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“I told him not to take her.” Allambee broke the silence that had blanketed the warehouse. Even the workers stopped what they were doing and retreated a bit into the shadows as if they knew what was coming.
Cox turned to Billy, his face a cold mask of evil beauty. “Billy? Who is she?”
“You told us to nab Baker, but we couldn’t find him.” He glanced at her, sweat slipping down his temples even as she could see his breath misting the air, his chest moving more rapidly.
His manic eyes flicked to her. “I’m sure this lovely woman isn’t Archie Baker.”
Billy laughed softly, but it was full of nerves instead of humor. Cox grinned but it wasn’t a pleasant sight. “No, she’s a copper from the AFP.”
“Is she?” He turned to look at her. “What unit?” His voice was low and dangerous.
Kaiya lifted her chin, galvanizing her nerves. She wasn’t going to give into her fear, not to a man who was a source of so much evil, it was a crime that he hadn’t been convicted. But his pockets were deep, and he always seemed to slip the noose.
“Speak,” he intoned.
She stared at him defiantly.
“Max,” he said softly, and the pit lunged at her, growling, his lips pulled back from his teeth. There were strict laws in New South Wales regarding pit bull terriers, but it was clear Cox didn’t give a damn. She didn’t believe a dog was ever aggressive to humans unless someone trained him to be. Cox was a coldhearted and malicious bastard.
She clenched her jaw and the dog got closer, those terrifying growls changing to snarls, his jaws snapping at the air, so close to her inner thigh. She flinched and tried to draw away. “Okay,” she yelled. “Call him off.” Cox made a hand signal and Max backed off. Cox raised his brows. “Counterterrorism,” she said curtly.
She noticed how closely Allambee and Billy were watching Cox. “Ah, you got wind of Baker’s downtown slip…from whom I wonder.” He took a step toward her. “Care to share, Agent…?”
“Kaiya Pawar.”
“Kaiya. May I call you, Kaiya?” he asked without waiting for her to answer. He took two steps and slipped his forefinger under her chin. She leaned back, jerking her face away from his touch, surprisingly warm from such a cold man. He grabbed her chin, pinching hard, and digging into her jaw on either side to hold her in place. “Very beautiful and unusual eyes.” That manic heat ramped up. “Who tipped you off about Baker?”
Her lips clamped shut. It was bad enough she was going to die here, but she wasn’t going to take Mickey with her. She had to protect him at all costs.
There was a roar of an engine and another black Mercedes squealed into the warehouse and took one of the spaces. Kaiya tensed as Cox let her go and turned toward the commotion. He turned back to her, his eyes narrowing.
“Excuse me, Mr. Cox?” Kaiya froze at the familiar male voice, her gut clenching, as all eyes turned to the entrance to the warehouse. Mickey stood in the doorway, looking completely awkward and scared. His eyes went to her briefly, then scooted away.
What in the bloody hell was he doing here?
“Mickey,” Cox said, his voice almost a purr. “What can I do for you?”
“I came to pay you…but I see that you’re busy. Maybe I should come back?”
Cox nodded to the shadows and two men emerged and grabbed either side of Mickey’s arms and dragged him toward their little group.
“No. You and your money are always welcome,” Cox said.
The car doors opened as Mickey stumbled into their midst between Cox and his two boys. Two men emerged on the driver’s side and two from the passenger side. One of them leaned in and pulled a struggling man out of the middle of the vehicle.
“Let go of me! You have no right!” the man shouted, and Kaiya’s heart slammed into her chest as she stiffened in recognition. “Archie Baker,” she whispered.
Cox turned to her with a sly smile. “Indeed.” He then turned to Billy with a killing look. Casually, he walked toward Billy and when he reached him, he squeezed his shoulder. Billy went pale, his eyes darting to Baker, then to her, then back to Cox.
“I told you specifically to keep this under the radar as our friends so generously paid us to. Bringing this copper here, you’ve jeopardized the whole fucking thing.”
“I-I’m sorry boss. It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t.” He sounded so calm, but Kaiya couldn’t relax at all. As Baker quieted and took in the scene, he struggled against the men holding him. In one fierce, vicious move, Cox buried a knife into Billy’s abdomen up to the hilt. Baker called out and tried to back up, fought to get away.
Billy let out a strangled gasp of agony, grabbing the knife, but Cox’s face, filled with a chilling satisfied expression intensified as he twisted the knife deeper, and Billy sank to his knees, with Cox crouching in front of him, still holding the knife. “I no longer need your services,” Cox said without one bit of inflection.
He stood, pulled the knife out, and turned to the guys holding Baker. “Good job. Put him with the others.”
