Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(76)

He paused to de-arm the security system, then proceeded through the darkened house on quiet feet.

It made sense the Chinese would go after Sarah’s family now that they knew who she was. But to steal their GPS?

Rand had a bad feeling about who the mole might be.

Who would have the kind of access to protective details and the sort of insight to know that Sarah’s family would come to check on her?

Irene’s wound hadn’t been bad. He could see taking a knife to the gut as a way of selling her act.

Then there was Hector. Rand had kept Hector apprised of their every move. Maybe it was time to play some cards close to the vest.

It meant abandoning the idea of going into the embassy to obtain the case. They’d made too many plans, included too many people, for that to be a good plan of attack if he suspected one of their inside people was the source of the continuous leak.

Rand gently pushed Julie’s bedroom door open. “Julie? Julie, it’s Rand,” he said in a soft, calming voice.

“Hmm? Who’s there?” Julie’s voice was slurred with sleep. A human-shaped lump moved, and then light blossomed from the bedside lamp. Julie rubbed her face. “Rand? What are you doing here?”

“There’s not a lot of time to explain. I need you to get up, get dressed, and come with us.”

“What? Why?” Julie’s gaze dropped to the gun in his hand. “What’s going on?”

“Someone’s after Sarah. I can’t tell you more, but you’re in danger. Please, get dressed and leave, for your own safety.”

“Who’s after Sarah? What—why do you have a gun?” Julie sat up and shoved a pair of red-rimmed glasses onto her face.

“Julie, I need you to get up now.” Fuck, he didn’t have time for this. Dealing with civilians had never been his strong point.

Something banged across the house.

“Sarah?” Rand called out.

No answer.

“Get up. Get dressed.” Rand gestured to the discarded clothes on the bench at the foot of Julie’s bed.

Like it or not, he was going to leave without her in a few moments. Rand pivoted and strode through the house.

“Sarah? You okay?”

Again, no answer.

Rand tightened his grip on the gun and lifted it, aiming the mini flashlight ahead of him.

It was entirely possible someone could get the GPS out of Matt’s car and backtrack their route to Julie’s. Matt had said he wasn’t sure how long it’d been since the car was broken into. If Rand were in their shoes, he’d have multiple people canvassing every known location Sarah frequented, which would make for a highly mobile team. They could be to the house in less time than it took to get to Rand’s house.

Fuck, he should have just packed Sarah up and left Julie. Yeah, it’d make him a cold-hearted bastard, but Sarah was who mattered to him.

“Sarah, babe, talk to me?” Rand edged through the kitchen, past the pantry and peered into the laundry room. The door to the garage was mostly shut. The light was on.

He held his breath, listening for anything, the scuff of a foot.

This was a dream. A nightmare. Wasn’t it? He’d just seen Sarah. Rand pulled the door open.

The back door stood ajar. A large box appeared to have fallen off the top of the shelves nearest the door.

But no Sarah.

Rand dropped the bag, ducked, and flipped the light switch off.

Sarah was gone, and whoever had taken her could be lying in wait for him. The lights would give away his position. If he wanted to get her back, he had to keep breathing, keep fighting.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust.

Where was the protective detail? At least one car had been sitting on the house. What about those officers?

Rand crept out the back door, scanning the yard for any movement, something out of place, but it was all where it should be. Except the side gate. That stood open.

He flattened his back against the garage and peered around the corner.

The report of a gun, even with a silencer, was still loud in the stillness of the early morning hours.

Rand flung himself backward. The bullet hit the corner of the garage, breaking off chunks of wood, sending shards every which way.

An engine rumbled to life.

Sarah.

Rand shoved to his feet. He couldn’t fire. What if he hit her?

He edged through the gate, just in time to see a SUV make the turn at the end of the street.

Rand jogged out to the middle of the driveway. A car sat across the street, doors open, the dome light on.

Oh no…

He crossed to the car and covered his mouth with his hand.

One man slumped to the side, his seat belt keeping him upright. The other was leaned over his partner, his throat slit.

Rand could see it now.

Wei and at least one other had taken the two undercover cops by surprise. Once there was no one to keep a look out, they’d waited.

Rand peered back toward the house. From this vantage point, they could have seen movement in the guest house and their trek to the garage. At that point it was all about getting a drop on them.

So where was Sarah now?

…

Irene knocked on the door. Her head was woozy and she wasn’t exactly steady on her feet, but she had to power through.

If Mitch was telling her the truth, if Charlie wasn’t dead, then it changed everything. There was only one person who could help Irene see the bigger picture.