Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(82)

“Are we doing the right thing?” Rand pitched his voice low, for only Andy’s ears. He was compromised. His priorities were fucked up. The only thing that mattered was Sarah. Not the case, not anyone else—just Sarah.

“What do you propose we do?” Andy shrugged and glanced up and down the street. Lights in houses were on now, people moving about.

“I don’t know, man. I’m just…I’m all screwed up, you know?”

“That’s because you have a case of the feelings. I had those removed a while ago. Did me good. You should look into it. Might be good for you. Caring? That’s nasty business.” Andy shook his head.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“You’re one to talk.” Andy grinned.

“Fuck you.” Rand glanced over his shoulder to Matt.

He hadn’t hesitated or paused once. Matt had just jumped in and started doing things. Rand had momentarily forgotten that Matt didn’t have a freaking hand. For the span of however long it’d taken them to get out, it’d been like old times. And now Matt was following Rand into a death match.

“What’s our priority? If we can’t do both, what should we aim for?”

“Sarah.”

“You sure about that?”

“Positive. She’s not like us.”

“She’s exactly like us, man. That’s the point.” Andy peered across the car at him. “She knew what she was signing up for. If our priority has to be the case, she’ll understand.”

“I won’t.”

Because that was the crux of it all. Somewhere between Seoul and D.C., Sarah had become the most important thing on his mental list. Maybe she’d always been there. Maybe he was just now realizing it. Now the only thing that mattered was getting Sarah back, with or without the briefcase. She just had to hold out a little while longer.

…

“What did you do?” Sarah’s strained voice reverberated off the metal. The last image of her brother pacing the living room was seared into her brain. “You killed them?” She stared at Wang Ping’s slack face.

Whatever happened on the other end of that camera wasn’t supposed to. He turned his back on her and pressed the phone to his ear.

“You killed them. I’m not telling you a goddamn thing.” She yanked against the zip ties holding her to the chair. “Do you hear me? You can burn in hell before I tell you a single fucking thing.”

Matt. Emily. The kids. Mom. Dad. They were dead because of her. Because she’d thought she was doing this great, big thing. And all she was doing was playing in the deep end of a pool she couldn’t swim in. And for what? A paycheck and a pat on the head?

A sob shook her.

Ping’s muttered voice carried through the room. She sucked down a breath and held it to keep from uttering another noise. “Pick up the phone. Where are you?” Ping said.

She twisted to try to see him. Was it Wei? She could only hope that he’d died, too. At least then the world would be a little safer.

God, Jonah was going to be one soon. Or would have been. Now he’d never grow up. Matt wouldn’t get to be the football dad he’d always wanted to be. Jillian would never draw on the walls again, but even that was endearing. She was such a happy, boisterous child, always wanting to make others smile. Just like Emily. They brought life and love everywhere they went.

And now, they were gone. Sarah slumped forward, the grief still too new to sink in.

A pair of black leather boots were there that hadn’t been before. She lifted her gaze, staring up at Wei watching her. She hadn’t even heard him come in.

“Your family is fine. You do your part.” He slid the pen and paper toward her.

Anger slowly began to bubble up inside of her. These people didn’t bat an eyelash at killing something so pure, so good as a child. All they wanted was…what? A few names? Some secrets?

“I can’t really do anything.” She lifted her hands as far as they would go and wiggled her fingers.

“The code?” Wei lifted the pen.

“You know it’s biometric, right? I can give you the codes, but without my cooperation, you can’t access the case.” Of course, they could drug her, knock her out, and then they wouldn’t need her to play nice.

“You can’t fake your thumbprint, but you can key in the wrong code.”

God, she hoped Andy killed the son of a bitch someday. Maybe not now, or tomorrow, but someday she hoped Andy made good on his claim to put Wei down.

“Fine. Ready?” She ran her tongue over her lip. They had no way of knowing if she was telling them the truth. It was a catch-22. They needed her to tell them the real codes, but they had no bargaining power now. Nothing to ensure she was telling them the truth.

Wei picked up the pen.

“T.I.K.C.U.S. Before noon, it’s reversed, so you’ll have to flip it.”

Wei’s brows drew down.

How good was his English?

His head snapped up, and his lip curled.

Yeah, that’s right. Suck it. “I will never tell you the codes.” She glared right back.

Before this moment, she hadn’t had faith that she could withstand their worst, but now she could. The burst of light that’d erupted on one side of the camera before the signal cut out was enough to tell her that the worst had happened. Someone had screwed up. Her family was dead because of her and Ping had no leverage on her. She’d die before she gave them what they wanted.