Into the Lair (Falcon Mercenary Group #2)(66)

She glanced around the living room to see it empty. The fire had been built up again, but the men were nowhere to be found. No sound came from the kitchen, and she frowned as she swung her legs over the side of the couch. Wrapping a blanket around herself, she got up and headed across the living room to the kitchen and did a quick check, but didn’t see them by the stove. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and zeroed in on the front window.

She carefully pushed aside the worn curtain and peeked out to see Ian and Braden in conversation with Eli and Tits. They were standing beside sleek snowmobiles, and they all wore grim expressions. Had Esteban found them?

Adrenaline surged. She moved to the door and eased it open the barest of cracks. Given their propensity to protect her, chances were they’d shut up the minute she made her presence known.

Cold wind blew in, and she levered the door so that it was barely open a slit. Their voices carried to her, faint at first but then louder at intervals.

“Esteban is on the move. We recorded a sudden burst of activity from men known to be loyal to him. They’re coming here,” Eli said.

“The bait worked then,” Braden said with a satisfied nod.

Tits looked up at Ian and Braden. “Does Katie know she’s being used to draw Esteban out?”

Ian shook his head. “There’s no reason for her to know.”

“I’d think she’d need to know so she doesn’t inadvertently do anything to endanger herself,” Tits said.

Braden scowled. “We’re perfectly capable of taking care of Katie. She’s done what she needed to do which is stay with us in one place long enough for Esteban to pick up her trail.”

The wind kicked up, blowing a smattering of snow. She strained to hear but only caught words.

Trap.

Bait.

Expendable.

Sacrifice.

She stared woodenly at the men as they continued to converse, and then Ian and Braden turned to stare at the door. She eased it closed, making sure there was no noise, and then she hurried to the bedroom.

She sat on the edge of the bed so it would appear she’d just gotten up from the living room and come in here to get dressed. All the while her mind raced to make sense of what she’d been able to pick up from their conversation.

One part of her was pissed. She wanted to feel angry and betrayed, but that emotion was reserved for relationships. She had nothing invested in them and vice versa.

She closed her eyes and swallowed the deep disappointment, the betrayal she shouldn’t feel but did. They’d made her no promises, not verbal. They’d made plenty with their bodies, though, promises she’d taken to heart. She didn’t want to feel hurt, but the truth was, she was devastated.

Still, she didn’t appreciate being a sitting duck. They hadn’t told her anything, and once again, in her naïve stupidity, she hadn’t demanded more. She’d been too caught up in the idea that finally, after years of running, she was enjoying a moment’s respite. A brief escape from fear. When in fact, danger had never left her.

She was to blame for being too trusting when Gabe had taught her never to trust anyone.

She blew out her breath and willed herself not to become too emotional. Ian and Braden were doing what it was they did best. Act the mercenaries and use whatever means necessary to take down their target. Even if they’d become everything to her, she wasn’t anything to them, and she couldn’t fool herself into thinking she was. That would get her into a lot of trouble, not to mention turn her into a spineless moron. Who was she kidding? She was already there.

So what was she going to do? It was obvious they didn’t mind sacrificing her if it achieved their objective. She didn’t particularly want to die nor did she want to end up in the middle of a fight that wasn’t hers. Which meant the best idea was to get the hell out of here.

A few problems. She was in f**king Austria. In the mountains. Lots of snow. No money, no ID. She could stay and wait it out, but if she did, there was no question that she’d place herself in danger. Esteban was coming. For her.

Her gaze went to the bag on top of the dresser. She did have some cash. Dollars, but still, it was better than nothing. She had her bankcard.

Excitement stirred in her belly. Braden or Ian, she couldn’t remember which, had mentioned a fake passport when she said she didn’t have one. It hadn’t registered at the time because she honestly hadn’t believed she was leaving the country. But they would have needed something for her.

She hurried over and rummaged through her bag. Just her stuff, money, cards, her clothes. Not that she thought they would have put her passport with her junk.

With a quick glance in the direction of the door, which still remained closed, she tore through their bags. There, in the bottom, three passports. She opened one and discarded it, going on to the next.

Brenda Mullins. A picture that could have been Katie or not stared back at her. It was fuzzy but passable. The woman had the same hair color and features. Someone only giving it a passing glance would be fooled. Bingo.

She grabbed the passport and stashed it in her bag underneath her clothing. She needed time to formulate a plan of action which meant she was stuck here pretending that nothing was wrong and that she was the same clueless moron she’d been since she arrived.

At least the sex would be good.

***

Braden stood in the biting cold as he, Ian, Eli and Tits formed their plan of action. The Falcon secondary had positioned itself in a wide radius around the cabin. If Esteban or his men got close, they’d know about it.