Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(52)

But Victor risked a quick glance at Zoe. She stood in front of the elevator, her eyes wide, and her expression stark.

“You like deals, don’t you?” Tom asked him.

He didn’t make deals with the devil, not anymore. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I think that’s pretty obvious.” Tom’s gaze slid over his shoulder. To the elevator. To Zoe.

“No,” Victor growled as rage twisted in his gut.

“Yes.” Tom nodded. “I want you to walk away from Zoe. She is not meant for you. You really think Luther would ever let you stay with his daughter? An FBI agent?” He laughed again, and the sound was mocking. “He’d kill you first.”

Victor recognized the threat for exactly what it was—and he didn’t give a shit. “I walk away, and she’s dead. The price on her head—”

“I’ll keep her safe.”

“Victor!” Zoe called.

“You have until the elevator reaches the ground floor to make your decision,” Tom told him, voice so soft and smug. “Because if you haven’t chosen—and made the right choice by the time you reach the lobby—then your FBI and cop friends will be swarming…and they’ll be coming to arrest you. One click on my computer, and the video of your assault on me—and Elizabeth’s parentage news—will go far and wide. To the cops. To the FBI. To the Press. To all of Luther’s enemies…”

Fuck, f*ck, f*ck. This bastard was smarter than Victor had suspected. “What the hell…if I’m already going down…” Victor began. But he didn’t finish that sentence. Not yet. Instead, he swung his fist. And this time, hell, yes, he broke Tom’s nose. Bones crunched and Tom howled in pain and fury. “Then I might as well enjoy myself a little more.” He glared at the bastard—a bastard now clutching his broken nose. “That was for breaking her heart.”

He whirled away and stalked toward the elevator. Toward Zoe. She watched him, her beautiful green eyes locked on his with every step that he took.

And as she stared at him, Victor saw the fear in her gaze. He’d never wanted her to look at him that way. Never wanted her doubt and her anger and her pain.

He stopped in front of her.

“Victor?”

There were a million things he needed to say to her. A million. But he had no idea where to begin. He lifted his hand and swiped that keycard so he could get in the elevator. So they could get in. He pushed her inside and turned to look back at Tom. Blood dripped down the guy’s face and stained his suit. Tom glared at Victor with absolute hatred in his eyes.

The doors slowly slid closed.





Chapter Fourteen


The bastard had broken his nose. Tom swiped at the blood that kept gushing out and glared at the elevator. Victor Monroe was a pain in his ass. He was also a problem that would be eliminated.

One way or the other.

Tom swung around and stomped back to his office. He yelled at the guards. Those two had sure been freaking useless. If they failed him again, it would be the last mistake they made.

Tom headed toward his desk. He typed in the security code that unlocked the top drawer of his desk, and when he opened the drawer there, his laptop waited. He pulled it out, booted it up, and, a few keystrokes later, he connected with the building’s security feed.

A couple more taps, and he was accessing the camera in the VIP elevator. He saw Zoe. Beautiful Zoe. She was still so perfect to him. All those curves. That husky voice. Those eyes that promised heaven. Perfect sex appeal. The arm candy he needed. The jewel that showed just how far he’d come.

And Victor Monroe was at her side. Looking furious. Desperate.

That’s right. Be desperate. Because you don’t have options, Victor. Soon, you won’t have anything at all. No FBI. No freedom. No Zoe.

Tom had been prepared for this meeting. He’d gotten plenty of dirt to use from Luther and he’d even paid some folks at the FBI to spill the information they had on Elizabeth Ward. Oh, yes, he’d been ready.

At that moment, Victor’s hand flew out. He hit the control panel once. Twice. He drove his fist into it again and again.

“What the hell?” Tom muttered. What was that freaking psycho agent doing? And, yeah, the guy was nuts. Based on the crazy shit he’d read in Victor’s files, the special agent had more than a bit of a dark side going on. And Zoe thought he was the good guy?

When would she learn?

They truly were letting just anyone into the FBI these days. How disappointing.

Zoe tried to grab the guy’s arm.

Tom’s eyes narrowed as Victor swung toward Zoe, with his hand still fisted.

***

“What is wrong with you?” Zoe asked when Victor whirled toward her. His knuckles were bleeding. Because the guy had just been pounding the hell out of that control panel. “Stop it!”

“It is stopped.” His hand fell to his side. She saw him flex his fingers. “I didn’t have the right access to stop the thing the normal way, so I figured a couple of hits—if they were hard enough—might just do the trick.”

Her heart was racing so hard that her chest hurt. It took her a frantic moment to realize what his words meant. Then she understood…he’d stopped the elevator.

“Now, to make sure he stops watching us.” His head turned and Victor scanned the elevator. “Ah, there you are.” He headed to the small, dark box positioned to the left of the elevator doors. The box was up high, but he could easily reach it. And he did. He smashed through the glass covering on the box, and shards of glass rained down on the floor. Then he yanked out the small camera. “Can’t see us now, can you, bastard?” Victor broke the camera and tossed it away.