Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(9)

“Hi, Zoe,” Russell murmured, his mouth lifting in a half-smile. “Glad to see you’re still alive.”

“Glad to still be alive.” Her gaze slid to the right. Ah, a new agent. A woman with blonde hair that fell to her chin and brown eyes that were assessing as they slid over Zoe, lingering just for a moment on…

My bare toes.

Zoe wiggled her toes. Then she nodded toward the woman. “Hello.” Hello, fresh meat.

The woman nodded briskly in response. “I’m Agent Lauren McDaniel.” Lauren straightened her shoulders. “I believe I’m here to take over watch duty.” Her gaze slid to Victor. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave tonight.”

Agent Lauren McDaniel was there to do what now? Zoe marched right into that circle of agents. “Sorry, but there is a huge mistake happening here.” She took up a position near Victor. She knew he was the lead agent in that room. And he was the one who’d made a deal with her. She wasn’t going with Agent Fresh Meat anywhere. The woman sure wasn’t about to become her bunkmate for the night. “I’m not in the market for a new guard.”

Russell winced a bit. Right, sorry. I ran out on him last night. She cast a quick, apologetic glance his way.

“Do you have a death wish, ma’am?” Lauren asked her, voice tight.

Zoe’s eyes widened.

“I warned her,” Russell muttered.

“Because I have read your file,” Lauren continued doggedly, “and I know all about the risks you have taken. You keep running from us, when all we want to do is keep you safe. But how are we supposed to adequately do our jobs when you fight us every step of the way?” Lauren nodded toward Zoe. “You should be grateful for our assistance. You should be—”

Zoe held up her hand. “I love it when people tell me what I should be. Truly, one of my favorite things in life.” She was not liking Fresh Meat. Zoe turned to face Victor. “I thought we had an agreement.” A very recent agreement. “What happened to that deal? Are you seriously turning me over to blondie there?”

His gaze was guarded. She hated that. Why was he always hiding his emotions from her?

“That’s your usual MO,” Zoe threw at him, growing angrier with every second that passed. “Stop me from fleeing—like I want—stop me from getting on with my life. Bring me back to some safe house. Hand me off to another agent. Then vanish…”

“And your MO is to start the cycle all over,” Victor responded. “To lull the new agent into a false sense of security. To act like you’re following the rules. Then as soon as the agent’s attention shifts away, you run.”

Her shoulders lifted, then fell. “A girl has to do what a girl has to do.” She wasn’t apologizing. She’d told him exactly why she’d been at the bus station. Michelle. Michelle was still missing.

Even before the FBI had pulled Zoe into their web, she and Michelle had been using a secret way of staying in contact with one another. They’d set up calls—once a month. Check-in calls. She’d snuck away from her FBI guards a few times to make those calls. And at first, everything had been fine…

Then Michelle stopped answering. When Michelle hadn’t responded for two months, Zoe had become desperate. She’d started reaching out to old contacts. Only…the word from my contacts in Vegas is that no one knows where Michelle went. She vanished…

I have to find her.

“There isn’t any more running,” Victor said, his voice gruff. Then he looked over her shoulder, focusing on the two watching agents. “Zoe and I have a new deal. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be the agent on Zoe’s guard duty.”

“You?” Lauren sounded as if she were choking. “But sir—”

Zoe turned back to look at her, frowning. “But what? You don’t think he can watch me? That’s just insulting to the man.”

“Zoe…” Victor whispered.

“Well, it is.” She lifted her chin. “Victor is on guard duty with me. You heard him. He’ll be my twenty-four, seven companion. So just rest easy on that one, okay?”

Lauren’s gaze jerked to Victor’s face.

“I want you and Russell finding the driver of that truck. I know he’s still in the area,” Victor said grimly. “You need to find him and bring the guy in ASAP because he’s not going to stop. He will just keep hunting Zoe until he can claim the bounty on her.”

“Him and plenty of others,” Russell said.

Russell, that is not helpful.

“Sorry, Zoe,” Russell added. Such a nice guy. “But you know it’s true. The bounty on your head doubled in the last week.”

It had—doubled? She took a quick step back and her shoulders hit Victor’s chest. His arm came up—instantly—and curled around her.

“Thought you’d already told her.” Russell’s lips curled down. “Hell.”

No, Victor hadn’t told her that the price was double. “That’s two million dollars.” Breathing was hard. “Two million dollars for my life?”

“Two million dollars to end your life,” Lauren corrected.

Her knees were shaking.

“It’s not going to happen,” Victor whispered in her ear. “I will keep you safe.”