Mine to Have (Mine #5)(27)

No, it wasn’t. “Never believe in them,” Victor muttered. There were no coincidences in this world.

“Elizabeth Ward cut out from New England after her parents died and moved abroad. She’s been working in Europe, and she just came back to the states and settled here in Miami a few months ago.” Gary was talking faster now. “You think maybe someone from her past found her?”

“I think if you’re Luther Bates…you have a habit of not just taking out your enemies, but their whole damn families.” The FBI had suspected—but not been able to tie—Luther to a few killings just like that. Bates believed in destroying his enemies completely, and that seemed to mean taking out their families. As he mulled over Gary’s revelations, Victor said, “Maybe the original hit wasn’t just on Elizabeth’s mother and father. Maybe she was supposed to be taken out back then, too.”

“Then why is she still living?”

She might not be…not for much longer. Saxon hadn’t answered his phone.

Worry gnawed at Victor. “I’m going to check in with Saxon,” Victor said flatly. “The guy didn’t answer my call, so I have to find out what the hell is going on.”

“You don’t think…he’s all right, isn’t he?” Alarm sharpened Gary’s voice. “I mean, we already lost one FBI agent in the last month—”

And Jenny’s funeral had been brutal. “We won’t lose another,” Victor swore. “I’m going in after him. I’ll call you once the situation is contained.” And contained meant that Saxon wasn’t off playing some lone gunman routine. They’d bring Elizabeth in, put her in a safe house, and go forward from there.

Provided, of course, that he didn’t get out to that cabin and find Saxon’s dead body waiting for him.

He didn’t just walk back to his car. He fucking ran.

***

Gary Warren stepped back into the shadows of the alley and watched Victor rush away. A faint smile curved his lips. The guy was so clueless. He thought he was a big fucking deal at the Bureau. But the guy was all flash. He didn’t look beneath the surface enough, never saw anything without Gary’s help.

And now, you don’t see me.

Gary hadn’t needed to look up Elizabeth’s past. He was already real familiar with it. Intimately so.

But he had needed Victor’s help for one thing…finding her. And Saxon.

Gary waited until Victor had left the lot, then he pulled out his phone again. He’d put a transmitter on Victor’s car, an easy enough placement while the guy had been in The Blade. Now all he had to do was stay within range and follow that guy all the way to Saxon’s hiding spot.

Then, Elizabeth…you die.

Over the years, he’d always prided himself on being a professional. If he took a job, then he got that job done. Period. He’d been hired to kill the Wards—all three of them. But Elizabeth had escaped…vanished for two years.

Until she’d shown up—quite literally—in Wesley Locke’s lap. Wesley had once been part of Luther’s payroll, and when the guy made the connection, he had run straight to the big boss, squealing about how he should get credit for her hit.

No one gets credit for my kills.

But then Wesley had changed his mind. Gone soft. Said that Elizabeth wasn’t hurting anyone, that she should go free.

By then, it had been too late for such foolish talk. And with Wesley waffling, well, he’d had to die, too.

You kill once, and then the dominoes start falling. It was a good thing he’d always been so good at dominoes.

When he’d taken out Elizabeth’s parents two years ago, she’d been at the house when he did his reconnaissance work. He’d gone there, spilled his usual BS about installing a security system, even as he really cased the house and got a good look at the cars while planning his hit.

Since Elizabeth hadn’t died—like she should have—he’d worried for years that she would remember him. That she’d put the puzzle pieces together, and then his secret double life would be exposed. That hell would be brought out into the open.

The hit on the Ward family had been a big one—worth one million dollars. That hit should have set him up for life, but Luther hadn’t paid him. Because I didn’t take out the daughter.

But when Elizabeth died, he’d finally get his big pay day. And he’d finally be able to sleep at night without wondering…

Does she remember me?

Unfortunately, Victor and Saxon would also have to die in the coming battle. Two FBI agents—gunned down while protecting an innocent woman. Ah, he was sure their funeral services would be just lovely.

If he tried hard enough, he figured that he’d even be able to muster up a tear or two. He’d always been such a fine actor.





Chapter Eight


Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes. She’d fallen asleep, just…sank into darkness after that last orgasm. And she had no idea how long she’d been out. She pushed up—the light coming through that window didn’t seem as strong. Was the sun getting ready to set? Frowning, she looked back down at the bed, and she saw that Saxon was by her side.

His hand was curved around her stomach. His body pressed closely to her own.

She caught herself staring at him. Great, now I’m pulling the stalker routine. Watching the guy while sleeps.