the reason Ellery got spooked.

I could feel his gaze skate over my hiding spot, once, then twice. Finally, the

dull thump of a car door closing came. The breath I didn’t realize I was holding

escaped. A quick check ensured Ellery was in the car with Hobbes. For the plan

to work, we needed Ellery and Hobbes to do the trade before moving in. Long,

tense minutes ticked by. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve wired the sedan.

The sound of a female voice yanked my attention around. A well-dressed

woman stepped out into the garage, a phone plastered to her ear. Her voice was

overly loud in the quiet and then came the beep of a car alarm on the other side

of me. I moved further into the space between the cars and watched her walk by

at a smart clip. She stopped at the Mercedes-whatever-class sitting across from

the SUV. It took her three and half minutes to stow her crap and get her ass in

gear. The entire time, curses strolled through my head. Each minute that passed

gave Ellery a chance to leave. Finally, her taillights slipped out the entrance.

Another minute passed. Then another. Finally, the sedan’s back door opened,

and Ellery stepped out. He bent down, one arm resting on the edge of the open

door to say something to the person inside.

“Go.” Kayden’s soft command came over the wire.

I rose to my feet, gun up, and closed in on the sedan. “Reeve Ellery,” I called

out, my voice cold and lethal, keeping his attention on me.

His body stiffened, then he carefully straightened. He faced me over the

sedan’s roof, his smile just as creepy in real life as it was walking through the memories in the condo. “Hello, Cyn. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Hands where I can see them.”

That creepy ass smile just widened. “Nope, don’t think so.” His gaze slid to

my right and spotted Jinx. “Look, you brought friends.” He dismissed her.

“Where’s the rest? Gunderson? Shaw? We have some unfinished business to

address.”

I ignored him and called out, “Step out of the car, Hobbes.”

The back door on the passenger side opened, and an older man stepped out, then moved to the front of the sedan. “What is the meaning of this?”

Ellery took advantage of the momentary distraction and dropped behind the

car door. Gunfire sounded, deafening in the garage’s confines. My ears rang.

Hobbes crumpled to the ground. The sedan’s front windshield spider webbed.

“The door,” I yelled, hoping someone would cover the fire exit as it was Ellery’s only escape route.

I dashed to Hobbes, knelt, and rifled his pockets with one hand. Smooth, hard plastic met my touch. I snagged the flash drive, slipped it into my pocket,

and then checked his pulse. “Hobbes’ is down, no pulse.”

“Got your six,” Kayden’s muffled voice came through the ringing of my

ears.

I worked my way around the sedan, expecting Ellery to pop back up at any

minute. Both back doors hung open. Something by the exit door caught my

attention at the same time as Jinx’s “Cyn!” sounded. Ellery stood next to the fire

door, his face twisted into a vicious mask as he kicked against the unyielding metal.

I raised my gun, only to lower it. Alive, we needed him alive. Dammit. The earlier gunshots would bring the locals barreling in at any minute.

As I came around the sedan’s hood, Ellery turned. Suddenly, the driver’s

front door swung open on its own, slamming toward me.

I dropped my gun and managed to get my hands up just in time to block it

from plowing into my stomach and thighs. Another shot echoed and bits of concrete rained down on Ellery.

“Don’t shoot!”

I couldn’t tell who yelled that one, as I had my own problems to deal with.

Like the stream of fire barreling toward me. I twisted aside and dropped, barely

dodging the lethal flame. Enough of this shit. I rolled over the concrete and reached out for my gun. Only it skittered out of reach.