[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. Help me, Hal.Make thisright.Give me a name.But Hal wasn t going to give heranything.As she stared at him, all of thelife vanished from his eyes. Hal?He was gone. Sydney?She looked up.Slade stood just a fewfeet away, a gun in his hand.Hal s gun.The gun she d kicked across the room soHal couldn t use it again. I I saw him coming at you, I thoughthe had a knife.The box cutter could have done asmuch damage as a knife, but she wouldhave been able to knock it out of Hal shand.She knew plenty of techniques todisarm him. I couldn t let him hurt you, Sladewhispered.His eyes filled with horror were on Hal s still body. I justreacted.I just.shot.Footsteps pounded in the hallway.Shecould hear them through the open door.Then Gunner was there, bursting into theroom. Sydney!He saw Slade with the gun.He lungedfor his brother. Gunner! Sydney called out.Slade didn t fight him.Gunner yankedthe gun away from Slade and shoved thesmaller man up against the nearest wall.Then Gunner turned that gun on hisbrother. What the hell are you doing?Sydney rose. Saving me.Mercer was there, too, breath heavingfrom his lungs.She saw Cale and a fewother agents.All too late to change what hadhappened.She straightened her shoulders. Halattacked me.Slade came in and.hethought he was saving me.Gunner glanced back at her.His eyeswidened as his gaze swept over her.Heput the gun down on a table, and then hewas across the room in an instant, hishands running over her arms. Is theblood yours? There was a tight,desperate quality in his words that she dnever heard before.Sydney shook her head. All Hal s.Gunner s hand was resting over herstomach now. I m okay. They both were.Shelooked to the right.Mercer had crouchednext to Hal, but the others were watchingher and Gunner.Silent, tense.Gunner locked his jaw, gave a grimnod and slowly dropped his hand.She heard a ragged gasp and her gazemet Slade s.He d seen Gunner s handon her stomach.Seen the fear and worryon Gunner s face.He knows.Slade s head tilted down.His handsclenched into fists.Tears stung her eyes.Things shouldnever have been this twisted. Why the hell did Hal go after you?Cale asked. Because I knew what he d done.Ifound it. She pointed toward thecomputer. Hal s the one who turned offthe security feed.Probably so wewouldn t realize that he was the one herethat night, doing the hacking.He usedGunner s old code.Hal set him up.Mercer s fingers were on Hal s neck,looking for a pulse.He wasn t going tofind one.He must have realized that same factbecause Mercer swore and glanced up ather. Did he tell you why?Mercer wasn t the kind of man to takekindly to betrayals.But then, who was?Only with Mercer, she knew theretribution for betraying him usuallyinvolved death or imprisonment. He said.he said he didn t have achoice.That his family was threatened.But if she looked into his bank accounts,would she discover that he d been paidoff? Not just threats, but an enticing wadof cash to help him escape from the EODand start fresh somewhere else?There was always a price that had tobe paid for a betrayal. Muerte, she whispered.Cale s gaze cut to Slade.Slade shookhis head. That was the last thing Hal said tome. Maybe he was afraid of death, oneof the other agents muttered.No, she didn t think he d been talkingabout death so much as the drug.Withthe drug showing up in the shooter sblood, with that being the last word thatHal had spoken, the dots wereconnecting in a very deadly way. It s in the U.S. Mercer stood.Hehad blood on his fancy suit. Thebastards have it here, and the DEAdoesn t even realize it. He waved hishands. I want this room clear.Don ttouch anything, hear me? I m getting acrime scene analysis team sent in fromthe FBI.They owe me, and the feds areabout to start paying up.Sydney eased toward Slade.Helooked up at her, his face pale. I heard the gunshot, he whispered. I was in the hallway.I didn t.I didn teven know you were the one in here.Thedoor was ajar.I just slipped in.And he d seen her and Hal in astandoff. When I saw the weapon in hishand. Slade swallowed. I just fired.Ikilled him.Gunner was at her back.Silent.Slade s gaze dropped to her stomach.He swallowed. There.Is theresomething you want to tell me?No, she couldn t tell him.Not now.Not in front of all the others.But Sladehad just killed to protect her, so she hadto say something. Thank you, shewhispered, and wrapped her armsaround him, giving him a hug.His hands closed around her.She feltthe light touch of his lips on her head. I d never let anything happen to you.She pulled back, stared into his eyes. Never.She took a step away from him. Slade. Gunner began.Slade flinched. I know I m about toget busted for firing a weapon in here,okay? Mercer s going to rip into me  You were here when I wasn t.Ijust. Gunner leveled his stare at theother man. I m thankful.But there was an edge in Gunner svoice.One that gave her pause.Maybebecause.She didn t quite believe what he wassaying.There wasn t any more time fortalking or questions then.As Mercerherded them out, he separated her fromthe rest of the group and led her to hisoffice.She knew her own interrogation wasabout to begin.She d wanted to prove that Gunnerwas innocent, but she hadn t wantedanyone to die [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]