Steel Vengeance (Blackthorn Security #6)

Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

S loane took the phone from Stitch, her hands trembling despite her best efforts to steady them.

"Keep calm," Stitch said, watching her closely. "You can do this."

She bit her lip, the weight of the moment crushing her. This was a man she had once slept with, a man she had trusted. And he’d betrayed her. Used her as a pawn in his twisted game and sent her out here to die.

How was she supposed to pretend she didn’t know?

Sloane dialed Matthew’s number, then sank into the chair in front of the dresser, her heart pounding. Stitch and Blade sat silently on the bed behind her, their gazes burning into her back like twin lasers.

“It’s ringing,” she whispered, gripping the phone.

A moment later, Matthew’s voice cut through the tension. “Hello?”

Sloane swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “Matthew, it’s me.”

“Jesus Christ, Sloane,” he bellowed, his voice full of exasperation. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you. Jeremy said you’d been to see him in Islamabad. What the hell’s going on over there?”

She forced herself to stay calm, kept her tone deliberately even. “Someone tried to shoot me,” she said. “But I got away.”

Matthew’s response was immediate. “I know, Jeremy told me. Are you alright?”

Sloane rolled her eyes. As if he really cared. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“What happened? How did you get away?”

As if he didn’t know.

“Some men came to help me. They pulled me to safety.”

“Were you injured?”

The shooter must have fed back that he’d clipped her, but they wouldn’t know how badly.

“It was just a graze,” she said, hoping he believed her. “A local woman patched me up.” That was true, at least. Stitch and a local woman.

“Thank God.”

She gritted her teeth. “I didn’t have access to my laptop, so I came here to find Jeremy,” she explained, glancing at Stitch, who nodded his silent approval.

“How did you know where to find him?” More questions. He was trying to connect the dots, find out how much she knew.

She sniffed, to make him think she was crying. “Matthew, I want to come home. Please, can you fly me back?”

He didn't miss a beat. “Yes, yes, of course. I’m sorry you’ve had such an awful time. Do you know who shot you?”

You ordered it, you scumbag.

She clenched her jaw, but kept her voice controlled, her anger bleeding through. “No, but I think it’s got something to do with the Afghans.”

“Afghans? You mean the men Omari met in Peshawar?” He’d seen the video.

Sloane nodded. “Yes. I think they saw me. I can’t think of any other reason why they’d want me dead.”

“That could be,” Matthew said, after a brief pause. “Listen, where are you staying? I’ll send someone to get you.”

She glanced at Stitch who nodded. They’d expected this.

“I’m at the Marriott,” she lied, her pulse quickening. “Matthew... I’m scared.”

Blade, sitting behind her, masked a grin, clearly enjoying the show.

Matthew’s voice softened, playing the role of the concerned superior. “Okay, don’t panic. I’m sending Jeremy around now. Can he reach you on this number?”

“Yes,” she said flatly.

“Okay, you stay put. Jeremy will be there as soon as he can, and he’ll get you on a flight out tonight. How does that sound?” So smooth, as always. God, how she hated him.

“That would be good.”

Like hell.

She knew full well Jeremy would show up with a gun and a silencer.

“Hang in there, honey,” Matthew added, his tone dripping with fake concern. “You’ll be home soon.”

The moment she hung up, Sloane sprang to her feet and paced the room in angry strides. “Honey? I can’t believe he had the cheek to call me honey after he tried to kill me.”

Stitch looked pleased. “You did great. He totally bought it.”

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Blade chimed in, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sloane couldn’t remember when last she’d been so furious. “What a lying bastard. I hope he rots in jail.”

“That’s the plan,” Stitch said, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Sloane stopped pacing and turned to face them. “Let’s catch these bastards. I don’t care what it takes. They cannot be allowed to get away with this.”

“They won’t,” Blade reassured her.

Stitch took the prepaid burner phone out of her hand and gave her a bottle of water. “Here. Take a minute.”

She unscrewed the lid and took a long drink, her pulse still racing.

Once she’d calmed down, she dabbed her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at them. “What’s next?”

Blade leaned back, grinning. “Next, we have a little chat with Jeremy.”