Steel Vengeance (Blackthorn Security #6)

Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

T he blow came out of nowhere, a sharp, searing pain exploding across the side of Sloane’s head. Her vision blurred instantly, stars dancing in front of her eyes as she stumbled backward, clutching the side of her face. Matthew stood over her, his expression cold and calculating. The friendly charm she once knew was gone—replaced with something ruthless, terrifying.

“Matthew?” Her voice was shrill, a mix of shock and fear. He was supposed to be in hiding—half the police force in D.C. was hunting him down, and yet here he was. In the flesh. Her pulse thudded so hard in her ears she could barely hear herself.

“Yes, it’s me, darling.” His smile twisted as he towered over her. “Now, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

He reached for her, but she stumbled back, adrenaline flooding her body. Run, her brain screamed, but her legs felt like lead, her head still spinning from the hit. She tried to make a break for the motel door, her hand reaching for the handle, but Matthew’s fingers closed around her arm like a vice.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, trying to twist free, but he yanked her back with brutal strength, his grip digging into her skin.

“You’re only going to make this worse for yourself,” he growled, pulling her out of the room and toward the parking lot. She fought against him, kicking and thrashing, trying to break free, but Matthew was too strong. He grabbed her by the waist, dragging her across the tarmac, his arm clamped around her like a steel band.

Her heart pounded with terror. Where was Blade? Pat?

The sharp sting of cold metal dug into Sloane’s back as Matthew shoved her into the backseat of the car, her body slamming against the door. Her pulse was racing so fast she could barely hear anything but the pounding in her ears. How had this happened? How had Matthew found her here? She struggled to keep her thoughts straight, but everything was slipping into chaos. Phoenix had gone outside to check out that noise, and the next thing she knew, he was down, and Matthew was dragging her out of the room.

She was trapped.

Her heart twisted in her chest as the full weight of her predicament pressed down on her. The man she once thought she knew—the man who’d shared his bed with her—had turned into a stranger, a monster. She didn’t know who he was any more. How could he be capable of such violence? Of wanting her dead.

She tried to move, push herself up, but her arms were shaky and the dizziness from the blow to her face made it impossible to sit up straight. Everything around her seemed to blur and spin.

Phoenix.

The last thing she’d seen was him hitting the ground outside the motel, blood running from his head.

Was he okay? Would someone find him? Would Pat find him?

The car jerked forward as Matthew hit the gas, the sudden motion slamming her back into the seat, knocking the air from her lungs. She gasped, her heart racing.

“Where are you taking me?”

Matthew didn’t answer. From her position, she could see his jaw clenched, the reflection of the city lights flashing across his cold, hardened face. That same face she used to touch. That face she once thought she loved.

Her thoughts drifted back to those early days when he’d recruited her. The dinners, the charm, the way he made her feel like she was part of something bigger than herself. She’d been drawn in by his confidence, by the excitement of the missions. They’d shared more than just professional moments—there had been real intimacy once. Or so she thought. Now, all of it felt twisted, like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

How did I ever trust him?

Now she’d gone from being his asset to being his target.

Matthew’s voice cut through the dark haze in her head. “You had one job, Sloane.” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, his tone dripping with disappointment. “Just one. Watch Omari. Report back. But no, you had to go digging, didn’t you?”

She swallowed hard, fear prickling her skin. “I was just doing my job. I thought?—”

“Too damn well. You saw too much,” he interrupted, his voice a low growl now. “And you couldn’t let it go. Jeremy warned me about you, said you were getting too close to the truth, but I thought we could control you. Keep you on a leash.”

Sloane felt her stomach turn. “You sent Jeremy to kill me.”

Matthew didn’t deny it. He laughed bitterly instead, eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I didn’t want it to come to that, but you forced my hand, sweetheart. You got too close. When you saw him with Omari, you sealed your own fate. I wasn’t gonna let you destroy everything I’ve built.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. But the reality of it—the man she’d once trusted, even cared about, wanted her dead—was suffocating.

“I thought we had something,” she said, her voice trembling. “I thought you cared about me.”

Matthew’s gaze flickered to the rearview mirror, and for a moment, something like regret flashed across his face. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I was fond of you, Sloane. I won’t lie about that. But I can’t afford sentimentality. Not in this game.”

The coldness in his words pierced her, and a shudder ran down her spine. The man she’d known was gone, replaced by someone ruthless, heartless. She had no more illusions. He wasn’t sparing her. He wasn’t going to let her live.

And Stitch... Stitch had no idea what was happening. He didn’t even know she was gone.

Maybe Blade would find her. As soon as they realized she’d been taken, they’d be on the lookout. But how were they going to find her. She glanced out the window, her vision still hazy from the earlier blow. The city lights faded as they sped down the highway, moving further away from the city. She tried to push herself up again, but her head spun, making her collapse back onto the seat.

“What... what are you going to do?” she managed to ask, though deep down, she already knew the answer.

Matthew’s lips curled into a twisted smile. “You know exactly what I’m going to do. There can’t be any witnesses, Sloane. No one can know what’s really going on. That means you.”

The terror surged through her, turning her limbs to ice. She had to find a way out, but her body was weak, her head swimming. Her pulse roared in her ears as panic clawed at her throat. She had to keep him talking, had to buy time.

“The CIA’s onto you,” she blurted, her voice shaking. “You’ll be caught. It’s just a matter of time.”

Matthew laughed darkly. “You’re delusional if you think the Agency can stop me. By the time they figure out you’re missing, I’ll be long gone.”

She couldn’t think, couldn’t strategize. Her mind was slipping, the darkness closing in faster than she could fight it. She shifted, feeling the cold leather seat beneath her as the road blurred outside the window.

Blade. Pat. Phoenix. Someone would come for her, wouldn’t they? She had to believe that. She had to.

But the effort of staying conscious, of keeping herself together, was too much. She tried to lift her head again, tried to focus, but her vision swam and her body felt too heavy, too far away from her control.

Please, she thought one last time, her eyelids fluttering shut as the world around her dissolved into black. Don’t let me die.

With a soft sigh, Sloane gave in to the encroaching darkness.

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