Page 41 of The Games We Play

“Leave,” I order. “Leave and don’t ever fucking contact me again.”

Sierra’s smirk drops along with the best friend act and he stands with an air of arrogance.

I point at his chest, my forearm muscles flexing with the itch to shoot him myself. “You don’t know what kind of swarm you just stirred up. Everyone will come for you. Darius’ head is worth millions and you’ll be a disposable person in the way.”

“You know he’ll come for you,” he responds.

I suck on my teeth and mentally calculate how long it will take me to get back to check on Puppet. I could call her, but say what? Sorry, you were always a pawn in this game and now I—what—care?

Why do I fucking care? This was always the outcome. This was the plan. To get to them through her. It worked, but not on my fucking terms and that’s what has me pissed. Someone else is calling the shots.

No, he’s bluffing. They want me to spiral. To get sloppy and miss the signs.

How much does Sierra actually know?

“He can try,” I say as a challenge.

Sierra straightens his tie and sniffs. “I’ll be sure and write your eulogy.”

Grimacing, I shove my hands in my pockets. “Not if I write yours first.”

I leave and slam my car door closed. My tires squeal on the asphalt as Sierra gets smaller in the rear-view mirror.

My hands shake over my steering wheel.

Sierra just set things into motion and it’s about to be a fucking war. And Darius? After all these years of him being quiet and hiding away, why has he come back now? He’s the kind of man that has others do his dirty work. He remains hidden in the shadows. I should know. I’ve been hunting the fucker for the last year. He thinks he had me, but he’s about to realize how badly he fucked up.

I wonder if he knows yet? My big secret? Has Sierra shown him my face, or only told him about me? It’s all interesting.

It’s my obligation to report him as a rogue, but that will set in a domino effect that will only end with me killing him…then I’ll kill Darius. This was the plan all along.

I lift my phone to my ear and wait for their answer.

“Sierra needs to be terminated,” I state evenly.

“That’s a big accusation, Lima. On what grounds?” the voice responds dryly.

“On the fucking grounds that he just tried to recruit me to work for Darius,” I snap, my nostrils flaring and skin burning in irritation.

They’re silent on the other end. Fingers type on a keyboard on the other end, then a shuffle comes across the phone.

“Lima?” a feminine voice calls out. The same voice that recruited me ten years ago.

“November,” I respond.

“Is Sierra going to be a problem?”

I relax slightly, knowing that she understands what is at stake and has the power to make decisions.

“He’s working for Darius, from what I can assume. I don’t think he realizes he was being a personal messenger, nor do I think Darius knows who I am. If he doesn’t, it won’t be long before he does, though.”

She hums her agreement. This is what we’ve been preparing for the last year. Sitting and waiting for Darius to make his move.

“Then it’s time. All our resources go toward finding him and neutralizing the threat.” She sighs before adding, “And as of now, Scott Parkins is a personal hit for the agency. I’ll email all the details over to you now.”

My phone chimes and I open the attachments to find Sierras’ file and what little information we have on Darius. Sierras’ government name is Scott, and he’s from Nebraska. No family. No strings. No leverage I can use.

“There’s one more thing,” I say, remembering what Scott says about our security system. “We need to assume everyone is compromised and order a recall on all agents and their families.”

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