Page 18 of The Outlaw's Savage Revenge

“Not even if she’s Alfred Romano’s daughter?”

I can hear Hawkins breathing—ragged, uneven. He’s trying to wrap his head around it.

“You’re telling me . . . Hector was selling Romano’s daughter?”

“Yep, served up by hisConsigliere, Clemenza Brando,“ I reply. “She was bound for Al-Dawahi.”

Silence stretches long enough for the shock to sink in.

“The Middle East?” Hawkins finally whispers, as if he’s talking about some mythical beast.

“Yep, it’s real. Congratulations, you’ve got your confirmation. The place exists. Going rate? Thirty million a piece.”

“Christ . . .” He exhales, and I can practically hear the wheels turning. “If Al-Dawahi’s in play, that changes everything.”

No shit. He’ll have to run it up the flagpole now. Fucking puppet on a string.

“I need to call this in,” Hawkins says right on cue. “Give me a minute, Quinn.”

“Take all the time you need,” I drawl, then disconnect.

I pull up my files on Hector and scan his contacts and goons. Stealing from him will surely kick up a storm, and I need to be ready to use his rage to my advantage.

Not even five minutes later, Hawkins calls back.

“The Romano girl,” he begins, his voice measured. “Is she with you?”

“Yes, why?”

“You’re going to return her to Hector.”

My fingers freeze, hovering over the keyboard. “Excuse me?”

His voice grows tight. “She’s an asset now. A source of intel on Al-Dawahi.”

“What?”

“You’re going to take her back to Hector and maintain your cover. Tell him whatever you need—say you lost control, you were overwhelmed with lust, greed. Apologize for stepping on his toes. From one sleazebag to another, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

I let out a harsh laugh. “Let me get this straight. You want to send Romano’s kid off to some desert dungeon and let her gather intel as a fucking sex slave?”

“That’s the directive from above,” Hawkins says flatly. “We chip her and track her. Then we’ll extract her later. Six months should be sufficient.”

My voice drops to a snarl. “She’s not fucking bait!”

He shoots back. “You have your orders, Agent Quinn. Do not get attached. Chip the girl and return her—”

“Come and get her, then.” I cut him off icily.

“Agent Quinn—”

I disconnect the call.

For a moment, I sit there, staring at the phone, my jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. My eyes narrow as I glance in the direction of the bedroom.

Protecting her tonight put me dangerously close to the edge of oblivion. One more cock-up like tonight’s, and I could be taken down for going rogue.

A new, sensible plan starts to crystallize. Something unnamed wars with the plan, but I smother it. I have to turn my back on Luna and focus on my mission. She needs to find herself another protector.

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