Page 54 of Raven's Claw
Jordan laughed.“I guess you just bring out the vengeance in me.I want to speak to Atticus.”
“He’s fine.”
“Then, put him on.”
Rook breathed heavily into the phone.“You know how this works.He stays alive as long as you follow the rules.”
“This isn’t about rules.This is about which side of me shows up for the meeting.Now, put him on, or I’ll assume he’s dead, and I’m not sure you have enough men on hand to wage that war.”
Rook huffed, then the sound changed.
“Jordan?Don’t you dare make a deal with this bastard.”
Mac inhaled as her father’s voice echoed through the room.Rough.Definitely edged with pain.
Jordan fisted her hand, using the bite of her nails against her palm to ease the jumpy feeling in her gut.“Are you okay, Atticus?”
“Don’t worry about me.I promised Thomas I’d keep an eye on you if you ever showed up.Don’t make a liar out of me.You need to run?—”
Everything cut off, just the rustle of fabric — something heavy hitting the floor in the background.
“Parker always was the sentimental type.You have your proof.Now, I assume you’ve decrypted all the intel.”He took a breath — let it rasp over the line as he blew it out.“I’m gonna need that back.”
Jordan swallowed past the lump in her throat.“Where and when?”
“What?No counter proposal?”
“We both knew there was only one way this was ever going to end.Do you have a location, or am I picking it?”
The phone dinged, a text popping up in the window.
“I just sent you the coordinates.It’s a bitoffthe beaten path.Let’s say, midnight.I’m afraid that won’t give you much time to strategize before you have to leave.And that’s assuming you get your new friends to give you a lift.You can bring two plus the pilot to retrieve Atticus.If I see even a suggestion of anyone else, he’s dead, along with all thosefriendsyou’ve put in my sights.And I trust you know enough to come unarmed.”
“You just keep your end of the bargain.”
“Don’t insult me.I don’t renege on my promises.”
“Then, I’ll see you at midnight.”
“I mean it, Ember.Try to double cross me, again, and I’ll drown Raven’s Cliff in their blood.”
“I get it.And Rook…” She pressed the phone against her jaw.“This ends.Tonight.”
She hung up, hating the fact her hand shook.Not much and not something any of Kash’s team might notice.But she did.Each tiny vibration reminding her of how far she’d fallen.That she wasn’t the operative she’d been when she’d limped out of that warehouse.That somewhere along the line, she’d started caring.
Kash moved in beside her.He was the reason she’d changed.Not because he’d asked her to, but because he’d dared her to move beyond her comfort zone.To be more than just an asset for Rook to manipulate.
He’d dared her to become Jordan Archer.Ex-operative, and the woman in love with him.
He nudged her shoulder.“You okay?”
She looked over at him.Memorized his face.Let the love gleaming back at her burn into her psyche.“I…”
What could she say?That she wasn’t close to being okay?That a part of her wanted them to let her do this alone?To die while he still looked at her like he was right now.As if she wasn’t the person who might destroy his family.
Instead, she glanced at Becca.“I know you’ve already got those coordinates locked down.How screwed are we?”
Becca frowned.“I do, but… I honestly don’t know.It looks like it’s in the middle of nowhere about half an hour south of here along to the coast.I’m just not sure what I’m looking at.”
