Page 26 of Ride Forever
“We don’t have any other option,” he replied. “The only way to hit King is to get him where he shits.”
“This isn’t aMission Impossiblemovie.” I scowled. “How are we supposed to get in and get out unseen?” My mouth fell open as I realized what Chaser might be about to ask me to do. “You’re going to use me as bait?”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that, but maybe it isn’t such a bad idea.”
“You’re such a liar.”
“You don’t want to be a femme fatale?” He wound his arm around my waist. “You look the part.”
I tensed, my fingers tightening their grip on Chaser’s shirt. I knew what he was suggesting. Walk into the Halcyon and demand a meeting with King. I couldn’t go in there without anything to offer, so I’d have to sell Chaser out. Chaser for my freedom, or so the ruse went. When would we do it? When I went to meet with him, or when he came to collect? Or would it be at a darker moment?
The Hollow Men wanted me because of my father’s indiscretions, but I’d killed him, ending any brewing war between the two organizations. Could I infiltrate the Hollow Men and gain King’s trust? Could I be a femme fatale and manipulate my way into the enemy’s bed? That was what Chaser was implying.
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. We had no other leads, no way in, no allies, and next to no hope of pulling this off and getting out alive. I wasn’t meant to lead Fortitude because I was supposed to do what Chaser couldn’t all those years ago. I was meant to bring the Hollow Men to their knees.
How? I wasn’t a CIA agent. I was just a woman in a whole heap of trouble.
“Chaser…” I swallowed hard. “I can’t.”
“Don’t lose your nerve now,” he murmured. “After all we’ve been through, I know you can do this.”
“You want me to sell you out to infiltrate the Hollow Men?”
“I see we think alike.”
I felt my hands start to tremble, and I looked away. “I can’t… I promised you forever, Chaser. This isn’t forever.”
“I don’t intend to die, Sloane.”
“That’s good.”
“We both know the stakes,” he said. “If we want forever, free and clear, we have to end this as soon as possible.”
“Now or never?”
“The deeper we get, the tougher it is to get out.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. My whole life has been devoted to getting out.”
“Sloane…” He took a deep breath and cupped my face in his big hands. “I don’t want you to get any deeper into this.”
“Then why send me in at all?”
“You’ll go in, ask for the deal, arrange the handover, and that’s when it’ll go down. King will be there in person to see the look on my face.”
“It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this. When did you get the time?” I rolled my eyes.
Chaser’s expression darkened. “Do you want forever, Sloane? Or for now?”
“Forever,” I snapped. “Always forever.”
“Then this is the plan.”
“I failed at Fortitude,” I murmured. “What if I fail at this?”
“The time for what-if passed a long time ago. Either you believe or we go into hiding.”
Anger pulsed through me, and I curled my lip in distaste. “Some ultimatum.”
