Page 21 of Spy With Me
He was not going to fucking cry.
He was not going to think about the fact that he would missthat woman for the rest of his life. She was in danger every second he wasclose to Huisman. If he got away and stayed away from her, she would be safe.No one in that house would give up their connection. Never.
He was losing so much more than a job. He was losing a wholefamily.
He stopped before making the turn to the alley. Someone wasmoving to the west. He could hear the sound of shoes against the pavement. Heglanced around the fence and saw a sprinter van parked on the side of thealley, tucked away as though it was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.A guard was walking up to it. One of Huisman’s. He didn’t know why that van wasthere.
Zach breathed a sigh of relief. His team was here. Ian andCharlotte Taggart weren’t about to let their daughter and niece die. Adamwouldn’t let his son go. So now all he had to worry about was who had been leftin the van.
Almost certainly Lou. She would be manning whatevercommunications they had going and ready to drive them out when the time came.Someone else might be in that van, but he knew Lou was there.
The guard had a gun and a weapon that was far moredangerous—a walkie-talkie.
Luckily Zach had taken a knife off one of the guards he’dmurdered. He was pretty sure they were dead. He was covered in a lot of blood,and none of it was his. He had a choice to make, and it wasn’t a difficult one.He could do his team one last solid before they became the ones hunting him.Before they started a game he didn’t want to play.
He moved on quiet feet, holding the handcuffs out so theydidn’t hit anything and make noise. The guard lifted his walkie and Zachpounced.
It was his fifth kill of the day. But it was the only onewhere he had a witness he cared about.
He couldn’t see her because the van had some privacyfeatures Lou had obviously engaged, but he knew she was there. The bloodsplattered all over the van.
He let the body drop to the ground, sure he hadn’t connectedto anyone in the big house.
The van door slid open and Zach went still, adrenalinepumping through his body. Aidan O’Donnell was there.
“Hey, Zach.” Aidan’s tone was quiet, soothing. Probably thetone he would use if he found himself in front of a hungry lion.
The doctor was looking at him like he was a monster. And hewas. “Aidan.”
The window rolled down and there was Lou. “And me. You needto get in the van and let Aidan look you over. The team is inside the house. Weneed to be ready to go.”
He couldn’t do that. If he got in that van, he put everyoneat risk. Even if they would potentially listen to him, all it would do is puthis team on the radar. There was more than Huisman out there looking for him.“Good. Huisman sent half his guards with me. They’re dead now, so it’ll be afair fight. Doc, Kala’s going to need you. Carys, too, if Huisman decides tofuck around with Tris. I have to go.”
“Go?” Lou sounded shocked as she scrambled out of the van.“Go where? You’re hurt.”
He loved his team. He was going to miss them so fuckingmuch. He wanted to hug her, but he wasn’t going to mess her up with all theblood. Lou was clean and she should stay that way. “Back to hell, sweetheart.Should’ve known I wouldn’t belong here. Take care, Lou. Aidan, you can get inthrough the garage. No one’s guarding it anymore.”
Zach jogged away, forcing himself to keep going when everycell in his body screamed at him to go back in that house and finish themission.
But this mission was over. He had a new one.
Staying alive. Finding his mother so Huisman couldn’t.
He slipped away into the city, found a bathroom, stole someclothes and a cell.
And started his new life.
* * * *
Devi looked up from the sewing machine at the sound of herdoorbell chiming. It was late for visitors, but she stood up.
Zach.
She felt a smile cross her face. If that was her gorgeousman, he was early. She’d talked to him a couple of days before, but he’d warnedher the op was starting up in earnest and he would have to go radio silent fora while. They were going to talk about what that meant since he could haveabsolutely given her a heads-up that he was on his way back.
She stood and moved out of the little office that served asher sewing and design room. She was currently working on some commissionedfetwear. A Dom at The Club was spending lavishly on hisnew sub, and Devi was here for it. This commission alone meant she could stayin her apartment for at least four more months. By then she would have heardabout her applications.
She was thinking positive, which was why she stopped infront of the mirror and made sure she didn’t look terrible. She unbuttoned thetop button of the shirt she was wearing, showing off some cleavage. Zach likedher boobs, but then he seemed to like almost everything about her.
