But, before Drew Lancaster died, Anton planned to use him.
Use him, then dispose of him.
Chapter Seven
The Dallas skyline stretched in front of Drew. He stared at the buildings, noting the sweep of architecture as it bled into the red evening sky.
He and Tina were in a plush hotel room. Five star all the way. No dusty sheets or wobbly chairs would be found in this place. For security, Drew had requested two adjoining rooms. Dylan and Rachel were stationed right down the hall in another set of adjoining rooms.
Dylan was determined to go through with Mercer’s ridiculous plan. They wanted Tina to continue with the deception of being Mercer’s daughter. Wanted her to play that part—and to keep Anton’s focus on her—until their team could bring down HAVOC and its leader.
He hated that plan. Tina wasn’t trained for a situation such as this one. Putting her into the middle of this fight could very well get her killed.
I won’t have her death on my hands.
The door squeaked open behind him.
Soft footsteps came toward him.
He kept staring out at the setting sun. Its light reflected off the high-rise towers.
The scent of strawberries drifted in the air.
His fingers curled into fists. “Why did you say yes?” Because she had, and with that one word, Tina had changed everything.
She’d agreed to Dylan’s too-dangerous plan, and she’d made saving her even harder.
“I agreed because Devast is determined to kill me, and no matter what you do or say, he isn’t going to believe I’m not Mercer’s daughter.”
My fault. That burned like acid in his gut. He and his team had thought they were being so smart.
Mercer’s real daughter, Cassidy Sherridan, had needed to vanish. Intel had leaked out about her—not her specific name, but the fact that Mercer had a daughter he’d hidden for years—and the sharks had started to circle. They’d needed to get the sharks off their blood scent.
We needed bait.
But the bait was supposed to be Rachel. Not Tina.
They’d left a trail of evidence including phone calls and a log of private meetings connecting Rachel and Mercer. They’d wanted all those circling sharks to think that Rachel was the one connected so intimately to Mercer.
When the sharks came in to attack, Rachel and the team would have been ready.
But the main shark had gone after the wrong prey in New Orleans. Tina had been down there—why?—and Devast had connected her to Mercer.
“I’m sorry,” he told Tina, and he meant the words. Drew was sorry that he’d screwed up her life, and that his team had brought her into this twisted mess. He turned toward her.
She stood just a few feet away, her eyes wide, her cheeks a soft pink.
She’s so beautiful. Does she even realize what she does to me?
He cleared his throat. “Why were you in New Orleans? You weren’t supposed to be there.”
“The call came down that an EOD doctor might be needed on scene.” Her smile was wry. “Considering some of the locations the agents travel to, visiting New Orleans sounded like a really good option for me. I can’t... I can’t always go into the field. It was—”
“Safe,” he finished as he edged toward her.
She nodded. Her hair brushed across her cheeks with that slight movement. “I thought that would be the perfect trip for me. I needed a break from D.C.” A rough laugh eased from her. “I guess I got my break.”
“A break is one thing.” He tried to keep his anger and fear leashed. “Signing on to finish this mission? That’s something altogether different. You’re risking your life.” The anger spiked, sharp and hard, within him. “You don’t belong in the field, Doc. You need to get back in an office. Go back to—”