Relentless (Option Zero 2)

Surprised, Aubrey blinked her tired eyes to focus better and stared hard at the photo of a dead man. A man she most definitely recognized.

“Jensen Riggs.”

“He’s an actor, isn’t he?” Serena said.

“Yes. He and Becca dated a few times, but he broke it off when...” Realization came quickly. “That’s why she said what she said.”

“Who said what?” Eve asked.

“After the accident, before Becca passed out, she said his name. I just assumed it was because she was thinking of him. They had just broken up, and although she said he hadn’t meant that much to her, her pride was hurt. She’d just been canned from the movie and—”

Realizing she was rambling, she gave herself a mental shake and refocused. “But maybe she recognized him as the driver of the SUV who ran us off the road. What if she was trying to tell me it was Jensen?”

“Makes sense,” Eve said. “The guy was definitely trying to kill you today. And we know you were lured out of hiding. He could’ve been keeping close to your cousin the whole time just to find out where you were. I’d say he’s the likely culprit for all the killings.”

“An actor who’s also a contract killer?” Serena shook her head. “Nothing about these people should surprise us anymore.”

The thought that Becca had been used by a killer hurt her heart. Her cousin hadn’t deserved any of this.

Eve and Serena continued to discuss the who and why. Jules and Jazz threw in their own theories. Words surrounded Aubrey, but she zoned out of the conversation. Her entire focus was on Liam.

Was he in pain? She remembered how much a knife stabbing into flesh hurt. That first moment of shock and then the deep, penetrating agony that followed. How had he negotiated twelve floors with a deep knife wound and a man on his back?

It defied reality, but then again, almost everything to do with Liam Stryker defied reasonable explanation. She had once thought that meeting him in that prison in Syria had been pure chance, but she had long since decided that chance had had nothing to do with it. Then seeing him in Kosovo and having no idea who he was because he couldn’t speak. It was as if their souls had been given a brief reprieve, but someone had said, Not yet.

And then bringing them together one last time through their work?

No, things like that just didn’t happen without a reason. Divine intervention was the only explanation. Faith had been a hit-or-miss thing for her over the last few years, but as she looked around her, at the people who knew and loved Liam Stryker the best, she realized they were as mortal as she was. She had no strength to fight an unseen battle, and as strong and mighty as they were, neither did they.

She could only pray and have faith that the one who’d brought them together would see them through. Liam had once told her that she existed for a purpose, and she wouldn’t die in that prison. He had been right. But Liam existed for a purpose, too. And it wasn’t to die by the hands of an assassin or an evil shadow organization. He had so many things to accomplish. They both did, and they would do them together.

Feeling much more peaceful, Aubrey gathered her remaining strength and prayed as hard as she knew how. Liam was her miracle, and he desperately needed his own miracle.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, alone and praying, but when she heard the doors to the surgery unit swing open, she was on her feet.

Liam’s surgeon walked toward them. Dressed in scrubs, the man had a weary but triumphant look on his face. “He’s going to be fine. He’ll need to take it easy for a few weeks, but he’s in good physical health, so there should be no complications.”

“Everybody got out of the building?” Liam asked. He was lying on the bed, a numb ache in his side that he knew would worsen once the painkiller wore off. He wanted to get as much information as possible before that happened.

“Yes,” Ash said. “All accounted for. The fire was contained to the twelfth floor. The only injuries sustained were the normal bumps and bruises of people getting shoved out of the way.”

“What about Norman Hartley? Anybody talk to him?”

“Oh yeah, we had an interesting conversation with the man. Said he had no idea what we were talking about. Denied every word.”

He wasn’t surprised. Plausible deniability seemed to be the group’s favorite way out of trouble. “We have a recording, though. Right?”

“Yes. After hearing it, he finally conceded it was his voice but claimed he was on some kind of medication that made him talk out of his head. Claims to know nothing about this secret organization or the plot to kill Aubrey.”

“What about this Jensen Riggs guy? What do you have on him?”

“Not much. He’s been an actor a half-dozen years or so. He say anything to you?”

“Oh yeah,” Liam grinned. “Quite a lot, in fact.” He switched his gaze to Aubrey, who was sitting quietly at his left. Beyond kissing his cheek when she’d first arrived, she hadn’t said a word. He needed to give Ash all the intel he had and then concentrate on her. She had been through hell the last few hours.

Turning his attention to Ash again, he said, “The guy knew he was dying. Lost too much blood not to know, but he wanted to make sure he was remembered. His ego wouldn’t just let him die without bragging about what he’d done. Walking down twelve flights of stairs gave him plenty of time to spill. He lost consciousness around the third floor, but he was amazingly chatty before he passed out. Remember when Jules said Medford’s death sounded like something a killer named Promethean would do?”

“Yes. She said he prided himself on being unique.”