Maverick (Elite Ops 2)

“And now he’s gone,” Jordan stated.

“Live Wire, Maverick, I can’t raise Hell Raiser,” Tehya announced into the link. “I repeat, Hell Raiser is not responding.”

Micah froze. For the longest second, horror raced through him.

“Risa,” he breathed her name out in a sense of dread. “Son of a bitch, he’s gotten to Risa.”

He turned and was moving before Jordan could stop him. He heard Jordan bark a command for his return, and it was ignored. He rushed from the mansion, aware of others following him.

He couldn’t seem to run fast enough. Adrenaline poured through him, rage locked into every muscle and tendon of his body, and only one thought raced through his mind.

Risa.

RISA’S HEAD LIFTED at the firm knock on the door, her gaze turning to Nik as he moved from the chair, his weapon in his hands and ready as he moved for the door.

Risa drew the blanket from her shoulders as he motioned to her and moved to look into the peephole.

She sighed wearily at the sight of one of her clients.

“It’s just Mr. Banyon,” she told N.K. “I was expecting him. He’s dropping off his quarterly receipts.”

Banyon was quiet, professorish. A very distinguished gentleman who had always put her at ease.

Nik narrowed his eyes as he moved behind her. “Ope

n the door easy. Don’t let him in.”

She disengaged the locks and opened the door a few inches.

“Mr. Banyon, I’m not really dressed—”

An explosion of light blinded her as she felt the door jerk out of her grasp, and she was thrown backward. There was no time to cry out. She felt the carpet burn across the side of her face as she was thrown into it, and then heard a thump behind.

Nik. She shook her head. He was huge. Banyon was shorter, softer. He’d never get past Nik.

She shook her head, her eyes tightly closed, as she fought the pain searing her head and tried to drag herself from the carpet.

“Easy, Miss Clay.” Banyon’s voice was cool, menacing, as she felt hard hands lifting her and placing her back on the couch. “The pain will only last for a few more seconds. Let me secure our friend here and then you and I will visit for a while.”

A whimper fell from her lips as she shook her head and fought not to throw up.

“I was really hoping your boyfriend had stayed to protect you instead,” he said as she tried to listen for his movements. “It took me a while, but I was finally able to figure it all out. Of course, Bailey Serborne helped. When this young man captured her in the back parking lot, I knew there was a bit more going on here than met the eye.”

Bailey Serborne? Who the hell was Bailey Serborne?

“I’m still amazed at the ability of your security force. I’ve only been able to spot two of them, though there must be more. This young man and your lover.” He seemed to grunt and then a thud sounded around her as the pain in her head finally began to ease.

“There we go,” he breathed out in satisfaction as she tried to blink.

Her sight was blurry and with each attempt to clear it, a spike of pain drove through the sockets.

“There now, he’s nice and trussed,” Banyon chuckled. “He’s an interesting fellow. Unlike your lover, I was unable to place his identity, but I guess the plastic surgeon took more care with his features than he did with Mr. Abijah’s. Now there is a worthy opponent. This is twice he’s nearly had me. We’re going to make certain there isn’t a third time. Aren’t we?”

She shook her head as she was finally able to open her eyes and focus on the man who had been hired to kill her.

He was unassuming, almost handsome with his beard and goatee and shaven head. His smile was comfortable, his gray eyes amused, as he glanced down at Nik’s fallen form. Banyon had a quiet, confident look to his face that had always drawn her.

God, she’d been doing accounting for six months for a man who had just been awaiting the order to kill her?