Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents 7)

“You already know.” A shrug. “I’m Jack.”

“You’re a killer who hides behind cards.” Thomas leaned forward. “You’re going to spend the rest of your life in a cage. You’ll be damn lucky if you ever see daylight again.”

Jack laughed. “Don’t count on that...not yet, Dragon.”

Thomas didn’t let his surprise show. Only EOD agents called him by that moniker.

Jack lifted a blond brow. “I guess we all hide behind something, don’t we?” Then Jack rolled his shoulders. “But I’m done with this little chat.” His hands slammed down on the table and his head turned toward the mirror. “You’re watching. Mercer, that’s your name, isn’t it?” Jack whistled. “If you only knew how much I’d been offered to put a bullet in your heart. Your death...it’s always the most requested.”

Jack knew far, far more about the EOD than they’d realized.

“I have connections that you can’t even dream about,” Jack said as he stared at his reflection. “Ties to individuals that I know you’d love to—ah, wait, what’s your word? Contain.”

“Right now, you’re contained,” Thomas told him.

Jack’s gaze cut to him. “Am I?” He seemed surprised.

What kind of game was the guy playing?

“I have intel.” Jack focused on the mirror once more. “Intel that you need. But I’m not just going to spill to the first agent who walks into the room.” He straightened. “No offense, Dragon.”

What?

“I’ll talk to my Rachel, or I won’t talk to anyone.”

Thomas sighed. He rose from his chair and slowly stalked around the table. Then he brought his face right in front of Jack’s. “Do I look like I care what you want?”

“You look like a lackey to me. Someone who doesn’t have the power to make a call like this.” A smirk was on Jack’s face. “You think I don’t know how valuable I am? Why do you think Mercer didn’t give orders for me to be taken out instead of contained? He wants my intel.” Jack shrugged. “And if he wants it, then he’s going to have to play by my rules.”

* * *

NOELLE EVERS STARED through the two-way mirror. Mercer was beside her. Silent. Watching.

“He’s still trying to pull the strings,” Noelle said. Jack’s behavior was just as she’d expected. The man was a control freak. Every act, every kill—it was about power to him, not about the money.

“He’s also still trying to get Rachel Mancini,” Mercer murmured. He glanced at Noelle. “But after what went down at the harbor, how is he going to react if he does see her in person?”

Seeing as how Rachel had pushed the man out a third-story window, probably not so well. “The attachment is still there. If you want to make him talk—” she knew that Mercer did “—then Rachel is your best bet.”

Noelle didn’t doubt that Jack had secrets to tell. Secrets that Mercer wanted to hear.

The door opened. She glanced over and saw Thomas stalk inside. “He’s a smug SOB,” he said, disgust in his tone.

He came to stand next to her. Noelle automatically tensed. She did that every time Thomas got too close.

Her job was to profile for Mercer—to watch both the agents at the EOD and the “suspects” that were brought in for questioning. Mercer wanted to make sure that he had no more rogues in-house at the EOD. He also wanted her help at getting into the minds of his enemies.

Since she owed Mercer more than she could repay Noelle had traded in her job at the FBI for some time with the EOD.

And with Thomas Anthony.

She looked up and got caught by Thomas’s golden eyes. There was just something about him that was so familiar to her, but Noelle could not remember when they’d met.

“Is he bluffing?” Thomas demanded. “Or will the guy actually talk if Rachel comes in?”

She hesitated. “It’s a game to him. He wants to be the one who wins.”

Thomas shook his head. “That’s not an answer. Is the guy going to tell us what we need to know or not?”