Page 24 of Fracture

She drew her gun and fired it past Benjamin’s head, not giving him time to react until the bullet sank into the wall behind him.

Benjamin’s eyes went wide. He knew what that shot meant. And that he wouldn’t get a chance to avoid the next one.

Bringing him up as her second was a risk. But she was running out of people she could trust. They all turned out to be spineless fuckwads instead of reliable soldiers.

“Almost isn’t good enough,” she snarled at him.

“Understood.”

“Just because she said she didn’t tell anyone what she knows doesn’t mean she won’t now.”

Benjamin shook his head, moving forward with a smirk. “She doesn’t remember a damn thing. Amnesia. Doesn’t even know who she is.”

“Well, at least you did something right.”

Benjamin’s grin fell. “Someone had to be there right after I was. I took care of her boss.”

“Is that how you want me to take care of you?”

Benjamin took a step back. “No. I will handle the agent. And anyone else she told about you.”

“You better, or the next shot won’t hit the wall first.”

Benjamin glanced back at the hole in the wall. He nodded once, then turned and headed for the door.

As soon as it was closed behind him, the boss sank to her chair. She wasn’t safe. That fucking agent knew her name. She knew too fucking much. And Benjamin let her live.

“Nina!” The boss stood and stomped her way from the office to her attached suite. It was one of many, and the one she spent most of her time in. Also, the one where her best friend stayed. “Nina!”

“Are you okay?” Nina came around the corner, hurrying to the boss’s side. “What happened?”

The boss sank into the oversized chair next to the fireplace. A fire smoldered, enough to crackle and give off the scent but not so much to heat the already warm room in the middle of summer. “Agent Sloane is alive.”

Nina sucked in a breath. “She is?”

The boss nodded and burrowed deeper into the chair. “Benjamin fucked me over. He was supposed to take care of her. He never would have done it if my father was in charge.”

“Your father isn’t in charge. You are.”

That was what she loved about Nina. Nina always made her smile. Reminded her of what she was capable of. “You’re right. He’s not here.”

“And everyone knows you are in charge, and that you are more than capable of handling anything. You’ve proven that.”

She sat up straighter and smiled. “I have. Damon and the cops, Trevor, the girls who ran. None of them lived to tell their stories. They learned their lessons.”

Nina nodded. “You take care of us. There’s no reason anyone would want to leave here.”

The boss looked up at Nina. Her beautiful red hair and those gray-green eyes that couldn’t lie if her life depended on it. Nina had been her confidant for years. The one person she could count on to always be there for her and always tell her the truth.

“I love you, sis.”

Nina smiled. “I love you, too.”

They weren’t sisters, but it felt like they were. If she’d had a sister, she imagined it would be the same relationship. Someone she took care of, someone she gave everything to, someone she made sure was happy and safe and loved.

The boss sighed. “I always feel better after talking to you. Do you want to watch a movie? It’s been a long day.”

“Sure. What are you in the mood for?”