Page 61 of Deadly Sins
Hawk shrugged it off. “I’m all about loyalty,” he said. “God can play into that as long as belief doesn’t get in the way of making powerful friends. And money.”
Her jaw dropped.
Those eyes that she’d once thought so beautiful. So soulful, glared. “What? You’ve got your principles and I have mine. We’re not so different.”
That lie she wouldn’t even dignify with a response.
He kicked at the bed frame. Her refusal to rise to the bait clearly irritated him. “You’ll wish you made a different choice once all hell rains down.”
“Doubtful.”
He tugged at the neckline of his parka. “We’ll see. No matter what, you and your friends are going down. The Consortium has their thumb on Reilly. They’re going to flatten him like the cockroach he is. Then they’ll make the rest of you disappear.”
She wanted to turn away, but she sensed she’d caught him in a vulnerable moment. Channeling her inner Fenn, she tried to reach out. “You’ve clearly joined the better team.” She tried to sound bitter, as if she truly believed the Consortium was the answer.
“Duh.” He sounded bored now.
She had to keep him talking.Think! Fenn would read the man like a book. Give him what he craved. Hawk liked conflict. He liked fighting. Agreement wasn’t working.
Shake him up. Make him mad.Fenn’s voice echoed through her mind.
She sucked in a deep breath and plunged ahead. “Nice try. If your bosses could touch Jason, you’d have him already. And you wouldn’t be messing around with me.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Duh.” She spat his own phrase back at him.
His body tensed. She prepared for the blow that must be coming. Instead, he slashed the air with a wild gesture. “Stuff like this is delicate. There’s an inside guy. He’s on the tech side. Used to work with your old outfit. He knows Reilly. The minute Reilly contacts him, we’re in.” He shot her a sickening smile and strode toward the stairway. “You best pray that doesn’t happen before your exchange. You’ll be about as useful as last week’s garbage.”
He walked out, his cruel words hanging in the frigid air.
Kate pressed her hands to her stomach. The kind, handsome, daring man she thought she knew was simply evil. Always had been, apparently.
She sat for a long time, seeking solace in prayer. Once her brain reengaged, she blinked, taking another assessing look around.
Nothing had changed. Without help, she wasn’t getting out of here.
But she could be part of the solution. She grabbed the fast-cooling bowl of beef-scented gruel and forced herself to down the calories. Even if she couldn’t escape on her own, she was determined not to be a liability when Fenn showed up.
Because the only thing she knew for certain, besides her faith in the Lord, was that Fenn was coming. And he was going to destroy Hawk’s little plan.
Hawk, too. If necessary.
38
“No way.”
Fenn stopped short in the doorway leading out of the hotel, eyes wide with surprise as he watched an armada of over-the-snow vehicles post up outside. He blinked, stunned by the sudden commotion. At least half a dozen machines came to a stop in front of the hotel.
Rog emerged from the lead snowcat, accompanied by what seemed like half the settlement. Lester and the two brothers stepped forward, looking Fenn straight in the eye. A shorter figure climbed off a bright blue snowmobile and removed his helmet and mask. Aiden Dupuis from the Frostbite. Another capable man.
“This isn’t gonna stand,” one of the brothers announced. “We’re here to get back your woman.”
Fenn’s heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He hadn’t expected this kind of support, but he was grateful for it.
And was that the airport chief, Burl McCoy?
The man had to be close to sixty. Fenn waved at him. “Burl!”