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Cora crossed her arms, exhaling faintly. She didn’t quite know how to best proceed. On one hand, it was a mighty convenient yarn he was spinning. The chances that he’d been investigating her sister’s disappearance were next to none. He was probably willing to say anything for her to let him go.
But...on the other hand...
She didn’tknowhe was lying.
She sighed, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. It was all too much for her. At that moment—bringing to mind the phrasesaved by the bell—her phone began to ring.
She frowned and pulled the device from her pocket. The only people who had her number now—who weren’t on some block list—were her old ex-partner from the FBI, a retired military general, and...
“Damn it,” she said crossly.
“What?”
“It’s Johnny,” she said.
“That supposed to mean something to me?”
“Yeah. Means shut up.” She answered the phone, turning her back on Gabriel. “Hey Johnny,” she said tight-lipped. She pictured the long-haired, square-jawed ex-SEAL who’d helped her blow up an illegal trafficker’s compound within the last couple of weeks.
The two of them had a bit of history from back in their Navy days. Strict rules and regulations forbade fraternization between platoon-members, but Cora and Johnny had never been by-the-book sorts.
The devilish man wasn’t a particularly kind one. He was dangerous, but loyal. Part of the fun of their fling had been the danger. Though things hadn’t ended well, quite literally culminating in a fiery crash, and the two of them hadn’t spoken for three years—the fault of this was still up for dispute.
But two weeks ago, Cora had called Johnny in order to get some help from the Italian prick. But now, as she stood there, phone pressed to her face, listening, she felt a sinking sensation that perhaps he’d thought the phone call from before had meantmorethan she’d intended to communicate.
It was with some relief, then, that Johnny’s voice wasn’t playful, nor coy, nor husky in that stupid way he tried when flirting with the ladies.
Instead, he sounded panicked. “God dammit, Cobra,” he said, using her hated nickname. “You got a spare one?”
She exhaled in relief, shot a glance back towards Gabe, who’d been rocking back and forth trying to break his chair. She glared at him, and he went still.
Then, she replied, “What’s up, Johnny?”
“Nothing great,” he said. “Actually, pretty shitty. I need someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty state-side. I’d do it myself, but...”
Cora frowned. “Johnny, is that gunfire I’m hearing in the background?”
Even as she said it, she heard the distinct sound of a grenade going off. “Johnny, are you alright?”
More gunfire. “Oh,this? This is nothing. Just a little assignment. But like I said, I’m a little busy—HEY! Get down you moron! Sniper is on the third floor! Hit it, now!” Johnny cleared his throat. “Umm, hey, sorry about that. What was I saying—oh, yeah. So, are you in?”
“In onwhat?”
And just then, Cora heard movement behind her. She turned sharply just in time. Gabriel, gripping the detachable leg of the chair, had been attempting to sneak up behind her. He’d managed to slip his bonds by the looks of things, though one of his legs still dragged the chair where it remained tied to the wooden appendage.
Gabe yelled as he swung his wooden club. Cora snorted in derision, dodged the attack, and brought her fist into Gabe’s stomach.
But she’d gotten cocky.
It was true, the country bumpkin wasn’t trained like her. But he was a big dude with a lot of muscle. He absorbed the blow and toppledonher, attempting to pin her to the ground. She instantly adopted full guard, pulling her legs up on either side of him. Her phone fell next to her face as she used her arms to control his head. She needed to catch an arm or lock a triangle choke before he—
Shit.Already, the big man started to lift, pulling her small form off the ground. She adjusted her posture, shouting, “One second, Johnny!”
Gabe tried to shake her off, wiggling about and cursing when he was unable to dislodge her.
And then came the second inevitable move. Now that he couldn’t shake her free from where her legs had locked around his shoulders in an attempt to trap an arm against his neck, he reached the same conclusion that most skyscrapers in a training setting did. If he brought her crashing to the ground, he could crush her. She tensed, sensing him reach the same conclusion. And then, he hurtled towards the ground, trying to slam her spine against the dusty floor.
She timed it perfectly, using her own momentum to shift her leg from under him. He hadn’t tried to lock her in place, as his initial goal had been to dislodge her, which meant she was perfectly capable of slipping free. Which also meant, as she shoved to the side and he slammed her down on the ground, all that remained between him and the floor he had head butted, instead of her body, was now just air. He drove his forehead into the ground with a yell.
