AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, let’s say you’re right,” Eagle said slowly, “then that means we have a bigger problem than just Kristoff Mikhailov’s Dark Beauty. It would mean we have another mole at Prey.”
“I can’t think of anyone who would turn, everyone is thoroughly vetted,” Olivia Oswald protested, leaning back in her chair to stretch her back. Six months into a difficult pregnancy and there were lines of exhaustion on the woman’s pretty face and dark circles under her big blue eyes.
“You were a mole at Prey,” Eagle reminded her, slipping an arm around his wife’s shoulders and touching a kiss to her temple.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I was working for Falcon, not the same thing. Seriously though, we’re so careful with everyone we hire.”
“Who’s the newest hire?” Brick asked.
“Vivienne Waters,” Eagle replied.
“The receptionist,” Arrow said thoughtfully.
“What?” Surf asked. If he had a theory, he had to talk it out. They needed to figure this out sooner rather than later because otherwise it would be too late for Lila and their baby.
“She was there when Lila showed up here to tell you she was pregnant, and she wasn’t happy about it,” Arrow said.
“Vivienne has been flirting with Surf since she started here,” Mouse added.
“You’ve been flirting back,” Bear said.
Shoving his fingers through his hair, he didn’t want to think of another woman while the one he loved was out there somewhere needing him and he wasn’t there for her. “Not seriously flirting. She was here when we got back from Somalia. I slept with her. Sorry, man, I know that’s against policy,” he said to Eagle, “but I needed sex. It was the only thing keeping me sane.” Until Lila.
“Don’t care,” Eagle said, waving off Surf’s apology. “Could she have a grudge against you and want to get rid of the competition?”
“Could make sense,” Arrow said. “After all, they took Lila but left you.”
“So maybe this is about Surf and Lila, not Kristoff’s plot and Dark Beauty,” Mouse said.
“I don’t think so.” Raven’s words drew all their attention to the woman staring intently at her computer. “Here, you can all see.” After a few taps at her keyboard, Raven brought up an image on the large screen that took up most of one wall.
The image was of the street where he and Lila had been blown up moments before the explosion. They had all already seen the footage, so he had no idea why Raven was showing it to them again. A moment later she brought up a picture of the inside of what looked like a car rental place.
“This was earlier this morning,” Raven said. The footage began to roll, and they watched as Vivienne Waters walked up to the counter. “She called herself Layla Waters.”
Olivia was the only one who didn’t look confused. “It’s of Arabic origin, means dark beauty.”
“Whoever this Dark Beauty is she has the resources to access a fake driver’s license that passed the rental company’s checks,” Raven added.
“Can you track her through the fake ID?” Eagle asked.
“Raven and I can track anything, but it will take time,” Olivia replied.
“Getting answers from Vivienne is your best bet right now,” Raven added. “That is Lila’s best chance.”
Breaking Vivienne might be Lila’s only chance. And by default, his only chance.
This woman hadn’t just wriggled her way inside his heart, she was his heart.
It killed him that he had no one to blame but himself. This was all his fault. He should never have allowed her to leave the property. Ever since Olivia had been snatched from the premises security here wasn’t just tight it was impossible to breach.
But obsessing over his guilt and what he should have done wasn’t going to get Lila back. All he could do was focus on what needed to be done to make sure he got her back home alive and in one piece.
“Let’s go pay Vivienne a visit.”
* * * * *
November 16th
