“I’m sorry we didn’t get to talk more before I left Rio. The—the agents whisked me away.”
His eyes narrowed. Had Genevieve heard that little hitch in Cassidy’s voice?
“Since I’m an American citizen, the rescue team had orders to bring me back to the U.S.” Another laugh, one with a brittle edge. “So, of course, I’m back in—”
Cassidy broke off because Cale had touched her. He had to. The agent in him demanded that he stop her. Cale put his index finger over Cassidy’s soft lips.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide in the faint light.
Cale shook his head.
Her breath whispered out against his finger. Then she gave a little nod.
Slowly, his finger slid away from her mouth.
“Where are you, Gen?” Cassidy’s voice was huskier now. “Are you going back to France?”
A beat of silence.
“The U.S.?” Cassidy repeated, sounding shocked. “You’re in D.C.?”
Cale was already reaching for his phone. If Genevieve was in the city, then the EOD needed to know about that situation. Genevieve had been targeted down in Rio, Cassidy had been targeted...and now someone was after Cassidy once more.
Would the same fate befall Genevieve? If the threat was related to the mess with the Executioner, then, yes. But...
What if Cassidy had been targeted last night because of her link to Mercer?
“Where are you staying?” Now there was fear in Cassidy’s voice. “Yes, yes, I know the hotel. Look, don’t leave the room, okay?” Cassidy’s fears must have mirrored Cale’s. “Why? Because—because there are things happening that you don’t know about, Genevieve. I just need you to trust me on this. I’ve got connections in D.C. People who can keep an eye on you. Just...stay inside for now, okay? Stay there.”
Cassidy kept talking as Cale turned away. In just a few moments, he had Gunner on the line. He’d heard the name of Genevieve’s hotel, and he rattled it off to the agent. “We need a team there, just as a precaution,” Cale added, running a hand over the back of his neck. “Until we can figure out what the hell is happening with that attack—”
“Better safe than dead,” Gunner finished bluntly.
Yes. Exactly.
“Especially in light of what Syd’s finding.”
Gunner’s words made a thick knot form in Cale’s stomach. “Just what is Sydney finding?”
“That there is no cash tied to any accounts that link back to Ian Gagnon. The man’s a ghost, one who existed until he was eighteen and then seemingly vanished.” A pause. “You don’t vanish like that. Not without a whole lot of help.”
The kind of help that might go looking for vengeance?
“We need to find out more about Gagnon,” Gunner said. Yeah, they sure as hell did. “I don’t want to mark this case as closed, not until we know the truth. I mean...why else would someone come after Cassidy? As far as I can tell, the only trouble your girl has ever had is with the Executioner. Otherwise, she’s lived a charmed life.”
His girl. Cale’s gaze moved to Cassidy. She’d ended her call. Her skin was pale and perfect in the darkened bedroom.
“A woman like her shouldn’t be on the radar of killers,” Gunner said, voice considering. “She’s not part of our world.”
Gunner was wrong. So wrong. But Cale couldn’t tell him that.
Maybe the attack had been because of Gagnon and not because of Cassidy’s own past.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
“I’m going to stay with Cassidy,” Cale said. Like anyone could pry him away from her. “Get Sydney to continue searching into Gagnon’s past. If the attack on Cassidy is related to him, Sydney will find the link.”
When it came to digging into a person’s past, there was very little that Sydney couldn’t discover with her computer.
His jaw locked. What if Sydney starts digging into Cassidy’s life?
He’d have to warn Mercer. Because knowing Sydney...
She’d already started to dig.
He ended the call and put his phone down on the nightstand.
Cassidy rose from the bed, pulling the sheet with her. “Do you...do you think Genevieve is in any danger?”
“I think Gunner and Sydney need to know exactly who they are dealing with.” Mercer’s daughter. “Because I don’t want them wasting time on a hunt that won’t lead them anyplace.”
Cassidy flinched. “Are you going to Mercer?”
Hell, yes, he was.
“Because you don’t have to do it.” She squared her shoulders. “It’s my life, and I’m the one giving you permission.” Her gaze held his. “Tell your friends who I really am. I’m tired of the lie. I mean, what more can possibly happen to me?”
More than being targeted for death?
Only...death.
And he realized that he wasn’t going to tell Sydney and Gunner the truth. Not yet. He wasn’t going to tell anyone.
Because he wouldn’t let Cassidy be targeted. The instinct to protect her was stronger than anything that he’d ever felt before.
I won’t sacrifice her secrets.
But he would find out who was after her.
Chapter Eight
Logan Quinn rode up the elevator in the elegant D.C. hotel. Music played softly in the elevator’s interior. A classic piece that he figured belonged to one of the old masters. His wife loved that kind of music.
He wasn’t such a fan. Give him some hard and driving rock any day of the week.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Finally, he was able to escape from that music. The lush carpeting muffled his footsteps as he headed down the corridor. Genevieve Chevalier was in room 619. He’d agreed to take guard duty for Genevieve because he knew that Gunner wanted to stay close to Sydney.
He could relate. Logan sure wished his Julie wasn’t so far away. He’d much rather be with her on the quiet beach in Biloxi than in—
Genevieve’s door was ajar, and he could see the telltale red of blood on the beige carpet.
Logan pulled his gun and rushed into the room. “Genevieve!”
A chair was overturned. Bedcovers—bloody covers—were scattered on the floor.
He searched the room swiftly, checking the closet, the bathroom, but Genevieve was gone.
He yanked out his phone. “I was too late,” he told Gunner as his heartbeat thundered in his ears. Guarding Genevieve had been a precaution more than anything else. A move just in case that last attack on Sydney had been related to Ian Gagnon.