Fletcher, we have to go.”
She needed her bug-out bag. “Can I just get a few things?”
“No.” The agent next to her grabbed her by the elbow and tugged her toward the Suburban. “We have to go.”
“Angela?” Ryan asked gruffly. “What is happening?”
With a deep breath, she turned to face him and her friends. Emotion scraped the back of her throat. What could she say? How could she explain? “I’m so sorry.”
“Your friends are all in grave danger if we don’t get you out of here,” the agent insisted.
Angela’s head was spinning. Her worst nightmare was coming to life.
Charlotte’s arms squeezed her in a hug. “Wait. I don’t know who you are, but remember that I love you.”
Shocked, Angela hugged her tightly in return. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
But there was no time. Bullets were suddenly flying around them.
“Get down!” Ryan jumped on top of her and Charlotte, his arm going wide as he reached for Star and Jewel and Madison.
“Down!” Madison said, practically tackling Star.
“Ahh!” Star yelled as she fell.
Angela heard return gunfire. Beau and Kane ran toward them, turning back to fire.
Ryan jumped to his feet, shooting at the smarmy men who pursued his brothers. With twin jerks, the two men collapsed to the ground.
Kane looked around. “Is it clear?”
“It’s clear.” Ryan moved to the center of the street, toward the two bodies.
The other agent hovered at Angela’s other side. “Now, Ms. Fletcher.”
She stumbled to her feet, giving them all one last look. “I’m so sorry.”
Both agents flanked her as they ran to the Suburban.
“What about my friends?”
“Local law enforcement is coming,” one agent said as he slid into the driver’s seat. “I’m talking to them right now.” He spoke into a radio, but Angela stopped listening.
She turned back, looking at her friends one last time. “Will Rafael’s guys hurt them?”
Tires squealed against pavement as the Suburban took off.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Fletcher. You’ll be debriefed, and hopefully this nightmare will be over for you soon.”
The finality in those words shocked her. “What about my friends?”
“We’re taking care of it.” The suit met her gaze.
Suddenly, Angela had a flash of recognition. “Agent Sears?” It’d been years since he’d first come to her and her brother’s apartment all those years ago. That had been back when her brother had been alive.
He frowned. “Yes, it’s me.”
“I thought we were out of your jurisdiction.” She remembered all the fighting between the FBI and the marshals. It had troubled her brother that their squabble over who would be in charge of them could be the reason the Cortez family would find them.
And he’d been right. Every part of her was jittery.
“I need to apologize to you.” Agent Sears let out a long breath. “I’m so sorry about your brother.”
“Don’t.” Angela couldn’t take his pity or talk about her brother. Instead, she looked out the window. She didn’t know how they’d been compromised; all she knew was that she didn’t want to hear his apology. “What about my friends? What will you tell them?”
“Listen, I don’t know. They will know you’ve been taken by us. I don’t know what the Bureau will tell them about where you’re going.”
“So they’ll be told the truth?”
“No.” Agent Sears let out a sardonic laugh. “You know that wouldn’t help them stay safe.”
“Then why did you call me Ms. Fletcher?” she demanded.
Agent Sears looked caught. “I guess I shouldn’t have.”
She winced and turned back to face the window. Dang it. She’d wanted to protect them as much as possible. To …
She thought of the little boxes of oils and jewelry she’d made for each one of them. If she knew anything about the FBI, they’d probably have agents double back to clean out her apartment. Tears threatened to surface, and she blinked hard. She didn’t want to lose it in front of this guy.
“I’m sorry it went down like that.”
Her mind flitted to another plan. At the next stop, she could run. She had a safe deposit box in Charleston that had more fake IDs and bank accounts. She’d gotten good at inventing new people.
Her hand reached up to clutch her necklace. It’d been tough to reinvent the piece of jewelry with a little trinket that opened in the center and held the chip. Good thing she’d been into jewelry creation for the past three years. She’d also hidden a tiny key for the safety deposit box in the jewelry. Couldn’t be too careful. The necklace felt good in her hand. She held it tight, grateful