“If you think you’re going to make us believe that you’re here out of the kindness of your heart then—”
“It’s awfully nice of you to think I have a heart.” Vincent’s gaze was cool and disconnected.
“I think you’re here because you have to be. You’re in this and you want out and you can’t do it alone.”
Vincent smirked. “I figured you were the one who talked some sense into Pierce.” He glanced Pierce’s way. “If we can keep her from getting killed you should give her a raise.”
Mona’s head bumped back a little. “Why would I be killed?”
“Didn’t you read the listing, Ms. Ayers?” Vincent tipped his head toward the computer. “It’s not Pierce they’re after.” He paused. “Technically.”
Mona spun back to the screen.
SINGLE TARGET. FEMALE. PROOF OF DEATH REQUIRED.
“It’s Chandler.” He was the only person she could imagine that might want her hurt.
“According to one of my contacts Chandler Larson is dead.” Vincent leaned back in his seat like he was discussing the weather.
It wasn’t a complete shock. Chandler being dead was one of the options she and the rest of Intel were considering. “Then there’s money in the PO Box.”
“The PO Box?” Vincent was suddenly not so relaxed. He leaned forward, his eyes sharpening immediately. “What PO box?”
“There’s a PO Box in my name. He was going to it every week. We think Tod was mailing him money.” Mona frowned. “But maybe it wasn’t Tod who the money was coming from.”
Tod had been dead and Chandler was still going to the PO Box. Still retrieving envelopes.
Maybe not still.
“What else?” Vincent’s whole body was very still, his eyes completely focused on her.
“That depends.” Giving him their information prematurely wasn’t something she was willing to do. “Why are you here?”
Vincent’s eyes lifted to Pierce. “I might try to steal more than just one of your employees, Pierce.” His gaze leveled on Mona. “I’m here because the same men who are hunting your boss are causing a shit storm for me.”
“I thought they wanted to kill me?” Good God it sounded insane coming out of her mouth. Never in a million years would she have imagined anyone would attempt to outsource her killing.
The complete bizarreness of it had to be the only reason she wasn’t passed out on the floor.
Or chucking on Vincent’s boots.
Vincent took a deep breath, his eyes on her as he let it back out in a slow, controlled exhale.
He was silent for a minute.
Long enough the urge to vomit was starting to brew in her belly.
“We have reason to believe you are simply a way to get at Pierce.” He tipped his head. “That’s where the technically comes in. Pierce is the ultimate target, but not the immediate one.”
“I thought this was about the cartel? I thought they were trying to find a path to start smuggling drugs into Canada?” That was the most likely scenario they’d come up with. The only one that made any sense at all.
The money. The location. The brutality. Drugs were the most likely reason for all of it.
“I think that’s just a bonus.” Vincent’s focus went to Pierce. “Taking him down seems to be the primary objective.”
“Taking him down.” Mona glanced to Pierce. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means it seems like your boss pissed someone off at some point in his life and they’re ready to even up.” Vincent continued to watch Pierce. “Sound familiar?”
Pierce’s jaw was tight, the muscles there flexing under the pressure.
“Pierce?” Was it possible he knew who this might be?
Pierce wiped one hand down his face, scrubbing over his eyes as he went.
“Do you know who it is?” Her stomach squeezed with both fear and anticipation.
If Pierce knew who this was then they could just find them and finish this.
Whatever that might entail. At this point whatever it was would be more than fine.
She’d killed someone.
And now someone was trying to kill her.
The rules in life were blurred into nothing now.
Pierce’s deep blue eyes found hers.
“I believe the name you are looking for is Anthony Sanders.”
CHAPTER 7
AS MUCH AS he tried to pretend otherwise, he always knew this day would come.
Knew the past he fought so hard to keep at bay would eventually connect to the unraveling of his present. The potential demise of his future.
Unfortunately it might not only be his future at stake.
“Who is he?” Mona sat in the chair across from his desk.
Vincent left the second he had the name, leaving Pierce alone to face down the woman he dragged deep into the