laser-focused on the man with the knife at my throat.
Meanwhile, Ward was trying to scrabble off the ground like a crab. Sam kept his eyes and gun trained on Roy—and pressed his foot against Ward’s windpipe. Ward went still, palms coming to surrender.
“Nobody move,” Sam said calmly. “Roy, put that knife down right now, and nothing bad will happen.”
“You’re a fucking FBI agent?” Roy seethed. The movement pressed the knife harder against my throat, and I winced.
Sven appeared with his own gun raised—right at me.
I gazed into Sam’s eyes, where I could read the years of intensive training mapping his decision-making. Even now, with a knife at my throat and a gun trained on my head, my heart rate began to slow, pulse steady. Sam and I had partnered on this simulation at the Academy countless times. I knew what I needed to do. Knew I could do it. Because the only person in our class with better aim than me was Sam. And the person I trusted to save my life was Sam.
“Drop the gun, hotshot,” Sven snarled from the side. Ward whimpered from the ground.
“Not a chance,” Sam said.
Sven took a step closer to me, weapon up.
“Sven,” Sam said evenly, “take your gun off my partner right this goddamn second or your boss isn’t going to like what I do to his fucking throat.”
“Do it,” Ward cried from the ground. “Just—just do it.”
With a glare, Sven took a step back, gun at his side. I sensed people sneaking out the side door, bodies on the move. The tiger roared from the back.
“Is she an FBI agent too?” Roy asked.
“No, she is not,” Sam said. “Drop that knife.”
“Of course this is happening,” Roy spit out. “Everyone here thinks they’re so smart, but you’re all stealing from each other and lying to each other, and this happens. An FBI agent tricks all of us into trusting him.”
Roy pressed the knife hard, breaking the skin. “I need those letters and I need money. So why don’t you drop that gun and give me the letters, and I’ll let this bitch go.”
Fury was building in Sam’s face. Beneath the calm, I could sense my partner about to snap.
“No,” Sam repeated. “I can’t let you do that.”
Roy yanked me tighter against his body. I forced back the encroaching fear. Fear muddied your thinking—and my partner wasn’t afraid. He was focused and prepared for anything.
“Are you here because of Bernard?” Roy babbled. “Did he turn us all in?”
“Put down the knife,” Sam said.
“Put down your gun,” Roy yelled.
The action shifted him forward, over my shoulder. Which gave my elbows the three inches they needed to slam back into his stomach with every ounce of strength I had.
Roy cried out in pain, and I dropped to the ground just as Sam’s gun went off. Roy flew backward, clutching his right shoulder. The letter-opener fell to the ground, and Sam was on Roy immediately. In the ensuing few seconds, my ears flooded with a dull ring as everything slipped back into slow motion.
Sam, flying past me to subdue Roy.
Ward, standing up and rubbing his throat. Reaching into his boot and retrieving a small pistol. Raising the gun at Sam.
Sven, running toward us. And doing the same thing.
And Sam, completely unaware of any of it.
41
Sam
I was only able to breathe when Freya was safely out of harm, dropped to the ground and away from Roy.
Then I shot that asshole in the shoulder.
It was a flesh wound, intended to stop him in his tracks, but I wasn’t taking chances. I had nothing to restrain him except for my body weight. Which was why, as I flipped him and pinned his arms down, I was unaware of the tableau unfolding behind me.
Until I looked up.
Ward’s arm was rising, hand holding another gun. The barrel was pointed right above my heart. I had not a single second to act. But my partner had things under control.
Freya Evandale tore off her mask and strode up to Ward like a vengeful angel. Her hand lashed like a lightning strike, shoving his hand to the right and punching him square in the fucking nose. She twisted his wrist, released his gun, and knocked him back down to the ground.
“You’ve got Sven, right, Byrne?” she called over her shoulder, gun on Ward, stiletto to his chest.
“He’s not going anywhere,” I said.
Of course, I had him. I’d known the moment I saw the flash of Ward’s weapon what I needed to do. What we needed