“Collette,” he called.
Thank God.
I turned and leveled my eyes on him.
“Would you be more comfortable if Mr. Cardinal wasn’t here?” he asked, indicating Nick.
Mr. Cardinal?
What the f**k?
“Or,” the man went on, “would you be more comfortable, considering we’re aware that Mr. Cardinal is a confidential informant for the FBI, that we dispatch him in your presence rather than after our deal is done as we’d planned to do?”
Terrific.
My eyes moved to Nick who had gone pale, which probably partially had to do with his obviously having been made but mostly it had to do with the man standing behind him with a gun held to the back of his head.
Shit.
Shit.
Fuck!
God, please, please, God, let Creed and Hawk have heard that in the microphone.
“I’m not fond of mess,” I told the man.
He inclined his head again. “Then we’ll take him away while we see to business.”
To that, hurriedly but trying not to sound hurried, I stated, “I’m also not fond of something happening I can’t see nor being involved even remotely in felonies that have nothing to do with me. I have a business. I’m seeing to business. We conduct our business, we’re done. I don’t want to be dragged into your mess. When I’m not here, do what you wish. That’s your business but I’ll ask you to put a hold on it while we complete our transaction.”
He inclined his head yet again and that was beginning to grate on my nerves but I couldn’t concentrate on that.
I had to buy Nick time and I had to hope that first, Hawk, Creed and the boys were adjusting the operation not only to recover the girl but to extract Nick. And second, that Nick was somehow wired so whoever he was working with knew he was in jeopardy because he sure as f**k needed the cavalry.
“So you’d like him to witness the transaction?” the man asked and I arched my brows.
“I’d like to stop talking about your problems, complete the transaction and be on my way,” I answered.
“As you wish,” he muttered and his whole gentlemanly act when selling humans made my gut clench which was no good since it was already in knots because this shit was f**ked. There were more of them than I expected, I had no weapon and I had no way to communicate to Nick that I would have his back.
Instead, I gave him a blank look as I followed the head honcho speaker of the group deeper into the warehouse.
“It’s surprising you’d come here alone, Collette,” the man remarked as we walked and I felt the others following us.
“Perhaps you can also refrain from commenting on how I conduct my business,” I suggested, not liking the darkness we were moving into.
“A small woman like you, all heels and hair, it seems foolhardy to me,” he noted.
This was not good.
“What I’ve learned is foolhardy is men who see all heels, hair and stature, make assumptions and thus underestimate the situation,” I retorted.
He was silent a moment as he led me into the shadows before he muttered, “Indeed.” Then, “You weren’t followed, no one at your back, patted down and no weapon. I think you can understand how assumptions could be made.”
There it was. Creed, again, genius. He wasn’t made but I knew he was out there.
“What I understand,” I returned, “is that it would be bad business to whack a potential good customer.”