controlled demeanor from earlier unravels in front of me. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple and our eyes meet for a fraction of a second before I jerk my gaze away.
Fifteen minutes in the car, yet it feels like I’ve been in the car with him for hours. His anger escalates each passing mile. When he strikes his steering wheel and lets out a string of curse words, I know something isn’t right.
What’s worse, we’re not anywhere near a town. The last sign said the next city was a hundred miles away. Snow-covered trees line the freeways with vast open fields beyond them. Peering at his gas gauge, I can only hope he’s on empty so we pull over soon. That hope sinks to the bottom of my stomach, twisting it. It’s full.
“Where are you taking me?” I finally ask, rotating in my seat. He grits his teeth and swerves to pull over, and I grab the dashboard to catch myself from slamming into the door. The tires squeal as we come to a complete stop. Cars speed by and I glance around wondering why he stopped.
“I only have one question. Where is Tobias Paul?” The venom in his voice pierces without touching me.
Who? I jerk my head to face the man, pointing a gun at my head. Fear lumps in my throat, choking out my words, and I hold my hands in the air. “I… I don’t know who that is.”
“I don’t believe you, Gabriella.”
Blinking back the tears burning my eyes, I choke out, “My name isn’t Gabriella. I’m not from the United States. I only came to visit Ryker. You have the wrong person.”
He shakes his head sharply. “No, I don’t.”
“Who is Tobias Paul?” I whisper, tears burning my cheeks.
“The man I hired to kill you twenty-four years ago.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ryker
“There has to be something we can do.” Even I realize how messed up this is. Taking an innocent woman into custody with no reason is unjust. What a warm American welcome I’m giving her.
Max glances up from his computer. My feet won’t stop pacing across the room.
“Ryker, it’s the CIA. I don’t know what to tell you. Everything has to do with the picture. Did you see it?”
I growl, the reminder that maybe she wasn’t here for me is a slap in the face. “No. She didn’t tell me she asked Addie to help her.”
Something catches Max’s attention out his window, and I follow his gaze. Two black SUVs pull up the long drive. Thank god she’s back. We both beeline it to the door. Once outside, we watch four men step out of their vehicles, none being the Richard guy. Or Aspen. I jerk my head toward Max.
“Where is she?” I clip.
He shakes his head. “Let me handle this.”
The four men stalk up the steps to where we’re standing. I pull in a deep breath of the cool crisp winter air, doing nothing to cool off my rage.
“Max Shaw?” the taller stocky man asks, pulling out an ID and flashing it. His eyes are hard and all business. “I’m Agent Oliver Wilson with the CIA. You called about Ms. Aspen Foley, that is staying here. We’re here to talk with her.” My brows furrow in confusion. They fucking already have her.
Max appraises them before answering. Probably wondering what the hell is going on too. “Ms. Foley is no longer here.”
The shortest of the four, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, pulls out a small pad and pen. “Can you tell us where she went?” His nasally voice sends an irritating buzz through my head.
What game are they playing?
Max crosses his arms and stands tall. “You guys are an hour too late. Agent Richard Devereux was here earlier and took her in for questioning. You know your boss?”
The man stops writing and looks up, wide-eyed. Another man who has yet to talk, whips around and walks down the stairs, pulling out his phone.
“Are you sure?” Agent Wilson asks.
“Am I sure that it was Richard? Or that he has her in custody?” Max shoots back in an irritated tone. I focus on the guy by the vehicle on the phone, watching him pace while talking.
“Did he show you identification?” the guy retorts.
“Richard and I have worked together in the past. It was him.”
The guys stare at Max, uncertain what to say, obviously not what they expected. Which leads me to lose my shit and spurt out, “Where the fuck did he take her?”