Page 104 of Steel Vengeance

The car jerked forward as Matthew hit the gas, the sudden motion slamming her back into the seat, knocking the air from her lungs. She gasped, her heart racing.

“Where are you taking me?”

Matthew didn’t answer. From her position, she could see his jaw clenched, the reflection of the city lights flashing across his cold, hardened face. That same face she used to touch. That face she once thought she loved.

Her thoughts drifted back to those early days when he’d recruited her. The dinners, the charm, the way he made her feel like she was part of something bigger than herself. She’d been drawn in by his confidence, by the excitement of the missions. They’d shared more than just professional moments—there had been real intimacy once. Or so she thought. Now, all of it felt twisted, like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

How did I ever trust him?

Now she’d gone from being his asset to being his target.

Matthew’s voice cut through the dark haze in her head. “You had one job, Sloane.” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, his tone dripping with disappointment. “Just one. Watch Omari. Report back. But no, you had to go digging, didn’t you?”

She swallowed hard, fear prickling her skin. “I was just doing my job. I thought?—”

“Too damn well. You saw too much,” he interrupted, his voice a low growl now. “And you couldn’t let it go. Jeremy warned me about you, said you were getting too close to the truth, but I thought we could control you. Keep you on a leash.”

Sloane felt her stomach turn. “You sent Jeremy to kill me.”

Matthew didn’t deny it. He laughed bitterly instead, eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I didn’t want it to come to that, but you forced my hand, sweetheart. You got too close. When you saw him with Omari, you sealed your own fate. I wasn’t gonna let you destroy everything I’ve built.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. But the reality of it—the man she’d once trusted, evencaredabout, wanted her dead—was suffocating.

“I thought we had something,” she said, her voice trembling. “I thought you cared about me.”

Matthew’s gaze flickered to the rearview mirror, and for a moment, something like regret flashed across his face. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “I was fond of you, Sloane. I won’t lie about that. But I can’t afford sentimentality. Not in this game.”

The coldness in his words pierced her, and a shudder ran down her spine. The man she’d known was gone, replaced by someone ruthless, heartless. She had no more illusions. He wasn’t sparing her. He wasn’t going to let her live.

And Stitch... Stitch had no idea what was happening. He didn’t even know she was gone.

Maybe Blade would find her. As soon as they realized she’d been taken, they’d be on the lookout. But how were they going to find her. She glanced out the window, her vision still hazy from the earlier blow. The city lights faded as they sped down the highway, moving further away from the city. She tried to push herself up again, but her head spun, making her collapse back onto the seat.

“What... what are you going to do?” she managed to ask, though deep down, she already knew the answer.

Matthew’s lips curled into a twisted smile. “You know exactly what I’m going to do. There can’t be any witnesses, Sloane. No one can know what’s really going on. That means you.”

The terror surged through her, turning her limbs to ice. She had to find a way out, but her body was weak, her head swimming. Her pulse roared in her ears as panic clawed at her throat. She had to keep him talking, had to buy time.

“The CIA’s onto you,” she blurted, her voice shaking. “You’ll be caught. It’s just a matter of time.”

Matthew laughed darkly. “You’re delusional if you think the Agency can stop me. By the time they figure out you’re missing, I’ll be long gone.”

She couldn’t think, couldn’t strategize. Her mind was slipping, the darkness closing in faster than she could fight it. She shifted, feeling the cold leather seat beneath her as the road blurred outside the window.

Blade. Pat. Phoenix.Someonewould come for her, wouldn’t they? She had to believe that. She had to.

But the effort of staying conscious, of keeping herself together, was too much. She tried to lift her head again, tried to focus, but her vision swam and her body felt too heavy, too far away from her control.

Please,she thought one last time, her eyelids fluttering shut as the world around her dissolved into black.Don’t let me die.

With a soft sigh, Sloane gave in to the encroaching darkness.

.

CHAPTER 42

One way or another, Stitch was going to find her—and Matthew Sullivan was going down.