Page 49 of Steel Vengeance

“But I need to know exactly what you told him.”

She shifted as she struggled to stay put and not slide down the bed into him.

“Fine. I told him I saw Omari meet with four Afghan men, and they looked important. I sent him the video from the restaurant.”

“What’d he say to that?” Stitch’s blue eyes were more curious than cold, softening his usually sharp edge. She noticed an old scar along his jawline beneath his beard, and her fingers itched to trace it. She forced her eyes back to his.

“He already knew. Jeremy had reported that the Afghans were preparing to move a shipment.”

“He knew it was drug-related all along?” Stitch’s eyebrows shot up.

She nodded. “Apparently. I asked why he hadn’t told me, and he said it was for my protection. In case I got captured, I couldn’t spill what I didn’t know.”

Stitch shook his head.

The idea of being captured made her stomach drop. She’d be on her own. She knew that now.

Thank God for Stitch. If it weren’t for him, she’d still be clueless, still thinking Omari was some terrorist plotting an attack.

How naive had she been? Heat crept into her face. “Then, I told him about Jeremy.”

Stitch’s jaw tightened. “What’d he say?”

“He was concerned. He said he’d look into it and that I did the right thing by telling him.”

Stitch’s eyes stayed glued to her face.

Her next words came out hesitant, shaky. “Matthew’s involved too, isn’t he?”

She didn’t want the answer. Didn’t want to face the idea that her boss—her ex—was dirty.

Stitch sighed. “I’m sorry, Sloane. Looks like it. Hell of a coincidence that the day after you tell him about Jeremy and a potential CIA drug operation, someone tries to take you out.”

She closed her eyes.

“I’ve been so stupid,” she whispered, opening them again to stare into his. “I thought I was doing the right thing. He’s my boss, after all.”

And more than that, he had been her lover.

Her voice trembled. “I thought I could trust him.”

“You can’t trust anyone,” Stitch said, his voice low, edged with a menace that made her shiver. “Not anymore. I don’t know how deep this goes or who’s involved. Could be an isolated case with Jeremy and Matthew getting paid to look the other way. But until we know for sure, you need to keep a low profile.”

She nodded, feeling miserable. How could she have screwed up so badly?

“If the CIA’s in on this, how am I supposed to get home?” Her voice hitched with sudden panic. “I can’t stay hidden forever.”

“You won’t have to,” he reassured her. “We’ll figure it out.”

That deep, rough voice could calm her when nothing else could. She only wished she could be as sure as he sounded.

“But how?” It felt impossible. How do you take on the CIA? It was just the two of them, in the middle of nowhere, with Matthew and the agency miles away.

“I told you, I’ve got friends who can help. Brothers I trust with my life.”

“From your old unit?” She remembered what the woman had said.

His face darkened. “How’d you know that?”