Page 80 of Steel Vengeance

“I’m at the Marriott,” she lied, her pulse quickening. “Matthew... I’m scared.”

Blade, sitting behind her, masked a grin, clearly enjoying the show.

Matthew’s voice softened, playing the role of the concerned superior. “Okay, don’t panic. I’m sending Jeremy around now. Can he reach you on this number?”

“Yes,” she said flatly.

“Okay, you stay put. Jeremy will be there as soon as he can, and he’ll get you on a flight out tonight. How does that sound?” So smooth, as always. God, how she hated him.

“That would be good.”

Like hell.

She knew full well Jeremy would show up with a gun and a silencer.

“Hang in there, honey,” Matthew added, his tone dripping with fake concern. “You’ll be home soon.”

The moment she hung up, Sloane sprang to her feet and paced the room in angry strides. “Honey? I can’t believe he had the cheek to call me honey after he tried to kill me.”

Stitch looked pleased. “You did great. He totally bought it.”

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Blade chimed in, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Sloane couldn’t remember when last she’d been so furious. “What a lying bastard. I hope he rots in jail.”

“That’s the plan,” Stitch said, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Sloane stopped pacing and turned to face them. “Let’s catch these bastards. I don’t care what it takes. They cannot be allowed to get away with this.”

“They won’t,” Blade reassured her.

Stitch took the prepaid burner phone out of her hand and gave her a bottle of water. “Here. Take a minute.”

She unscrewed the lid and took a long drink, her pulse still racing.

Once she’d calmed down, she dabbed her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at them. “What’s next?”

Blade leaned back, grinning. “Next, we have a little chat with Jeremy.”

CHAPTER 31

Stitch waited in the car while the well-paid taxi driver went inside to book a room at the Marriott under his own name. Cash, of course. That’d confuse the cops when they came sniffing around later.

Once the room was sorted, Stitch pulled up his hoodie and headed upstairs to wait, while Blade kept watch in the lobby. It wouldn’t take long. The shipment was set to leave Karachi tomorrow, and Matthew wasn’t about to let Sloane screw things up.

They’d left Sloane back at the hotel. She’d promised to stay put. The brand-new prepaid phone they’d given her meant she could reach them anytime, if needs be.

Stitch glanced at his Glock on the table. He wasn’t sure exactly how this was going to go down, but he was more than ready to give Jeremy a piece of his mind. Nobody tried to take out his woman, especially not on his watch.

Whoa!

Sloane wasn’thiswoman.

Even if he had reached for her. Held her. Tasted her.

Fuck.

His phone buzzed twice in rapid succession. The first message was the expected text from an unknown number.