Page 20 of Striker
Since it was Wednesday and she’d mentioned she’d been taken two weeks ago, he’d bet they were out of their tree with worry. “All right. How about when we’re done you give them a call?”
She nodded. Her fingers tightened around his, as if she didn’t want him to let go.
“What brought you to Panama?”
“Work. Sun.” She flashed him a smile. “Just wanted a change.”
“You said they took you from a parking lot after your shift. Where were you working?”
“Dunne International Exportation. I’m an accounts manager.”
“What do they export?”
She shrugged. “Various goods. Produce, coffee, sugar. Things like that.”
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “And Rex. Why do you think he took you? What did he want?”
“At first I assumed it was a random kidnapping. That he wanted to traffic me. But . . . but he started asking about Willy Dunne, my boss.”
Atlas’s senses prickled. “What’d he want to know?”
Her eyes, lost-looking amber orbs, focused on his. In them he saw uncertainty, but more than that. Fear. As if she believed that speaking the words aloud would somehow allow Rex to find her.
“You’re safe, Molly. No one’s going to find you. Rex is?—”
“I don’t even know you,” she said with a nervous laugh. “What were you doing at Rex’s house? How do I know this isn’t some elaborate plan to get me to talk?”
His senses sharpened further. So there was something else. Something she was hiding. Was she protecting Willy?
Nonetheless, she was right. He hadn’t told her a damn thing about them or why they were there.
If he wanted trust, he had to give a little, too.
“Are you with the military?” she pressed, sounding hopeful.
He sandwiched her slim hand between both of his.
She glanced at their joined hands and blinked heavily. Her lips were full and pouty.
Something stirred inside him. She was so feminine, so delicate and so goddamn pretty. “I was, yes. I no longer wear a uniform. But my work now is similar.”
She cocked her head. “I don’t understand.”
He weighed his words. Goddammit, he’d probably already said too much. If he wasn’t careful, not only would their mission be compromised, but also their whole team. Phantom Ops wasn’t just his paycheck. It was his brotherhood. His purpose.
However, he couldn’t backpedal now. Couldn’t lie to Molly’s angelic face.
She hiked up her eyebrows expectantly.
“We’re a covert team, Molly. Hired for our skills. Off the books. But not wrong. If that makes sense.”
Her eyes rounded. “So what were you doing at Rex’s?” she whispered, her palm dampening in his hold.
“Our mission is to capture him.”
Chapter
Six
