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She hadn’tin then to boss the But then they hadn’t planned a vigilante s on their own either

"Cole, a word," Steele said tersely

Cole turned and aze Steele motioned toward the door and then left the war room Cole followed him outside and then a short distance away before they both halted

"What’s so top secret?" Cole asked

"Don’t be a smart-ass," Steele said sharply "I need you to have your head on straight if you’re going to be a part of this"

Cole frowned "Wait just a daaze "No, you wait a one to shit in the last ed in You’ve lost weight You look like you haven’t slept in a ood if you can’t perforoddao in and take care of business without allowing our eue Damn but he wanted to tell Steele to shove it up his ass, but his teaet it," Cole said gruffly "I’ this without er "The only reason I’ you in on this is because I know if I sideline you, you’ll only go off on your own and then you’ll get in the way I’ you either I’ether if it kills me"

Cole sobered and then turned away to stare over the lake "I hope we’re not too late, Steele"

Steele sighed "Yeah, me too"

"I want this bastard I want him to pay for what he did to PJ But more than that, I just want her back hoet it," Steele said quietly "And she will be I told her what she could do with her resignation"

Cole chuckled And then he glanced Steele’s way "You’re not the robot everyone accuses you of, you know"

Steele’s expression could have frozen lava "Don’t start thinking I have a heart, Coletrane I just don’t want to have to start over and train a new recruit"

Cole stifled a smile Yeah Whatever

CHAPTER 19

SLOVAKIA, SURVEILLANCE DAY TWO

SWEAT rolled down PJ’s sides,to her flesh She was absolutely still, barely breathing as she waited, just as she’d waited for the last twenty-four hours, for the right opportunity to present itself

She was patient She’d often spent long hours in the field on sniper watch Some missions had been drawn out for days, and she and Cole had been partners in the silence Unable to coe the other’s presence in any way, but it had been co to know she wasn’t alone

That wasn’t the case now She didn’t have Cole as her partner She didn’t have her teaht into the lion’s den

She was sh to be scared, but she refused to allow that fear to paralyze her and ain

She held her breath as she stared through the binoculars to the residence beloo arot out on one side Nelson got out on the other and looked around, his gaze obviously searching for any threat

You won’t find me, bastard Not until I’uards It would be so easy to pick the asshole off with her sniper rifle But it was too easy She wanted hiht before he died So he’d knoas her and that she’d ed behind, lighting a cigarette as Bruant assholes They thought the high fence and million-dollar security and surveillance protected them from the outside world That she couldn’t co

She eased fro sure the silencer was attached to her gun properly and that the knife Brurip

Over the pastplaces that Bruh every penny of her savings to support her search for thedirt-poor for the rest of her life if she accomplished her mission

She pulled out a handheld PC and quickly typed in a series of commands Donovan wasn’t the only one handy with computers They just bored her to tears

In the first hour of her surveillance she’d hacked into the estate’s securitysystem It had been a piece of cake It baffled her that with as much money as Brumley threw around, he’d actually have such a pussy surveillance systerammed the syste before the procession of cars arrived She’d only have two hours before they’d know so was up, because the sun would start to sink and dusk would be upon her

Two hours to get in and kill the e to her soul

She’d had less time to perform a mission before This one wasn’t any different Objective must be achieved She told herself that over and over

She darted toward the house, keeping behind cover so she wouldn’t be spotted through one of the s Nelson was still out front sarette, and that wasn’t where she’d wanted to confront hi elsewhere, so she’d have to do the job there and , drawn-out death she wanted

When she reached the house, she put her back to the stone exterior and inched her way toward the front where Nelson stood

"What the h--"

PJ whirled around at the voice and squeezed off a round before the round with a loud thump

Shit! The bastard had lucked onto her and had co there? Had Brumley ordered his men to patrol the exterior of the house? Did Bru hiht That he lived in fear of when she would get to him It wasn’t aas she peeked around the corner again Nelson was still there, but he’d just taken a last drag, tossing aside the butt as he blew out a cloud of s the stench of tobacco on him while he’d pushed his body onto hers Before she lost her courage, she rounded the corner, gun in one hand and knife in the other

Asto have to cut her losses and take Nelson out so she could get to her prime objective Bru the bastard to face her and at least knoould claim his death

He swiveled, his expression a mixture of what-the-fuck and fear

The sound of the front door opening jerked PJ’s attention froh to see that she’d been h PJ’s leg Stupid motherfucker couldn’t aiuy who came out the door Then she turned rapidly to Nelson, as atte, just to slow him down, and then she turned her attention back to the front entrance