Page 13 of Unmasked

I stayed quiet, feeling the weight of the phone against my fingers.

Still, she didn’t call.

“Penelope may be mad but she’s rational. It’s Katia who’s not.” I took in the resolve on my Intended’s face. “This will be a good lesson for them both. Patience is a virtue unless tangled with revenge. Then it’s just a trap.” I turned my stare to The Reeve. “Katia will walk herself into the cage following Penelope. All we have to do is lock the door behind her.”

CHAPTER 4

Penelope

To say I was livid—enraged—was an understatement. She was right there. Not five feet behind me… and we’d missed her.

I couldn’t blame the guards. I had been so careful to study every person outside of my home. She hadn’t been there. The question of when she’d arrived during the walk had me repeatedly replaying the footage until the early hours of the morning. And I didn’t stop until I couldn’t stay awake a second longer.

Nothing.

One moment she wasn’t there, the next… feet behind me. As if the bitch had manifested from thin air.

She was good. Too good, which had me waking up and feeling inadequate all over again.

Weak.

Weak.

I couldn’t allow her to toy with me. I would not allow her to be better.

I had to work harder.

I had to outsmart her.

“Again.”

Able swung, and I ducked, feeling the air from his swing skim right over my head. I bobbed up, only to lean back as he swung right for my face. My own hit was deflected, and I kicked out, feeling nothing but air as he caught my foot and half-supported me as he slammed me onto my back. The mats did little to cushion my fall.

Air cramped in my chest, and it took me a few seconds to catch my breath.

“Better.”

Able helped me stand, but even as he said it, my head shook.

“Not good enough. You’re taking it easy on me. Again.”

He lifted one of his eyebrows.

“We’ve been going all morning. Your lunch date with Mr. Hart is in one hour.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight.

“I can’t get over it. She was right there. And look at me,” I snapped, pointing to the still frame of me walking on the monitor. “I keep my attention ahead almost the entire time.”

“Which was exactly what you were supposed to do,” Able cut in. “It was our job to catch her. We failed, not you. We won’t again.”

I took off the boxing gloves, tossing them to the side of the room.

“We thought our trip was a success. We all failed. One or all of us could be dead right now.” More I seethed. “This is one lesson I will not forget.”

“Nor I.”

“I’m going to shower and get ready. Have team two ready for this outing. She’s going to follow, and we’re going to catch her this time.”