Page 68 of Targeted By Vengeance

“Gabriel is my partner - not just in the FBI, but in life. He’s had my back since the day we met, inside and outside of the field. Not once have I ever called and he hasn’t shown up for me. Our bond, his loyalty, runs deep. Almost as deep as the one you and Maria have.”

“You can’t compare that to-”

“Yes, I can. Because the same way she just put a gun in my face for you, he’d do the exact same for me - no questions asked.”

I shook my head. I still wasn’t sold on the idea of bringing him in on this. I didn’t know him or his tolerance for murder. For all I knew, he could lead us in the right direction and sell us out at the last minute. At this point in Simone’s plan, we couldn’t risk that.

Simone stepped closer. She lay her hands on my clenched fists and wriggled her fingers between them. “I’m not asking you to trust him,” she said. “I’m asking you to trust me. Can you do that?”

I stared into her brown eyes, shimmering like pools of melted caramel underneath the sun shining through the windows. “Of course I can. I do,” I said. “But last night…you leaving…that…that scared the shit out of me, Simone.”

She frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“You can’t do shit like that, alright? I…I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t.” Her voice softened as she looped her arms around me and buried her face in the crook of my neck. “I’m right here,” she spoke into my skin. “And I promise I’ll never leave you behind again.”

Her words made my chest ache in a way I never knew it could. The pain of being vulnerable mixed with the joy of having her back in my arms was a strange feeling. But, it felt nice. I think I liked it. Maybe when all of this is over, I could dip my feet into it more often. Someday, I might even swim in it.

For now, though, I had business to take care of.

Simone gasped as we walked back into the living room and saw Gabriel sitting on the couch with hands tied behind his back and duct tape plastered over his mouth. “Oh my God, Maria,” she said, rushing to her friend’s side. “You didn’t have to gag him.”

He wouldn’t stop talking, Maria said with a shrug.

Gabriel hissed as Simone yanked the tape from over his mouth. “Your new friends are crazy,” he muttered.

“That’s why I love them,” she replied. She undid the rope around his hands. “Gabe, this is Maria. Maria, this is my best friend, Gabriel.”

“I think we’re all well acquainted at this point,” Gabriel said, rubbing his red wrists. “What number is this on the tally board of unfortunate run-ins?”

Simone shook her head. She returned to my side, wrapping her arm around mine. “This is Mateo,” she still formally introduced me.

“Ah, the infamous secret admirer.” He rose from his seat and approached me. To my surprise, he offered his hand instead of throwing a punch. “It’s nice to see the face behind the mask.”

I shook his hand. “Don’t get too used to it.”

Simone smiled at our locked hands.

“Alright,” I said, the mushy feeling in my chest becoming too much for one day. “Now that the pleasantries are over, what’s the plan?”

THE AGENT

I never thought I’d step foot on another federal agency property again. The building that once welcomed me with open arms loomed over me like a guard standing post, scrutinizing every inch of my body, silently wondering what my purpose was here. From my all black attire, it knew my intentions weren’t good.

“Are you alright?” Mateo whispered from behind me.

“Yeah,” I replied quickly. I didn’t even glance over my shoulder, worried the film forming over my eyes may give my emotions away.

We were pressed up against the nearest corner on the perimeter of the building, inches away from the surveillance camera’s all-seeing eye.

Gabriel told us the agency bulked up its security measures after our attack on the safe-house. With the confirmation that Logan did have a target on his forehead, they limited access to the facility where he was being held. Only authorized personnel were allowed in.

The first of the many hurdles we needed to jump over for a successful mission.

“Cameras are down,” Maria’s automated voice came through the earpiece in my ear. Computer keys clicked in the background. “The card readers will go green in a second.”

Barely a moment after he spoke, the red light on the reader beside the back door changed colors, giving us a literal green light to move.