Page 53 of Locked and Loaded

“Ah, I will see what I can find out. I heard of their untimely passing. A hit, n’est pas, mon ami?”

“Absolutely,” Dragan agreed. “I’m not sure the maid is still in Morocco. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was one of the ‘crew’ on the yacht, but it’s worth a look.”

“Dragan,” Armand’s voice changed. “I need you to be very careful. They will be coming for Ms. Crowe now more than ever. They will be trying to kill her, not kidnap her.”

Dragan’s gut tightened. Armand rarely used his name, and his tone was the most serious he’d ever heard the man.

“How do you know that?”

“The reporter that Ms. Crowe was supposed to speak to at the Chronicle, he is a Society member, as was his father and grandfather. He comes from a long line of members and reporters. He told me that he met with Ms. Crowe and she gave him all the details and the file. Said she had been kidnapped and escaped as well. She gave him the location of the kidnapping, and she had the injuries to match.”

“How could that be?” Dragan started. “Oh, shit. They used a decoy Lennox?”

“Yes.”

The word carried weight and Dragan wondered what he wasn’t seeing. Then it hit him hard like a physical blow to the head. “They’ve gotten everything they need out there so they don’t need Lennox anymore. In fact, it would be better if she were dead. She’s now a threat.”

“You understand the gravity of the situation. It is now imperative for them to kill Ms. Crowe.”

Dragan’s hands fisted. He was in for the fight of his life. These guys would come for them and they wouldn’t stop until they succeeded. Everything rested on it.

“Do you think that means Chloe is dead? Having her alive will not help their cause.” Dragan didn’t want to go there, but he didn’t see any other choice. He needed to see the bigger picture if he was going to keep Lennox safe.

“I think, mon ami, there is a good chance she is gone.”

Dragan let that thought settle. Armand was not wrong. It was his feeling as well. That meant that finding Chloe could no longer be the objective. Keeping Lennox alive would be the top priority. That was not going to sit well with her.

“I must go, but I will keep you informed. You do the same. We will get this sorted one way or another. Ah, and I will not be far away at the end of the week.”

Dragan was still processing what Armand had said so he missed the last bit. “Sorry?”

“I will be in Malta at the end of the week. Perhaps we should meet.”

“Let me guess, you’re going to a global warming fundraising gala.”

“How do you know that?” Armand asked, his voice laced with surprise.

“The Callahans are going as well.”

“I should have realized. So, we will meet in Malta. Call before if you need help.” With that, he clicked off the call.

Dragan stared at his phone for a moment. He had to readjust his thinking. Lennox would want proof that her sister was dead. He wasn’t sure how he was going to provide that and still keep her alive. Armand Fontaine had been one of the biggest arms dealers in the world before he retired or got out, as the case may be. If he considered Georgiou dangerous and not to be trifled with, then that was truly scary.

But how was he going to convince Lennox of that?

He had no idea.

Keeping her safe had just become paramount.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lennox paced the length of the room and back again. There had to be a way out. She just had to find it.

Surely to God, Dragan had to put the key down at some point. There was no way she was waiting here any longer. Her sister was with that monster, and she was not going to let her be in danger a second longer than absolutely necessary.

When did he not have the key on him? The shower. That was it. When he got in the shower, he wouldn't have it. She just had to slide in there and get it.

She had a plan now. That helped. Not because the plan was good. Because it was something to hold onto besides the picture in her head of Chloe with that man.