Page 10 of Catch Me
I picked up the coffee, taking a sip and leaned back in my seat. “Forgive me Rue, I didn't mean to make you upset.”
“You should really learn to test for poisons before you so easily trust the word of an assassin.”
I choked on the hot liquid, sputtering. “What?!”
She flashed a grin. “Kidding!! Oh, but here.” She whipped out a napkin and handed it to me. “Better wipe that up before Michael gets back. He had a fit that I made him stop for coffee on the way here. The psychopath doesn’t allow anyone to eat or drink in his precious vehicles.’
I took the offered napkin and began dabbing away at any droplets that may have clung to the leather upholstery. “You mean to tell me that while I was fighting for my life, you two were out making a coffee run?” I asked incredulously. “So glad I was alive to drink it!”
She cocked her head, wide eyes blinking at me. “Hannah, part of being on a team is trusting that one of your team members can handle themselves in any situation.” She reached across the seat and laid a hand on my knee. “Tell me, when Michael got to you, did you need him?”
I stared at her for a moment, dumbstruck by her words. They trusted me to handle myself without back-up, but they would never have left me to flounder on my own. “No, I didn’t. I’d killed the first guy and wounded the second. I could have taken him out myself, but then Michael was there.” Realization struck, Michael hadn’t been there to save me. He’d been there to help me clean up.
She offered a soft smile and squeezed my knee. “And that is why we stopped for coffee. You don’t need us, Hannah. You never did.”
I didn’t have much time to think about her words before Michael was back and sliding into the driver's seat. Then we were speeding off through the night, just as the blue and red lights of Atlanta’s finest began bouncing off the concrete walls of the surrounding buildings.
Michael’s black gaze found mine in the rearview mirror. “You know he’s going to find out.”
I huffed and looked out my window at the buildings that were passing by in a blur. “Let him. Simon doesn’t control what I do.”
Michael’s dark chuckle filtered through the SUV. “Hannah, trust me, the last thing Simon wants to do is control you.” My gaze flicked back to find his in the rear view mirror and saw a concerned look there. “He’s just worried about you.”
The last person I wanted to discuss at the moment was Simon and his motivations for anything that concerned me, so I switched the topics and held up the white business card. “Anyone care to tell me what this is all about?”
Rue and Michael shared a glance between them as if they were carrying on a silent conversation. When Rue raised one eyebrow and Michael turned back to glare silently at the road ahead, I knew who had won the argument.
She turned her golden gaze to me. “That, ma chéri, is the calling card of the Enigma Group and technically, our employer.”
It was my turn to arch an eyebrow. “And why does Colonel Abrams think that I’d be a good recruit for your ‘employer’?
Rue shrugged and gave me a conspiratorial smile, “Probably because you’ve been running circles around these Neanderthals he’s in charge of and wants to see what kind of havoc you can create if he unleashes you onto the criminal underworld?”
I snorted and flipped the card in my fingers. “Havoc seems to be what I’m good at. I don’t know if it’s super secret spy worthy though.”
Rue shrugged, “Well, someone thinks you’re good enough to be considered as a candidate. The Enigma Group isn’t just a spy agency. It’s the premier spy organization in the world. In order to be asked to join, you have to be vetted and then referred by someone very high up in the chain of command. And then you’re thoroughly investigated and tested in order to even get the invite.” She reached over and tapped the card. That you have that card means you’ve passed several of their gates already and they are very interested in getting you into their fold.”
I studied the card in my hand. “But I don’t get it. Who would refer me? Did one of you?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, chéri. I’m not high enough to hand off a referral like that.” When I cast a questioning look at Michael, he shook his head as well. “Don’t look at me, doll. I think you’ve got the balls, yeah, but I’m still on probation with the Enigma group command team. They aren’t happy that I'm still connected to my familia.”
I frowned and tucked the card back into my pocket. It didn’t make sense, but I didn’t have the bandwidth to reason through the why’s or how at the moment. Instead, I pulled out the burner phone and handed it to Michael. “Here, thank you for this. You were right, and they completely tapped my house, including my phone.”
Michael just grunted. “Keep it. It came in handy tonight.”
I shook my head. “Michael I can’t. I’m being hunted by two different crime organizations now. I appreciate you guys coming to the rescue tonight, but I need to lie low for a while and can’t risk anyone being able to trace me.” I glanced from Rue to Michael, who were once again sharing a silent conversation between them and realization dawned. “Hey, weren’t you guys supposed to be on your way to meet Simon, anyway? I thought you were both long gone by now.”
A guilty look flashed across Rue’s features and she turned around to face me. “I’m sorry, Hannah. Please don’t be upset. It’s not that we didn’t trust you but, in our line of work, there’s always a contingency plan.”
I blinked. “You mean a contingency plan in case I wasn’t able to get Simon out of federal prison?”
Rue shook her head. “No mon ami, a contingency plan in case Agent Reed caught word of what you’d planned to do and they arrested you as well.”
I frowned, my thoughts a whirling tornado in my head, and looked at the phone, then back to Michael and Rue. “I don’t know that I’ll ever understand or be comfortable with the layers of deception and lies you guys seem to swim in.” I tucked the phone back into my jacket pocket. “But for once, I’m thankful for it.”
Rue offered me a gentle smile. “So, what is the plan now?”
I sighed and settled back in my seat as we raced towards the team’s penthouse. “Now? I need to find out who put the hit out on me.”
