“Very good,” the man murmured behind his ear. “Most people would panic, then have their throat cut and die as a result of their own stupidity.”
“What do you want?” Resnick demanded, his hands still locked in place.
“I understand you have quite the association with KGI. I need information. They’ll be making a move soon and I, of course, want to head them off at the pass.”
“Who?”
The knife bit farther into his neck, and Resnick gritted his teeth against the sting.
“Let’s not play games. You know who I am. I know who you are. I know you have KGI in your back pocket and I also know you have the information I want.”
Resnick’s lip curled in disgust, but he held his tongue. Pissing off this faceless man would only get his throat cut.
And then the knife was gone and the hard point of a pistol dug into the back of his head.
“Get up. Slowly. No sudden moves. My friend here is somewhat of a whiz when it comes to computers. They like him, you see. They always tell him what he wants to know. I have a feeling yours will have everything we need to know about KGI.”
Resnick closed his eyes, knowing there was no way out. He could die but they’d still have access to his computer, and Titan would have someone who could hack into the best system. The average computer expert wouldn’t have a prayer of hacking into Resnick’s files, but Titan wouldn’t have anyone average on their payroll.
He slowly rose, holding his hands up where they could be seen. A hand curled around his arm and pulled him to the side. He stumbled over the chair leg and then righted himself before he was instructed to stand facing away from the desk.
“Hands behind your head, fingers laced together. I better not even hear you breathe or you’re a dead man.”
He was a dead man anyway. It was a simple truth, one he accepted with no emotion. He should have already died. He was a marked man, and not by Titan, but by his own government for what he’d done to help Shea and Grace Peterson and, by proxy, KGI.
He’d blown the top off the secret research that had been resumed after years of dormancy. Even now, in the upper echelons of the military and the U.S. government, an investigation was ongoing about who and what was responsible for the group who’d been behind the creation of the two women with extraordinary powers.
And Resnick was waiting to die for the simple fact that he now knew too much.
He closed his eyes and listened to the tapping of fingers on his keyboard. The men di
dn’t talk, didn’t communicate verbally, not until the end when the newcomer said, “I have it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Resnick, for your service,” the one who’d held the knife to his throat said.
A single pop followed, the unmistakable sound of a silencer. Pain sliced through Resnick’s back and into his chest. His knees buckled and he pitched forward, agony tearing through his body at supersonic speed.
Blood was warm, the smell sickening, and it pooled underneath him, soaking into the carpet.
After a moment the pain faded, replaced by complete numbness. He couldn’t breathe. Every time he tried, a peculiar gurgling sound erupted from his throat and the metallic taste of blood seeped onto his tongue.
He tried to roll over, tried to move, but even sliding his hand along the carpet took unimaginable strength.
The phone. He had to get to the phone. He had to warn Sam.
CHAPTER 32
RIO gently shook Grace awake as the plane touched down on the private airstrip owned and maintained by KGI. He dreaded being separated from Grace, especially when he had no idea if he’d make it back to her. But what mattered was her being safe, and he didn’t want her anywhere near when Titan made their eventual appearance.
Grace sat up, sleepily rubbing at her eyes, and then she looked at Rio, sorrow tugging at her features as she realized where they were.
“Don’t look like that,” he said, forcing a smile. “I’ll be back for you before you know it. And you’ll get to see Shea.”
Grace nodded. “Yes, I can’t wait to see her, but I don’t want you to go, Rio. I hate that you’ll be so far away and I won’t know what’s happening.”
He touched his mouth to hers as the plane came to a stop near the hangar. “You’ll know. We have a connection that distance can’t break. We’ll still be together.”
She smiled then and squeezed his hand. “I love you, you know.”
“Yeah, I do know. We’re going to do this, Grace. Go see your sister and get better for me, okay? I want you at full strength when I get back.”
Rio stood and then motioned for Alton and Decker to follow him. Grace also stood, but Rio put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down.
“I don’t want you to get off,” he said. “Terrence and Diego will stay on with you while the plane is refueled and you’ll be taking off immediately. You have clearance to land at Fort Campbell. Sam brought along an army pilot who’ll fly you to Kentucky.”
Panic flared in her eyes as the hatch opened and the steps were pushed to the doorway. Rio leaned in one last time, kissed her hard and then pulled away, not looking back as he disembarked the plane. If he looked back, he wouldn’t be able to walk away.
On the tarmac stood the rest of KGI. It was an impressive sight. Sam and his brothers Garrett, Donovan, Ethan, Nathan and Joe, along with Swanny, their newest recrnuit, stood next to Steele and his team. Dolphin, Renshaw and Baker stood on one side of their team leader, while Cole stood near P.J. Rutherford, the only female member of KGI. P.J. was in civilian clothing, though she didn’t look too happy about it. Her hair hung loose, fashioned like Grace’s. She wore jeans, a T-shirt and simple tennis shoes.