Glitter and Gunfire (Shadow Agents #4)(11)
Author: Cynthia Eden

She forced a mocking laugh. “If you call men shooting at us a problem…”

“What’s happening, Gunner?” Cale demanded.

Wait, there was a problem other than the shooting?

The man he’d called Gunner—Mr. Tall, Dark and Scary—let his bright gaze sweep back to Cassidy. “Your friend, the redhead from the party…”

Her gut clenched. “Genevieve?” Genevieve Chevalier was one of the few people that she actually did count as a friend. She’d known Genevieve since their boarding school days.

Gunner nodded curtly. “She’s missing.”

Cassidy shook her own head in denial. Genevieve was fine. She’d taken her friend back to Genevieve’s hotel after they’d been cleared by the Rio authorities.

“The local cops said they had a guard on her. We thought she was safe.” This came from the other guy—the man who was now stalking around the small confines of the room. “We were wrong. When I did a surveillance sweep by her place a little while ago, she was gone and the guard was dead.”

Genevieve’s gone? If she was and if her guard had been killed, then… “They took her.” Dark, twisting fear spread inside Cassidy. If they didn’t find Genevieve, fast, then she could be dead.

Tortured, just like Helen.

“We think they came for you,” the man began.

“Logan…” A warning note had entered Cale’s voice.

This man—Logan—ignored the warning as he kept his focus on Cassidy. “Cale got you away from them, but Genevieve’s guard wasn’t able to save her. They took her.” His lips tightened. “And I want to know why.”

Another EOD agent who hadn’t been briefed. Wasn’t Mercer just keeping them all in the dark these days? But she knew why.

Because he doesn’t want them to know about me.

Mercer never wanted anyone to know the full truth. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. Because of that secrecy, he’d sent these agents out hunting, blind.

But come 0600, they wouldn’t be so blind any longer.

* * *

“THE LOCAL COPS have no leads on Genevieve Chevalier’s abduction,” Logan Quinn said, shoving a frustrated hand through his hair. “With Carnival taking over the city, they are too short-staffed and in way over their heads to handle this case.”

A case that was the work of a professional killer and his crew. “You ever hear of a guy called the Executioner?” Cale asked him, cocking his head as he waited for Logan’s response.

Logan was their team leader, the guy who’d earned the moniker of Alpha One in the field. If anyone had intel on the Executioner, it should be him.

And, sure enough, Logan stiffened. “The Executioner? Hell, it fits.” Disgust thickened his voice. “He goes after the society princesses—takes them, ransoms them and, half the time, he kills them for sport.”

That wasn’t exactly what Cale had wanted to hear. He and Logan had headed into the back room while Gunner Ortez, the team’s very deadly ex-SEAL sniper, stayed in the den area to keep tabs on Cassidy.

“I guess this mission just became about hostage rescue,” Cale said as he turned away from Logan to glance quickly toward the den. Good thing the EOD agents specialized in that area. Even before he’d joined the EOD, Cale had worked plenty of rescue cases on his own. He’d slipped in and out of more hellholes than he could count, rescuing folks that others had given up for dead.

Logan didn’t speak.

Cale glanced back at him. “The locals can’t handle this. We can.” Heading in and out of the dangerous spots that most would never dream of entering and saving those who couldn’t be saved was their area of expertise.

Cale’s phone rang just as Logan opened his mouth to speak. He glanced down, realizing the time. 0600. Mercer was always punctual. He answered the call immediately. “Cale—”

“Is Cassidy in the room?” Mercer’s rough voice barked without bothering with any niceties. That was Mercer’s way, always cutting through the bull.

“No,” Cale said. “But Logan is.” He figured Mercer would want to brief him, too.

He figured right.

“Put me on speaker.”

Done.

“I know Genevieve Chevalier was taken a few hours ago,” Mercer announced. He would. Did anything happen that the EOD director wasn’t aware of? “But tell me,” Mercer continued, voice even harder, “that Cassidy doesn’t know about her abduction yet.”

An odd thing to say. “Cassidy knows.”

Mercer swore. “She is not to go after Genevieve, understand?”

“But as an EOD agent, she can—” Logan began.

“Cassidy isn’t an EOD agent. She’s an asset, one that I want brought back into the office immediately.”

An asset. The lingo used to describe a person who had intel that was often vital to the EOD’s success.

Logan stepped closer as he frowned down at Cale’s phone. “What about Chevalier? Cale thinks the Executioner may be at work here, and I have to agree with him. Genevieve’s abduction sure seems to fit the victim profile developed for that killer.”

“Cale’s been talking to Cassidy.” A new note had entered Mercer’s voice. One that Cale couldn’t quite understand. “Be careful with her, Cale. Before you know it, Cassidy will have manipulated you into doing anything that she wants. I’ve seen it happen before, with plenty of other agents.”

Those words caused tension to harden Cale’s muscles. But he’d already known that Cassidy was a manipulator, hadn’t he? The instant Cassidy came toward him with her eyes lit with desire, when she put those silken lips against his and so softly whispered…

Help me.

His body had responded instantly to her. How could he not respond to that sensual invitation? But he’d suspected—damn it—that she was just trying to use him.

Use his desire for her to get exactly what she wanted.

“Cassidy Sherridan is to be brought back to the D.C. office right away.” Now there was no emotion in Mercer’s voice. Just a cold demand. “Cale, you bring her back, got it? I’ll send a separate team down to hunt the Executioner—”

“But we’re already here, sir,” Logan cut in, his frown deepening. “Even if Cale leaves with the woman, Gunner and I can do recon work. We can find this bastard. We can save Chevalier.”

“I want you watching Cale’s back,” was Mercer’s fast response. “Guard them every second that Cale and Cassidy are down there. I know those SOBs already made a grab for Cassidy once, and I won’t have her falling into their hands. Cassidy’s safety is the priority. She’s to be brought back to the U.S. Once I know she’s safe, then I’ll make sure that the Executioner is handled.”