“Skeet—”
“We’ll talk about this later,” he said quietly. “Stay here.”
Then he turned, grabbed his radio, and took off after Volkov, his boots echoing against concrete as he disappeared into the murky night.
Skeet’s lungs burned as he sprinted through the warehouse maze, a good match for the storm tearing through his chest.
She’dpromised. Looked him straight in the eye andpromised.
And then broke that promise without a blink.
The industrial district turned ghoulish as he ran. Lights cast sickly yellow pools between towering cargo containers that created walls thirty feet high. The air reeked of diesel fuel, and in the distance, a ship’s horn moaned across the Chao Phraya River like a funeral dirge.
Behind every corner, Volkov could be waiting to ambush him. “Still in pursuit,” he barked into his comms.
“Stay with him. We’re on our way.” Ham said.
The guy he could trust to keep his word.
The woman—Lynx—had disappeared. Maybe she’d given up the chase.
Chloe had nearly beenkilled.
I’ll stay back.Those words had come out of her mouth.
The whole thing didn’t make sense, but he shoved it from his brain as he spotted Volkov dodging the loading cranes.
The blow hit him from behind—a tackle, full out, from his flank that knocked him off-balance.
He hit the ground. Rolled.
Lynx.She stood above him, breathing hard.
“Leave him to me.”
What—?
Then she took off. Now there was the panther, sleek and fast and leaving him behind. Except no, he wasn’t about to give up the chase.
But she’d gotten the drop on him and it had slowed him down, and now, as he watched, she caught up to Volkov.
Tackled him too.
They rolled together for a second near the wharf’s edge, then Volkov broke free, held up the briefcase like a shield. “You don’t want to do this.” He was backing away from her down a pier. “This is worth millions.”
“I’m not a buyer,” Lynx said. “I’m just the messenger.”
Skeet caught up just as Lynx moved in some sort of fluid motion that launched Volkov from the pier. Airborne before splashing into Chao Phraya’s murky water.
The briefcase followed him into the dark.
Skeet skidded to a halt, his weapon out, searching for Volkov. He rounded on Lynx. “What have you done?”
Gone. All of it.The evidence of Volkov’s network, the proof that could prevent whatever attack he had planned.
Lynx turned toward Skeet, and for a split second their eyes met.
Then she fled, melting back into the shadows between containers.