This was her sanctuary. Somewhere she called her own.

The voice mail light on her desk phone was surprisingly dark. Thank heavens. She spread her file notes over the glossy desktop. One sheet listed each city, then the names of three individuals with specific abilities-“explosives specialist,” “communications” and “defense coordinator.”

This supported the last missive she’d sent to her online contact, the Bear. She was pretty sure he was a man. His word choices sounded male.

Linette stood up quickly and looked around, on alert. She’d developed a strange sixth sense for knowing when a threat approached after years of tuning her hearing to the old Fra’s soft shuffle.

But he was dead. She’d been at his graveside, pleaded to attend the funeral. The other Fras had been touched by her grief. She’d only wanted to be sure he was not coming back.

Why was the hair on her arms lifting?

She pushed away from the desk and walked around to the front, studying everything. Air vents. Floor. Door.

A tiny click reached her ears.

The shiny chrome doorknob rotated slowly clockwise, then the door opened.

Basil swaggered in and shut the door.

She couldn’t raise an alarm without drawing unwanted attention to herself. That would likely end with her being blamed, which would result in her being demoted, or worse.

“You didn’t think a little lock would keep an experienced field operative out, did you?” He chuckled.

“No, I thought it would deter unwanted visitors from invading my privacy.”

“You think that haughty attitude is going to play with me?” He stepped away from the door. Toward her.

The room started shrinking.

“What do you want, Basil?” She backed up until the desk prevented further retreat.

“To work together. That’s what we’re expected to do in the Fratelli organization.” He smiled the smooth grin of a poisonous snake. “You want the Fras to think we aren’t capable of working together?”

She sat back against the desk and let the heels of her palms rest casually. Her insides could flail around and scream all they wanted but these men only understood strength.

They respected nothing born with breasts.

“Fra Vestavia would not have selected me to be his personal assistant-” Let Basil assume whatever he wanted by that comment. “-if he doubted my ability to perform my duties and interact with everyone. Even you.”

Basil stepped all over her personal space, face-to-face, daring her to break eye contact first and show her fear.

She’d suffered far worse with more stoicism at sixteen.

He’d eaten a caramel candy, the old Fra’s favorite. She’d never be able to taste one without risk of vomiting. Just the smell of his breath turned her stomach.

He put his hands on her desk, past where hers rested, and leaned close, his cheek next to hers. “This organization rewards excellence and commitment. More so than the other Fras, Vestavia understands the power of motivation. I intend to make my mark with this mission and move up. I will prove to Vestavia that nothing is beyond his grasp with me.”

Her body had turned into a rigid clutch of nerves. “Good for you.” Now leave.

“And when I do?” he whispered. “I’ll get my reward. He’ll give you to me and choose another woman. With Josie gone, the rest of you women are all the same. I noticed how he’s not hot for you. He’ll just pick a new assistant. That’s how the Fratelli works.”

She’d mistakenly judged Basil a nuisance.

She should have recognized his malignant ego wouldn’t suffer rejection.

“Here’s a tip. I suggest you keep this meeting private since I hold an important part of this project in my file. You’ll only put yourself in a bind if you go tattling.” He stepped away from her and licked his lips, grinning as he turned for the door. “Study hard. I can’t afford for you or Frederick to drop the ball.”

When the door swooshed shut behind him she tried one leg at a time to see if she could stand. Shaky but mobile, she took steadying breaths and moved around the desk, where… two of her papers with locations and names had been moved.

That despicable pig had read her notes. The ones Vestavia had told them not to share with each other.

Her fists clenched into tight wads of anger and frustration. Male humans had to be the worst mistake God ever made, right down to her father, who had given his only child to the Fratelli.

Vestavia at least treated her professionally and without any hint of improper intentions. So far. Hopefully, he wouldn’t feel the need to rut one night just for a release.

But Basil had been right about one thing.

Vestavia did not tolerate failure.

Those who let him down did not die peacefully.

If she risked passing along information this time to thwart his plans, she laid her life at Vestavia’s feet.

If she didn’t pass the information along, she had a multitude of problems, Basil’s threat to claim her only being one.

She pushed a couple papers aside to locate the last one, which stated, “successful completion of this phase of the mission will ensure casualties numbering no less than six figures.”

The clock had to be male as well. It worked against her, refusing her time to think. She had to send an electronic message to the Bear now or miss her window.

How much should she tell him?

Chapter Twenty-two

Abbie limped into Hunter’s cabin, ready to use the first thing she could find as a weapon to beat some sense into him.

Hunter closed the front door, cutting off the drafty air.

“Go to my office. On your left.”

If he gave her one more order she might show him what it means to push a woman to her limit. But he had asked if she could make it under her own power. Her pride said, “Of course.”

Hunter shouted, “Borys! Bring an ice pack.”

She grimaced with each step into his office, where one wall of glass windows framed the spectacular sky and mountain-range view. Sit on the gooey-soft-looking leather couch or in one of the two side chairs? She dropped her tired buns into a chair that felt like being held by a cloud.

Her head was splitting and her knee hurt.

No more escaping for today.

She had weighed Hunter’s words out on the mountain and decided to believe him. The worry she’d heard in his voice hadn’t been for himself. He would face his own destiny without question, but he didn’t like leaving her unprotected.

That knocked down the last of her resistance to sharing what she knew.

“Borys is bringing hot chocolate unless you want something else.” Hunter entered his office, crossed the space to the chair facing her, and sat down. “We’ll get you cleaned up as soon as we finish talking.”

They hadn’t been able to discuss much on the way, because she hadn’t been able to hike uphill at this altitude and talk at the same time. “You think I want hot chocolate?”

“Course you do, ’cause I make da best in da west, babee. I’m Borys with a ‘Y.’ Nice to meet you.” Borys was a compact man with a spring in his step. He sat a tray on the coffee table made from a thick slice of a giant tree. “I make thees with Ghirardelli chocolate and hazelnut liqueur. Figured you’d need a little shot of sometheeng after your walk, ma petite.”

She took the ice pack he handed her and placed it on her knee.

“That’s good, Borys.” Hunter didn’t sound appreciative. More like he was trying to hurry his man out of the room.

Her stomach growled at the rich smell of food cooking. “I hope whatever is cooking tastes half as good as it smells.”

Borys poured her a large mug full and scooped two spoons of marshmallows on top. His outdated business suit seemed a bit formal with Hunter in jeans.

“What say we have jambalaya for lunch, eh?” Borys sniffed the air. “Ees ready.”