She took a step forward but stopped. There was nothing she could do. The colonel was dead.
The act shocked her more than anything else that night. The ease with which the execution had been carried out told her that this wasn’t the first time Ash had killed. He released his grip on the colonel and the body slumped to the floor. Raising his head, Ash met her gaze for the first time that night. His eyes were dark, expressionless. Then he turned away.
What was he that he could kill so casually?
Maybe it was just as well he hated her now. She didn’t think she would ever forget seeing him kill.
Beside her, Carl was speaking softly onto a cell phone. He pushed it back into his pocket and spoke to the rest of the room. “That’s the cleanup team. They’ve arrived.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Christian said. He scooped Tara up in his arms and she snuggled against his chest. Faith had a brief stab of jealousy. She had never had anyone hold her like that. Now, she never would.
“What do we do with her?” Carl asked, nodding in Faith’s direction.
Christian’s silver gaze crawled over her skin, his expression cold as he considered her.
Faith knew her life hung in the balance and suddenly, she didn’t care anymore. It was all too much. They could kill her here like they’d done the colonel. It would be over so quickly.
“Ryan will be pissed if you kill her without even giving her a hearing,” Carl pointed out. “And she did tell us where to find Tara.”
She glanced at where Ash stood impassive beside the body. Would he take her life as easily? Would he feel any regrets? His face told her nothing. Finally, Christian shrugged. “Take her back to the Order. But if she set this up, she dies.”
So it seemed like she wasn’t going to die just yet. But she had no way of proving that she hadn’t set Tara up, so it was probably merely a stay of execution. And where was the Order? Why weren’t they taking her back to CR International?
Carl’s hand on her arm was gentle as he led her out of the room and toward the entrance of the building. She could sense the others behind them. Christian carrying Tara, Ash again at the rear. Faith averted her eyes from the bodies they passed, mainly security guards. A small group of men stood by the main entrance, presumably the cleanup crew. More scary bad-asses, who didn’t look like any cleaners she’d ever seen. Christian spoke briefly with them and they were out in the open air.
As soon as they stepped through the door, a black van pulled up at the curb. The window was down, and she caught a brief sight of Ryan in the driver’s seat. He turned her way and frowned when he saw her in Carl’s grip. But he didn’t protest. Maybe Carl had been wrong and he wouldn’t care whether they killed her or not.
Ash climbed into the front of the van beside him. Carl hustled her around the back and opened the door. Inside was a double row of seats facing each other.
“Get in,” Carl said.
He must have realized it was impossible with her hands cuffed behind her and he gripped her around the waist and hefted her in. She stumbled against the seat but righted herself as Carl climbed in beside her.
“Sit.”
She could do that…almost. She perched on the edge of the seat, the only position possible with her hands still tied. But Carl reached behind her unlocked one cuff and slipped it through the metal railing of the seat.
Christian climbed in, Tara still in his arms, and sat in the farthest corner from her as though he couldn’t bear to be near her. An old man got in last, cast Faith a look of interest, and sat down next to them. The doors slammed shut.
Faith leaned back and closed her eyes as the last of her strength drained from her. The vehicle started to move.
She just wanted this nightmare to end. But she had an idea the night was far from over.
Chapter Sixteen
Relief that Tara was safe battled with his fury that Faith had been involved in her kidnapping.
She’d lied to him.
“So?” Ryan said.
Ash forced himself to shift his gaze from the passing city, to the man at his side. “So what?” he replied.
“Faith? Was it a setup?”
Ash didn’t know. And did it really matter? Last night he’d held her in his arms, shown something of himself, his fears for Tara. And all the while, she had known where his daughter was being kept. Being tortured.
Had they been torturing Tara while Faith kissed him. Or had she been there when they broke his daughter’s fingers. Black rage filled him, and he forced it down. He knew she couldn’t have been in on the interrogations. Tara had seemed shocked to see her. Though that didn’t mean she hadn’t watched. The cell had a one-way mirror, no doubt into a viewing room. Had she enjoyed watching?
Maybe she got off on pain.
Maybe he would find out.
“Well?” Ryan interrupted his thoughts.
“I don’t think so.”
Ryan gave a long sigh. “Good.”
“Christian wants her dead.”
“Shit.”
“You’d better hope she wasn’t involved in this from the start or she will be.”