“Do you really have to ask?”
“Answer the fucking question,” Hunt growled. “You’re not the same man I once saved.”
There was no denying it. He wasn’t sure how much—if anything—Hunt knew about Mr. Granger, but Gaza had changed him. For the last decade, Egan’s loyalty had been to whomever paid him the most, and the Black Tosca had been quite generous. But how could he live with himself if he turned against the man who had sacrificed so much of his soul to save him? Gaza had tainted Egan; Hunt, on the contrary, seemed to be the exact same.
“True,” Egan admitted, looking Hunt straight in the eyes. “But I’m on your side.”
Hunt seemed to hesitate, and Egan feared he was about to punch out and meet his creator.
“The Black Tosca hired me to kill you. By reneging on that contract—”
“You piece of shit,” Hunt said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Weren’t you listening? I’m not following it through. Believe it or not—”
“You’d better hope I’m a believer, Cole. If not . . .” Hunt didn’t finish his thought. He didn’t need to. “My daughter’s been taken, and I’m in no mood to play games, even with you.”
“My wife’s pregnant, Pierce,” Egan said defensively. “I had to at least pretend to take the contract. That’s the only thing I’m guilty of.”
In Egan’s mind, there was nothing to gain by admitting he’d actually intended to kill Hunt. His only play now was to team up with Hunt and go after the Black Tosca. Only with the Black Tosca dead could he assure the safety of Katherine and the baby.
“What changed your mind?” Hunt asked.
“Nothing changed my mind,” Egan replied immediately, not falling for Hunt’s trap. “I’d never do that. Never. You hear me?”
“Oh, I hear you, but the question is whether I believe you.”
“What do I have—”
“Was Daniel McMaster in with you on this?” Hunt cut in.
“What? No.” Egan’s head was spinning. What did McMaster have to do with any of this? Hunt wasn’t making sense. “McMaster is my father-in-law, Pierce. That’s it. He doesn’t know anything. He’s the reason why I’m with Katherine. I’ve been spying on him for years.”
A look of disbelief appeared on Hunt’s face.
Egan took a couple of deep breaths, which wasn’t easy, as Hunt had all his weight on his chest, and said, “If you think I’m against you, or lying to you, pull the damn trigger and be done with it. But if you believe me, help me up, and let’s get your daughter back.”
Hunt’s stare didn’t vacillate. Egan’s words hadn’t gotten through his friend’s defenses. In fact, Egan saw Hunt’s finger slowly getting tighter around the trigger.
“I want to be a father, Pierce,” Egan pleaded.
Hunt relaxed his finger. He believed Egan. It all made sense now. McMaster had unwittingly found himself trapped in the Black Tosca’s web. He was a victim too.
“Can you really help me?” Hunt asked Egan, lowering his weapon.
“Yes, but I need to call McMaster first. I need him to relocate Katherine. If the Black Tosca learns I’ve double-crossed her, she’ll kill Katherine.”
“McMaster won’t be happy, but he’ll do it,” Hunt said.
“Once he learns who I really am, he’ll ask Katherine never to see me again.”
“What have you got yourself into?”
Egan averted his eyes. Hunt could tell the question made Egan uncomfortable. Whatever shit Egan had gotten himself into, he was in neck-deep. Too deep, maybe? Am I being played?
Egan had told the truth about not being armed. He was a skilled operator—one of the best Hunt had worked with—and Hunt had only heard him at the last moment. If Egan had come in with a weapon in hand, there was a good chance Hunt would have a hole or two in him.
“I fucked up, Pierce. I really did,” Egan said with a sigh. “The only thing that counts now is protecting Katherine. The only way to do that is to take down the Black Tosca. I’m tired of being her puppet. So please, let me help you. Maybe it will be my redemption. Sort of, anyway.”
Hunt holstered his gun and extended his hand. Egan, still on the ground, took it. “Really?” Egan asked.
“Yeah, really.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
South of Hypoluxo, Florida
Hector hung up. He had just spoken to the chief pilot. His instructions had been short and to the point. The plane needed to be ready to depart in twenty minutes with a flight plan to Nassau, Bahamas.
“What should I do?” his driver asked.
The three police cruisers were right on the van’s tail, their emergency lights blitzing in a synchronized pattern of red and blue. Hector had no choice but to order his driver to stop. Now wasn’t the time to be angry or to start questioning how they had ended up being pulled over. Now was the time to react and to adapt to the current situation.