Chapter 364
Chapter 364:
“She’s stubborn,” Alistair said.
“She’s suicidal,” Hunter corrected.
“She’s standing right here,” Skye snapped. “And I’m going to do this with or without your help. But I’d prefer with it p>
Alistair sighed, the sound torn from his chest. He turned to her, his hand moving up to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed over her skin, rough and warm.
“If you do this,” Alistair said, his eyes searching hers, “you do it on my terms. No secrets. No going off-script. And if I say pull the plug, we pull the plug. Even if it costs us the company p>
Skye looked at him. She saw the fear behind the anger. He was terrified of losing her again.
“Okay,” she whispered. “On your terms p>
Hunter cleared his throat. “Touching moment. But we have work to do. If you’re going on that show in three days, we need to prep. Liam isn’t the threat. The threat is who Graves sends to watch you p>
“What do you mean?” Skye asked.
“Graves owns the production company,” Hunter revealed. “The cameramen, the producers, the PAs… half of them are on his payroll. You’re not going onto a set, Skye. You’re walking into a surveillance trap p>
A chill ran down Skye’s spine.
“So how do we beat it p>
Hunter pulled a small, black device from his pocket. “We wire you up. Better than the brooch. We turn you into a walking listening post. And we teach you how to spot a tail p>
Alistair looked at the house. “And we teach her how to shoot p>
Skye blinked. “Shoot p>
“If Graves corners you,” Alistair said, his voice deadly serious, “I don’t want you calling for help. I want you ending the threat p>
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the house. Hunter followed.
The sun began to set, casting long, bloody shadows across the driveway. The reality of what she had signed up for was setting in.
This wasn’t just a TV show.
It was an extraction mission.
𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲.𝗰𝗼𝗺
And Skye was the bait.
The basement of Alistair’s safe house was a stark contrast to the rustic exterior.
It was a concrete bunker, soundproofed and cold.
One wall was lined with weapons: handguns, rifles, knives.
The other end of the room was a shooting range.
Hunter stood by a metal table, stripping down a Glock with practiced ease. The metallic click-clack of the slide echoed in the silence.
“This is yours,” Hunter said, pushing the reassembled gun across the table toward Skye. “Compact. Reliable. Easy to conceal under a gown or… whatever you wear on reality TV p>
Skye looked at the black metal. It looked heavy. Lethal.
“I’ve never held a gun,” she admitted.
“We know,” Alistair said.
He was standing behind her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“That changes tonight p>
Hunter picked up a pair of ear defenders and tossed them to her. “Put these on. Stance first. Feet shoulder-width apart. Lean into it p>
Skye adjusted the headphones and took the gun. It was heavier than she expected, cold against her palm. She mimicked the stances she’d seen in movies.
“Wrong,” Alistair murmured.