Deceived by Kate Serine Page B

son of a bitch for the job when he would’ve preferred to throat-punch him for being such a condescending prick. “I’ll supply the information to you when you arrive in the United States.”
    â€œAnd who will be eagerly awaiting my arrival?” Evans asked.
    Now it was Stone’s turn to be smug. “The grandson of your old friend Hal Blake.”
    Evans paled behind his tan before his face flushed with barely restrained fury. “You should’ve led with that.”
    Stone’s lips curved into a grin. “I was saving the best for last. I need the boy brought to me. He has certain information that I would like to retrieve.”
    Evans’s jaw tightened. “Who’s he with?”
    Stone shrugged. “His mother. And a newer member of the Alliance—no one you know, so no chance of your being recognized if your paths cross before the extraction. He was recruited after you left.”
    â€œTo fill my place, you mean,” Evans spat, his cool demeanor slipping.
    â€œSure,” Stone told him. “If that’s the way you want to see it.”
    â€œWhat’s his name?” Evans pressed. “Apparently, I’m going to need to do my homework to track them down.”
    Stone took another sip of his drink before answering. “Name’s Luke Rogan.”
    Evans laughed in a harsh burst. “Are you shitting me?”
    Stone eyed him askance. “So you do know him?”
    â€œOnly by reputation,” Evans told him. “But that’s enough.”
    â€œDo what you need to do,” Stone said, growing tired of Evans’s games. “Rogan’s of no concern to me.”
    â€œWell, he’s a concern to me,” Evans shot back. “Rogan was Special Forces, so he’s already not someone you want to dick around with. But I heard about him from some of my less . . . savory acquaintances. Rogan was one of the guys the government used on the kind of ops they don’t like to admit to in polite company. I imagine that’s how he came to the attention of our fine friends in the Alliance.”
    Stone eyed him evenly. “Are you telling me you’re afraid to take on this Rogan?”
    Evans didn’t flinch. “I’m saying I’m not eager to get myself killed. And Rogan won’t think twice. I’m going to have to get the drop on him first.”
    Stone sighed. “Fine. I’ll add an additional five million reasons for you to take the job. But the boy is to be unharmed.”
    Evans gave him a terse nod. “Understood.” He raised his glass to Stone and offered him a tight smile. “Who says you can’t go home again?”
    * * *
    Will Asher strode down the deserted hallway of the private floor of the hospital, flanked by two of his men, Chase Nielsen and Ian Cooper. He’d been told that Hal’s security guards had insisted on accompanying their charge when he was transported to Chicago, but there was no way in hell he was trusting them to guard Hal until he’d had a very long, unpleasant conversation with each of them to determine what role they’d played—if any—in the assassination attempt. He’d pulled both Chase and Ian in from other ops, their backgrounds as a Secret Service agent and as a U.S. Marshal, respectively, making them two of the best choices for the security detail.
    The two Templars currently stationed outside of Hal’s room looked up when they saw him approaching and dropped their gazes, knowing they were in the shit.
    â€œYou’re relieved of duty,” he said, his tone clipped. “But don’t plan on going anywhere. Your commander has offered his full cooperation in this investigation. In fact, Rich and I are old friends, so he’s more than willing to join me if you don’t feel moved to open up to me.”
    Both of them cursed under their breath. Will’s men might think he was a hard-ass with a heart of stone, but