Free 11 by Kylie Brant

dark. Unwilling to give up their secrets. “He still has the others. She’s their best chance, too. If I could get her to talk…”
    “You have no idea what she does or doesn’t know, or what information she’d give up.” His voice was calmer. Rational. He let go of one of her arms to bend down and pick up the knife she’d dropped. When he began moving again this time she went with him. “But she’s not an option now. Focus on the priority. Getting out of the country.”
    In some distant part of her brain she knew he made sense. But with every step she took she felt an increasing sense of loss.
    Four’s loyalty to the monster that had held them captive was absolute. Could she be made to give up facts about his whereabouts? They’d never know now.
    And Mia couldn’t help but believe that somehow this evening she’d failed every one of those women who still waited, clustered in their cells, hope dying a bit more each day.

4
     
    Mia’s fingers tightened around the glass she held as Jude reentered his office, this time accompanied by another man carrying a leather briefcase. Adam Raiker. She recognized him immediately from the research she’d done years ago. He looked no more approachable in person than he had in the photos she’d found of him. The scar across his neck and one cheek captured her attention for a moment, before she caught herself comparing his wounds to Jude’s. The articles she’d found had detailed the events that had resulted in Raiker’s injuries. She was more curious about how Jude had acquired his.
    She wouldn’t ask. After the harrowing experience on the docks, they’d both been hyper alert on the boat trip across the South China Sea. The boat owner Jude had hired hadn’t seemed all that trustworthy to Mia. And the crewmember that had come along had spent more time focused on her than he had on crewing the boat. But in the end, the captain’s professed knowledge of the Coast Guard’s patrol patterns aided in their escape. In the two days since they’d been back in the country Jude had arranged for an apartment and security for her. His deft dispassionate professionalism was somehow simultaneously admirable and annoying. The man’s tactics might set her teeth on edge, but he got things done. With that she couldn’t argue.
    “Ms. Deleon.” Raiker’s voice was gravelly. A result, quite possibly from the scar that rode across his throat. “Thank you for meeting with me. I thought you’d be more comfortable in Bishop’s offices.”
    “Mr. Raiker.” Mia inclined her head. She could have told the man that in spite of the time she’d spent in close proximity with Bishop in recent days, she found nothing about him particularly comfortable . Although she doubted he’d admit it, she thought he felt the same. Most often they were like two feral animals, circling each other warily. He was opaque, but he’d made it clear enough he didn’t believe much of what she said. Which meant she was losing her edge. Because it had been a long time since she’d given a damn what anyone else thought of her. “Jude didn’t tell me many details, but it was enough to intrigue me.”
    “I didn’t have a lot of details to give him. I have more now.” When Jude headed for the bar he had set up across the room, Raiker said, “Nothing for me. My wife and stepson are waiting in the car. From here we’re heading to look at a new school for Royce.”
    There was a flicker of surprise on Bishop’s face before he retraced his steps and sat down at the man’s other side. “Something wrong with the one he’s in now?”
    “He likes it.” Raiker set his briefcase on his lap and unsnapped the locks. “I think it could be a bit more security conscious.” His attention switched to Mia. “What do you know about my agency?”
    A bit taken aback by his abrupt transition, she hesitated. “Not much. You had an impressive career with the FBI and now head a renowned forensics agency.”
    He gave a curt