Free Special Agent: Austin by Joni Hahn Page A

when she looked at McCall. “She had D.I.R.E. on her radar long before Cyrus was arrested.”
    Austin took a deep breath and let it out. So, she did have old resentments. “How is she tied to Cyrus?”
    “I know she worked with his grandfather, Clay Matheson, before she worked with Cyrus. That’s the only tie I’m aware of.” Grabbing the glass pitcher from the center of the table, she poured herself a glass of water and took a sip.
    Mitchell said, “Tell us about your life growing up.”
    Dipping her head, she said, “After my family was supposedly killed, I was taken to Mrs. Burnett’s girl’s home in Sacramento.”
    “When was that?” Teague said, her hands folded on the table.
    Frowning, she thought a moment. “A few years after you went through.”
    Teague cocked her head, her brows high. “So, you know who I am…”
    Belle was a pro at patronizing grins. “Yes, you were selected as protégé to the now-incarcerated Dr. Capri. You’re the intelligence behind Cyrus’s cloning operation.”
    “Selected?” Teague said, reciprocating her patronizing grin. “Interesting choice of words considering they murdered my parents and took me.”
    “You were – are – integral to their plans. I can see why they did it.”
    Dylan jumped up from his chair and started to pace. Disbelief drove Austin to spin Belle around.
    “Are you saying you condone it?”
    “No,” she said, in a defensive tone. “But, I understand why it was done.”
    “You act like they hacked into her Facebook account, Belle. She was a child and they murdered her parents.”
    Her face paled to ghostly white, tears at the corners of her eyes. “I… I’m an assassin, Austin. Murder doesn’t affect me.”
    “So, why are you crying?”
    Her fingers flew to her face. Her eyes widened when she came away with tears on her fingers. Swiping them from her cheeks, she cleared her throat and turned to Mitchell.
    “Next question?”
    Taken aback, Austin stared at her ruddy face. What the hell was that? The woman he’d made love with earlier wasn’t a cold-hearted killer. She may be tough and determined, but she wasn’t without compassion.
    Dylan stopped behind Teague’s chair to brace his hands on the arms. “Are you saying Teague is in danger?”
    Her matter-of-fact tone made her sound like one of the clones. “Will they kill her? No. But, they will try to retrieve her again.”
    Dylan released a string of curse words that bounced off the sound-proof walls. Despite the wedding activities, Austin knew McCall would never let Teague out of his sight now. The woman carried his child. If he was in Dylan’s shoes, he’d do the same thing.
    “How long were you at Mrs. Burnett’s home?” Mitchell said.
    Whipping around, Dylan’s voice hummed with outrage. “Mitchell, she just – “
    Mitchell’s razor-sharp tone cut into Dylan’s tirade. “I heard her, McCall.” He dropped his gaze to the chair beside Teague. “Sit.”
    McCall dropped into the chair, his body humming.
    Belle said, “I’m not sure how long I stayed there but, I do remember having cake on the island for my sixth birthday.”
    “Cyrus’s Hawaiian island?” Dylan said.
    “Clay Matheson’s island,” she countered. “His grandfather. We traveled to the past when Mr. Matheson needed us for more donations.”
    Austin frowned. What did she mean by ‘the past?’
    Dark rings stood out beneath Mitchell’s eyes when he looked at Austin. “Until recently, the Matheson’s had the ability to time travel. We destroyed their Mongolian compound, which also housed a prison for potential clone donors, and confiscated the last of their machines. Between the island and the compound, we think we’ve destroyed any files they may have had on the technology.”
    Disbelief stilled him in his seat, while his gaze searched the others’ faces for common sense. He held up a hand in front of him. “Hold up. You’re shittin’ me, right?”
    He looked around the table. Nothing but