Free Stolen Vengeance: Slye Temp book 6 by Dianna Love Page A

had to take the North Korea contract.
    “Right. Those two men came from what we’ve confirmed is the largest Asian division of Orion Hunters.”
    She didn’t want to talk about the hunters so she finally said, “I thought we were talking about Rikker.”
    He surprised her when he said, “We are.”
    “Really?”
    “Have I finally got your attention?”
    Feeling reprimanded, she said, “Yes.”
    He shifted in his seat and leaned forward, covering the hand that she’d dropped to the console.
    If she pulled it away, she’d look intimidated.
    If she left it there, she risked turning her hand over to feel his fingers weave through hers.
    Her heart got a cardio workout while she decided.
    His voice lost the tense edge of a moment ago and he started explaining, “You think I’m intentionally holding back information, but I’m not. I’ve been uncovering information ... things that keep me up at night. You want Rikker. I get that, but I haven’t told you some things until now because I think Rikker is just a thread leading to a much bigger organization of power players pulling strings.”
    “Who?”
    “I’m not sure if the players are here, foreign or both. The Orion Hunters might sound like a bunch of fanatics to most people in this country–”
    She cut in sarcastically, “That would be the ninety-nine percent who have no idea how close we came to the hunters poisoning a major aquifer that supplies a third of our water.”
    “Right, but the trail I’ve been on is becoming harder to navigate all the time. There’s an obscene amount of money moving around in search of the five artifacts the Orion Hunters want ... and a bloody trail of bodies connected to them.”
    “We’re getting off topic.”
    “No, we’re not.” He kept his hand on hers. That single touch shoved her mind off track.
    If she didn’t free her hand soon, she would be in danger of not taking it back. Scrambling to think, she blurted out, “Rikker. What were you going to tell me about him?”
    “I believe Rikker’s involved.”
    “How? When you and I talked in Atlanta last year–”
    “You mean when you finally came out of hiding?” he interjected.
    She ignored the taunt. “You originally told me Rikker had been tracking the Orion Hunters. Now you’re telling me he’s involved with them?”
    “Possibly.”  He laid it out for her. “We found a dead Orion Hunter in Atlanta two days ago who fits the description of the one who killed Bergman.”
    She didn’t bat an eyelash at Gage knowing that. He was in the business of information and clearly had resources working stateside on this specific case. “How do you know it was an Orion Hunter?”
    “He had intentional scarring on his neck that matched the Orion star configuration found on one of the people busted in the ring attempting to destroy the aquifer.”
    Her skin felt clammy. What had Dingo stumbled into with Bergman?
    Gage squeezed her hand gently and she felt it all the way up her arm and into her chest. He asked, “Want to tell me what Dingo discussed with Bergman?”
    “Not particularly.”
    “Information goes both ways.”
    This was the Gage she knew during missions, the one who could squeeze a name out of a dead body. “You’re way behind in the sharing department, Laughton.”
    He grimaced and went on. “I’m about to share something with you that no one in the CIA knows. No one in any government agency knows, not unless they’re involved, so I need you to tell me that you won’t share this even with Josh and Dingo.”
    “Are you serious?”
    “You want information? I’m bringing it, but it comes with that price.”
    “I promised them they could be a part of the takedown when we found Rikker.”
    “ I didn’t make that promise,” Gage said, not giving on this. “You can’t tell them until it’s time to act. And you’re not in any position to do that right now, but with the three of you out here, I don’t want anyone muddying the water when we