Guardian Agent Read Online Free PDF Page B

now sunk in. He looked twenty years older and twenty pounds lighter than the last time they’d met.
    And a lot less friendlier. “What’s wrong with my sister?”
    “I’m fine.” Jasmine stepped forward, swaying on her feet, which pretty much undermined her words.
    “Where are her clothes?” Tekla demanded, then went on without waiting for an answer. “Come over here and get behind me,” he ordered Jasmine. “What did he do to you?”
    Her response came after a long, uncomfortable moment of hesitation. “He drugged me a little. It’s okay. He’s here to help.” She rubbed her forehead. “I think,” she added.
    Way to go with the endorsement.
    Tekla had killed three innocent men, Americans. He wouldn’t hesitate to shoot now when his family was in danger and he was cornered. The situation had top potential for going real bad real fast, so Gabe held still. No sense in giving provocation if he could help it.
    “Brent and his men are coming,” Jasmine said with exquisite timing.
    Jake swore as he took the safety off his gun.
    “I know about Lahedeh,” Gabe said the only thing he could think of to defuse the tension.
    Tekla froze, a look of surprise replacing the fierce concentration on his face. “You do?”
    “I know Brent was there.” He bluffed.
    “Brent who?”
    Oh, hell. Tekla had been to Lahedeh. Brent had been to Lahedeh. That had to be the connection between the two. This op definitely meant something personal to Brent. He wanted Tekla dead too badly. And he didn’t care who died with the target. Sometimes he sounded as if he wanted the whole family to be eliminated.
    Why?
    No way those kinds of orders would come from the U.S. government that was supposedly their client for the op. Not when the target was a U.S. citizen.
    Gabe kept steady, wanting the op to be over without getting killed, without having to kill anyone unnecessarily. He scrambled for something to say.
    But Tekla spoke first, his eyebrows lifting. “Was Brent the other medic?”
    Here we go. Brent had been a medic. “Yes.” Gabe gambled.
    Tekla looked him over again. “Where do you come in? You weren’t there. How did you hook up with him?”
    “Left the Army for the FBI two years ago. Brent recruited me from there. I have nothing to do with what went down at Lahedeh.”
    “You have no idea what went down at Lahedeh.” Tekla sneered.
    “I might,” he bluffed.
    “If you did, you’d be dead already. Everyone else is, except me. And I mean to stay alive.”
    “Nobody has to get hurt. Let me take you in. The government will give you a fair trial.”
    Tekla gave a short, sour laugh. “I’ll never reach any courtroom.”
    “We’re here on a government contract. You killed people. You’re AWOL from the army. If you have a good reason for all that, they’ll hear you out.” He did believe that.
    “Can I come out? I can’t breathe in here.” A plaintive voice asked from under the blanket Gabe had been keeping in his peripheral vision.
    “Come out and go into another room with Jasmine,” Tekla ordered.
    The younger sister peeked from her hiding place, then emerged little by little, hair all mussed and cheeks pink with fever, eyes glassy. Jasmine went to her immediately, feeling her forehead and frowning. “She’s in no shape to walk around,” she told her brother. “Gabe isn’t going to hurt us.”
    He appreciated the vote of confidence. Scanned the room. “Where is the aunt?”
    All he got were funny looks. “The aunt from Arkansas,” he clarified.
    “Spending the winter with her sister in Florida,” Tekla said.
    Thank God. The last thing they needed in the middle of this volatile situation was another civilian.
    “When are the men coming?” Tekla asked Jasmine.
    She shot a questioning look to Gabe.
    He glanced at his watch. “About forty minutes.” As a gesture of goodwill, he tucked his weapon away. “She needs help.” He nodded toward the younger sister.
    Jasmine rolled her eyes at him. “Why did