Dark Waters (2013) by Toni Anderson Read Free Book Online

a covert Russian agent with government training.” Kudrow’s expression of disgust made Rand’s spine tingle. The guy was close to snapping and he needed to be ready for whatever the hell happened next. “Of course she’s what she seems! She has twenty-seven grade-three pupils starting September fifth. I have a list of their names. She drives a VW Beetle and shops in fucking Ikea. She’s a schoolteacher who’s made us look like a bunch of assholes.”
    “We know she flew into Vancouver.” Petrie tried to calm his boss down. “Then she dropped off the radar.”
    “Cool it. She’s just a schoolteacher,” Rand reminded them quietly. “We’ll get our money back.” They’d taken out warlords and heavily guarded government ministers, but his colleagues were suddenly pissing their pants like raw recruits over one untrained female? Women were good for one thing and that didn’t include getting in his way. “How’d Davis get this job anyway?” Rand asked.
    “I hired him.” The General’s thick eyebrows bunched. “Prison warden heard about the fact we hired ex-cons, Davis Silver had dual nationality, and he wanted to help him out. Gave him a personal recommendation and I thought he might prove useful.” And he had—all the way up to stealing their money and falling under that train.
    Kudrow’s brows wedged into a deep furrow. “We need to run deeper background checks on both of them if we’re going to find the girl.”
    The General surveyed his troops and Rand automatically stood to attention. He hit each of them in the eye with a bullet-hard gaze. “I know we all have a little cash stashed away, but not enough to disappear from Uncle. There is no backup plan. There is no extraction strategy for this situation. That sixty million is
ours
and we earned every goddamned penny.” He adjusted his shirt cuffs. The man always looked more comfortable in camo gear than a suit. “And just in case any of you get cold feet, know this…” Rand stilled. “
If
you run,
if
you talk to the feds, or betray this organization, I will hunt you down, I will find you, and I will kill you. Clear?”
    Silence bounced around the room.
    No one discounted the man just because he was a good twenty-five years older than the rest of them. But it didn’t mean Rand would make it easy for him if it came to that. A small smile curled the edge of his lips as he acknowledged the challenge.
    “As a fucking bell, General,” said Rand. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll hunt down the woman.” The thought heated his blood. Not that she had a chance against a man like him, but at least she wasn’t completely dumb. She had a good head start. It always made things interesting.
    “Goddamn elementary school teacher.” Kudrow shook his head again. “Take Marco with you.”
    “Enjoy Canada.” Petrie smirked.
    “Dump your personal phones and vehicles—I don’t want any electronic trace of you anywhere outside this office.” Kudrow’s jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might crack.
    Rand caught an untraceable burner phone Petrie tossed him. Kudrow handed them ready-made false identities they used on jobs, a wad of cash, and a credit card associated with—he looked at the papers—Benny Tacon.
Shit
. Who the hell thought up that alias?
    Rand headed out the door with Marco on his heels. Hunting was what he did best, not sitting around watching Petrie type andmoan like a girl. He didn’t like people fucking with him, and he was in the mood for a little fun, a little payback. Anna Silver was just the girl to provide it.

    “So the dead guy called nine-one-one before he fell under a train?” Jack Panetti asked his contact at the Chicago PD on the phone.
And you guys didn’t think this might indicate foul play?
Jack had been a detective before he’d become a PI and sometimes wished he was back on the force. That was always before he climbed into his Mercedes convertible or took off on a week’s vacation just for the hell