Hearts Under Siege by Natalie J. Damschroder Read Free Book Online

off.
    “Get down, dammit!”
    Molly realized she was being an idiot, letting her need to protect her friend override her common sense. He was the one with field experience. She dropped to the ground, huddling as small as she could and covering her head with her arms. Bang! Bang! More chips went flying, then Brady was hauling her up and dragging his bag off her shoulder. They sprinted down the street, Brady cursing, Molly panting. Her heart raced with fear or exhilaration or a combination of the two, she didn’t know.
    They ducked around the corner and Brady skidded to a stop next to an old Jeep. “Get in!”
    She jerked open the door, flung herself and her bag inside, and yanked the door closed as Brady peeled out. The street was too narrow to turn around. He floored it across the intersection of the street they’d been on. Molly looked, but everything flashed by too quickly for her to spot the shooter.
    “I think we’re clear,” she said a few blocks later when there was no sign of anyone following them. The adrenaline flash faded, dragging heaviness in its wake, heaviness that dampened any relief or fear she could be feeling.
    “Yeah. Seatbelt.”
    She glanced over. He had his on already. How he’d done that, driving like a maniac and watching for pursuit all at the same time— Okay, she was officially impressed. Her own training had been sufficient to get her down here and find him, to do what she needed to do, but knowing the field agents had so many more skills was totally different from seeing one in action.
    She heaved the bags into the back and settled into her own seat, strapping in and bracing herself. For five minutes the darkness she’d been immersed in had been chased away. But now it was back, and she had to face it again. Along with all the questions Brady was definitely about to ask her.
    “Did you get what you needed from the meet?” she asked.
    “Yeah.” Brady’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “It seems pretty unimportant now, but in the big picture, it’s vital. Thanks for helping out. You got all my stuff?”
    “Yes.” She took a deep breath. Might as well dive right in. “I turned in the pistol, too.”
    “What?” His head whipped around, but they were out of the city now, the road rough and twisty, so he turned back immediately. “You did what?”
    “I found your weapon and contacted the supplier to pick it up.”
    “How do you— Why— Okay, I’m not that stupid.” His jaw tightened as he ground his teeth. “You’re SIEGE.”
    “Yes.”
    “Unbelievable.” He rubbed his forehead, elbow braced on the side of the door. “I had no idea. How did I have no idea?”
    “You weren’t supposed to have any idea.”
    “You’re, what? A conduit? Yeah, you’d have to be, with the shop. Perfect cover. And that’s why you’ve got hand-to-hand training and— Geez, how did you know who my supplier was?”
    “I didn’t.” She twisted in her seat, pulling her legs up and leaning against the door so she could watch him. This would be fun, if only the reason she’d finally been able to tell him was less horrible. “But I knew who to call.”
    “I can’t even believe—” His eyes narrowed and he shot her a look. “You knew I was SIEGE.”
    “Yes,” she said again, this time a bit more warily as they approached sensitive territory.
    “But I didn’t know you were. How does that work?” He scowled.
    “You know how it works. SIEGE keeps us all as insulated as possible. Conduits and suppliers know field agents but not each other. Agents know facilitators but not other agents.” Mostly. But how much the SIEGE support people actually interacted was irrelevant. At least, right now it was.
    “It can’t be coincidence,” Brady asserted, eyes mostly on the road. “Did they recruit you because of me?”
    “I should be insulted,” she said as lightly as possible, nudging him in the arm. “I’m good at what I do.” When he angled a look at her, she admitted,