Monty’s kidnapping of Hannah and her newborn had pushed Sin over the edge. The only reason he wouldn’t kill Monty on sight was because he needed information. But he’d be happy to beat it out of him. And then, take his life.
Gritting his teeth, Sin pushed forward. Anger powered him down the hall and into the conference room.
The floor lamp in the windowless room bathed the space in a muted light. Six large, black chairs surrounded the shiny black conference table. No artwork on the walls. No frills of any kind. Over the years, countless life and death decisions had been made around that table. Tonight, Sin took his seat at the head.
Dakota escorted Maverick, Colton, and Crockett into the room.
“How are you feeling?” Maverick asked.
“Never better,” Sin replied dryly. “Thanks for coming.”
Colton eased down beside him. “Bring us up to speed.”
The men listened while Sin summarized what had happened over the past several weeks.
“Do you think Evangeline’s sister and nephew are alive?” Maverick asked.
“I have no fucking idea.”
“What’s Jagger’s position?” Maverick asked.
Dakota’s phone binged. “They’re here.”
“He wants Monty handled,” Sin replied. “And he doesn’t care how it gets done.”
“I’ve got a lot of patience,” Crockett said, “but I want him handled, too.”
“He’s a sociopath,” Colton said. “He won’t tell us the truth.”
“He’ll talk,” Sin replied. “Because I’m gonna beat the answer out of him.”
“Dakota, you’ve been quiet,” Maverick said.
“I’m done worrying he’s going to kill Sinclair,” Dakota replied. “It’s a no-brainer for me and I’ll take care of it myself.” He pushed out of the chair.
“Put him in the hole,” Sin said, “but do not rough him up.”
A sinister smile brightened his brother’s eyes. “I hate when you play nice, brother.” And with that, Dakota left.
“Excuse me.” Evangeline stood in the doorway.
His gaze met hers and, as she hurried over, he pushed out of his chair. Her arms wrapped around him, her love filling him with strength. He would do right by this woman because this was the person who mattered most. This was his person.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I wanted to throttle him, but opted for a less aggressive approach.” She acknowledged the men around the table before turning back to Sin. “How are you doing?”
“Ready to confront my past.”
“I didn’t talk about Hannah or Robert, but he did perk up when I mentioned your death.”
“His happiness will be fleeting.”
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Evangeline, are you here as a federal agent?” Maverick asked.
“No. The FBI still has me on administrative leave. I’m here because I’m desperate to find my sister and her baby and because,” she shifted to Sin, “I’m in love with your brother. This Joey or Monty or whatever he’s calling himself has got to be stopped.”
“I trust her,” Sin said.
“I want to talk to him,” she said. “Give me five minutes with him first.”
Dakota returned. “I gave him an injection and he’s coming around.”
“Evangeline wants to talk to Monty,” Sin said.
“No,” Dakota replied.
“I need to question him about my sister.”
“Make sure Jacoby stays with her,” Sin said to Dakota before returning his attention to Evangeline. “We’ll watch from here.” He tapped a keypad and the screen affixed to the wall fired up, displaying a small room with a metal table and two metal chairs.
“Thank you,” she said before exiting the room.
The men turned their attention to the large screen. A moment later, Evangeline entered the room. She looked composed and calm, but Sin knew that beneath that cool exterior, an inferno burned. While waiting, she closed her eyes and inhaled. On a soft flutter, she opened them and stood tall. She said something under her breath that the mic in the room didn’t pick up, but the determination in her eyes told Sin everything he needed to know.
Rather than sitting, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Jacoby entered with Monty.
“Sit,” Jacoby told him.
As he folded into the metal chair, Monty glared at her. “If you think I’m going to help you, think again, bitch.” His gruff voice was tight with anger.
“Where’s my sister?”
“No clue.” He shifted his gaze to Jacoby. “You drugged me and brought me to some shithole so this dick tease could question me about her stupid sister? Jesus, man, what the fuck is going on?”
Evangeline spun the chair around and straddled it. “Your luck has run out, Thomas Monty.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I can reinvent myself on a dime. You and I could have cleaned up together in Florida.”
Jacoby placed his palms on the table and glared down at him. “I would suggest you stop your damn gloating and answer Evangeline’s question. Where are her sister and the baby?”
As Monty stared at Jacoby, recognition flashed in his eyes. “Don’t you work for Develin?”
Silence.
“I know my rights,” Monty continued, “and I demand to speak with a lawyer.”
Jacoby snickered. “Yeah, I’ll get one for you, right away.”
Evangeline folded her hands on the table. “You know, Monty, you’re right. We could have cleaned up in Florida. In fact, you’re already a very wealthy, very successful businessman there.” She shrugged. “So, why give up the sun and the beach for D.C. in the dead of winter?”
His lips curled and he puffed out his chest. “You can never have enough of two things.”
“Oh, yeah?” She smiled. “What's that?”
“Money and pussy. I was invited here for a business opportunity.”
“What did Hannah have to do with that?”
As he leaned back, a smug expression filled his face. “Before I answer that, what are you going to do for me?”
She pushed out of the chair and stared down at him. “I’m not going to do anything until you answer my question.”
“And what question is that?” Monty asked.
“Typical Monty,” Dakota said to the others at the conference table. “He’s just fucking with her.”
“Where. Is. My. Sister?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Monty yelled. “That sniveling idiot was a complete waste of my time.”
“Who brought you to D.C.?” Evangeline asked.
“I don’t snitch on my business connections.”
“You’re making a big mistake.”
“Screw off, bitch.” Monty’s lip curled into a snarl. “I’m done with you.”
Glaring at him, she said, “Big mistake not answering my questions.” On that, she left the room.
“I didn’t expect him to cooperate,” Sin said, turning off the monitor.
“If he had, I wouldn’t get to have my fun with him,” Dakota said.