When Day Breaks

CHAPTER 31

SAM Kelly immediately answered the secure phone, anxious to get a report from Steele or Rio. After what had happened in Paris, Sam was more determined than ever to use any and all resources he had at his disposal to rid Eden of the threat to her.

“Sam,” he said shortly.

“This is Steele,” Steele said curtly. “Someone got to Sanchez before we did and Jesus, it’s a bloody massacre. Everyone is dead. Sanchez, his men. The place is trashed. It’s a complete clusterfuck.”

“Goddamn Hancock!” Sam swore. “I should have seen this coming after he reared his head in Paris and promptly disappeared and fell off the radar. I’m one hundred percent sure he’s behind this. He has close ties to Eden and her family, and it’s just like him to take matters into his hands and take out any threat to what he considers his family.”

“Well, he fucked us on getting intel,” Steele said, obviously as pissed as Sam was. “I’m having my team go through the pieces to see what, if anything, we can learn, but I have a feeling Hancock took anything pertinent to our investigation. What do you want us to do now, boss man?”

“Complete your sweep,” Sam replied tersely. “I’ll call Rio up and tell him to stand down. I’ll report in with Nathan and Joe. Tell them the developments. If Sanchez hired an assassin, he’ll quickly discover that he’s not going to get paid, so I think they can breathe a little easier. I’ll tell them to continue their security until the shoot is over but that they can relax a little. It should take a lot of pressure off Eden as she winds this down.”

“Will do,” Steele said. “We’ll let you know if we discover anything, and then we’re pulling out and heading home unless you need us for something else.”

“Things are quiet right now,” Sam replied. “All we have going on right now is Eden’s protection, but I’ll let you know if things change. I know you’re anxious to get back to Maren and Olivia.”

There was a pause before Steele gruffly responded, “Yeah, I am. But we’ll get the job done and report in with anything we find.”

Sam disconnected and then sucked in a deep breath. Fucking Hancock. At times it seemed they couldn’t move for tripping over him. He always popped in from nowhere and they never knew what side he lined up on, despite the fact that he’d saved Maren, Steele’s wife, at much risk to himself.

He shook his head. Who knew Hancock had actual human ties to anyone? He was more machine than man. The news that he considered Eden and her father and brothers “family” had been a shocker because Hancock was most certainly a lone wolf. Always going his own way and answering to no one. He was definitely a wild card. Someone Sam was always wary of, no matter the circumstances.

He didn’t trust Hancock as far as he could throw him, no matter that he’d actually been helpful to KGI’s cause in the past. And Sam wasn’t deluded enough to think that Hancock helped out of the goodness of his heart. The man always had his reasons for every move he made.

With a shake of his head, he called Joe and relayed the news to him. After listening to Joe mutter the same curses Sam had uttered himself upon receiving the news, they hung up, with Sam issuing the warning that although they could relax, they were not to stand completely down and to treat the situation as if there were still an existing threat to Eden.

They had only a short time left before Eden wrapped up and would be returning home. At that point, KGI could sign off, collect their paycheck and put another successful mission down in the books.