Flexing his hands, he considered his options. They’d chosen the narrowest part of the hallway, away from the access doors. The noise level from the conference section was greatly diminished and chances were sound wouldn’t carry. He had a gun, but once he pulled it, he’d have to be efficient and leave without getting caught on the five hundred or so cameras everywhere else in the building.
“Easy or hard, Danvers?” Cold challenge in the gravelly voice.Merc.
“Considering you already sucker punched me once in the back of the head, we’ll go with hard.” Anger stiffened his stance. Despite the scars and hostility, the man moved with purpose. He would not go down easily. Gabriel could only imagine the other man behind him was equally well trained. “You could go easier on yourself,” he offered. “Walk away, leave Copper to me, and don’t bother her again.”
No emotion flashed in the cool dead eyes staring at him. The scant seconds let Gabriel spot the fire extinguisher, blunt force and blinding opportunity all rolled into one. Copper proved to him she was dangerous, and while he’d been expecting the fight with her, he’d also trusted she didn’t want to hurt him.
Merc? This guy would inflict damage.
“Time’s up.” Despite his size, Merc moved fast. The fist coming at his head couldn’t be avoided, so Gabriel got his arm raised to block the blow. Pain burst in his forearm, then spread out like numbness. A hit slammed into him from behind. He split his knuckles driving his fist into Merc’s scarred face and barely avoided another punch to the side of his head.
They were going for speed and takedown. His specialty was avoidance and swift strikes. Merc’s was apparently power and decimation. Two arms locked around his shoulders, and he jammed his forearm up to break the chokehold. Using the man’s grip for leverage, he aimed a kick at Merc’s head. A door slammed in the hallway, and they halted.
Footsteps shuffled toward them and not one of them breathed. The steps moved away. Before they could resume, a cell phone rang and the arms around him tightened with threat. “Stay.”
Merc’s angry slash of an expression grew more dour as he took one step back and pulled out his phone. “What?”
A camera with a red light blinked at Gabriel, and he stared at it.
“No, he chose the hard way.” A pause, then Merc held the phone toward him. “Let him go. Chrome wants to speak to him.”
Chrome? Copper? What was with the fascination with metal? Wiping the blood from his lip, Gabriel stepped away from his captor and eyed the six-foot plus blond with eyes as cold as Merc’s. Copper really needed new friends.
“This is Gabriel Danvers,” he said into the phone. “Who the fuck is this?”
“This is the man who can order them to put a bullet in your head, Mr. Danvers.” Nothing kind lived in the hard tone on the other end of the phone. He didn’t have to check, but when he did, it didn’t surprise Gabriel to find two weapons pointed at him. They had the advantage now.
Likely had it all along.
“I’m listening,” he told the mysterious Chrome.
“Then listen carefully. If you lie to me, it will be the last lie you tell.” He didn’t wait for Gabriel to acknowledge his threat. “Why are you in Las Vegas?”
“I’d planned to attend this conference regardless.” He’d even mentioned it to his class. “The other reason I’m here is classified and likely above your pay grade.”
“Then read me in.”
Impossible. He didn’t know the man, his credentials, or why he should trust him. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to shoot me,” he said. “I’m not in the habit of sharing classified data with strangers, especially not strangers running black ops missions within the U.S.”
“Mr. Danvers, according to your file, you walked away from the company because you disagreed with their tactics and dissemination of intel.” No way he had his file. “You walked away, but now you’re involved again. Read me in, or we’re taking you out.”
“If you plan to shoot me regardless, why the game?”
Silence met the question. “Because Copper doesn’t want you dead. She thinks you can be an asset. Prove her right.”
If she really thought that, why wasn’t she here? Either they were handing him a line of bullshit, or his sexy little Marine was still following orders, whether she was active duty or not. Every Jarhead he’d ever met was hardcore, in or out of the uniform.
“An old case file of mine became active. I wanted to check it out. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“So you’re not there for her or to set her up?” The guarded question carried a great deal of weight. Did they really care? Or did they want to use her as leverage?
The scarred man stared at him with deadly intensity. If looks could kill, Gabriel expected he would be six feet under. “She’s none of your fucking business.” He told the asshole on the phone.
“Interesting. Give the phone back to Merc.”
He held the phone out and waited. Merc accepted the device. The other man’s gun never wavered. The icy cone of quiet around his second, unnamed assailant proved more unnerving than scar face’s taciturn stare.
“Got it,” Merc said, then hung the phone up. “Lucky day for you, Mr. Danvers. Plat is going to escort you from this building. He’s going to put you in a car and take you somewhere to sit this out. Cooperate, and you’ll get there in one piece.”