Staying Alive by Debra Webb

his eyes before he blinked it away.
    “ Bait isn’t the word I would use.”
    Now that intense gaze found someplace else to land. Anyplace but on her it seemed.
    “What word would you use?” The cold hard reality of her fate had begun to sink in fully, kindling a survival reaction, however delayed. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help make her country a safe place. On the contrary, she did. It was the idea that this man and his team only saw her as one thing, a means to an end. That part made her furious.
    “You’re an asset, Miss Grant. The security of your country may very well depend on you.”
    The cold fear that had invaded her body from the moment she’d received that threatening call had given way to numbness. Along the way she’d felt anticipation, frustration and even irritation. But this feeling was beyond all that.
    Maybe it was resignation. Yes, that was it. She now realized the full ramifications of her predicament.
    She was a dead woman…any way you looked at it.
    Either Nusair would kill her or the FBI would get her killed attempting to lure him in.
    “I know this isn’t exactly an optimal position, Miss Grant. Let me assure you that your safety will be paramount throughout this operation.”
    That promise prompted a dry laugh from her throat. She hadn’t meant to let it escape. Optimal —definitely not. “I thought stopping Nusair was paramount, Agent Krueger.”
    His guard went up. She noted the change in his expression as surely as she felt the disruption in her own heart’s rhythm at the idea that her options were limited. No matter the outcome of this conversation, she had little choice in what happened next.
    “Do you have a problem making certain sacrifices for your country, Miss Grant?”
    Fury ignited in her belly. That he tacked her name onto practically every statement he made was nothing more than a way to keep her off guard…feeling inferior somehow.
    “Of course not. It’s just that I’m a little surprised at your sidestepping the real issue here.”
    “And what is the real issue from your perspective?”
    “This operation will most likely get me killed. Ensuring my safety will only be a priority as long as it doesn’t interfere with getting Nusair. I know that. You know that. I just want to hear you say it.”
    The standoff lasted all of ten seconds.
    Claire couldn’t say for sure exactly why it wasso important to her for this man to admit his real intent, but somehow it was.
    “Your safety is and will be priority one.”
    For another beat or two she was certain he intended to leave it at that…a lie.
    “But if a choice has to be made, completing the ultimate goal will take precedence. You surely see there is no other way,” Krueger continued.
    Well, at least he was honest.
    “That’s all I needed to hear.”
    Claire stood.
    His gaze remained fixed on hers.
    “I need to talk to my friend before…” How did she phrase this? “…before we go any further.”
    “Of course.” He pushed back his chair and rose to his full, confidence-stealing height. “I’ll send her in so that the two of you will have some privacy.”
    Special Agent Luke Krueger walked out of the room.
    Claire closed her eyes to hold back the emotion brimming there and steadied herself. Promised herself she would not cry. She would not take this like a sissy. Her father had raised her to be stronger than this.
    “Claire.”
    She blinked rapidly and rearranged her expression into one of optimism before turning to greet her best friend. “Hey.”
    Scanning the unexpected furnishings in the room, Darlene hurried over to where Claire waited.
    “What’s going on here?”
    “You were right,” Claire told her. “These guys are FBI. That call I received really was from Abdul Nusair. Apparently he’s decided to make me pay for protecting my students.” She couldn’t bring herself to say “for killing his son,” out loud.
    Darlene seemed to digest that information for a moment. “Was the