Natalie's soul seemed to have left her body. Her fingers, white-knuckled, gripped the phone, unable to summon the strength to answer.
Samuel's suspicion crystallized into certainty.
With a sharp motion, he snatched the device from her trembling hands and pressed answer.
A rough, furious voice exploded from the speaker. "You stupid b***h! About time! Samuel's men are onto the arms smuggling trail. I had to eliminate two of my own to cover it. Listen—get me his other intelligence channel, now! Or you're next."
The voice dropped, thick with menace. "I've got no problem burning it all down. I'll tell him everything—how you set him up on that battlefield, staged the whole damn rescue. Do you think that bastard will still treat you like his precious pet once he knows? Huh?"
Samuel's hand be
