Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“I’m not—” I yanked my hands back, but she held tight.
“You are.” She gave my fingers a squeeze and then let me go. “And Jeremy’s never been good enough. Stop settling for less than what you deserve. Stop walking the path Mom and Dad laid for you unless it’s the one you want.” One step at a time, she backed away. “I’ll see you in a month. Let’s grab pizza from that little place near the old apartment. God, I miss pizza.” She flashed another smile, then turned away and walked out, taking Taj with her.
Somehow, I made myself walk to Nate.
Somehow, he got me into the helicopter.
Somehow, I managed to breathe as we took off, leaving my sister behind in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Nate slipped his earbuds into my ears and played some of my favorite music on the flight back to Kabul, but it barely made a dent in the noise of my thoughts. I’d had her, hugged her, and now she was gone. Our flight back to the States was scheduled for ten days from now.
Was there any way I could convince Serena to leave by then?
How did I let this happen?
“You didn’t fail,” Nate said quietly as he opened my car door once we reached the embassy.
I’d been so consumed by my thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed we’d arrived. “Why would you say that?” At least this seat belt didn’t stick as I got out of the car.
“Because I know you, and I know how you think.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
“It feels a lot like failure.” The heat beat mercilessly as we walked toward the entrance.
“She made her choice.” We passed the marine guards, and Nate opened the door. “Serena has always been stubborn as a mule when it comes to her work.”
I nodded, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. The crisp air was a relief against my face as we entered the embassy’s foyer and started toward the stairs. I wanted to crawl into bed and sleep off the utter, heart-wrenching defeat. Lucky for me, none of the staff was waiting, which meant I had a chance to make it to my room without being noticed.
Nate and I walked up the steps in silence.
“Is what Serena said true?” he asked as we neared the door to my room. “About why you went to work for Senator Lauren? Why you went into politics?”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Oh. God. I’d almost forgotten that Serena had accidentally ratted me out. I opened my mouth to answer, but someone stepped out of the next room down the hall, saving me from embarrassment.
“Damn, I’ve been waiting all day for you,” a man said angrily, and Nate and I both looked down the hallway to see the figure striding our way with purpose, his face becoming disastrously clearer with every step.
Not just any man.
Jeremy was here.
My stomach hit the floor.
“I’m done hearing you don’t want to talk.” He reached for my arm and got a good grip on the upper part. “I just flew all the way—” he started, abruptly halting when Nate ripped him away. Jeremy’s body slammed against the wall beside me as Nate put his forearm against Jeremy’s windpipe.
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to touch a lady without her consent?” Every line of Nate’s body radiated threat.
Oh shit.
“No!” I put my hand on Nate’s shoulder. If he hurt Jeremy, the consequences would be dire to the career he’d fought so hard for. “Don’t. It’s okay. I’m okay.”
“Isa—” Jeremy managed to squeak out.
“You know him?” Nate asked me, his eyes narrowing with accusation.
“Yes.” I nodded, trying to swallow the huge boulder in my throat. Jeremy had never grabbed me like that before.
“Of course she knows me!” Jeremy croaked, stretching his neck melodramatically.
Nate dropped his forearm and backed up a step. Through all these years, I’d never had the two men side by side to compare before, but now that I did, the differences were startling.
Jeremy was polished, from his gelled, coiffed head of dark hair to his Armani shoes. His face was flawless, and I knew he’d flash that politician’s smile in a heartbeat with every certainty that it would sway someone to his side.
But he didn’t know Nate. Nathaniel was taller by a couple of inches, stacked with muscle, and he wielded an aura of fuck-around-and-find-out. One of Nate’s smiles had to be earned. And every scar the man carried only made him . . . more.
“I’m her fiancé!” Jeremy straightened the Hermès tie I’d given him for his birthday.
Hermès. In a freaking war zone.
The hurt that flashed through Nate’s eyes cut into me with a single glance, but he quickly masked his features as he ripped his gaze from mine, assessing Jeremy in a whole new way. His eyes caught on the badge Jeremy had pinned to his suit coat.