Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
“There’s no benefit to taking a person’s memories.”
“Oh, I disagree. It’s going to be to both of our benefits.” He looked at her with a sick resolve on his face. “When I’m done, you will be unburdened by the past. You’ll be free of him. We’ll start over and I’ll treat you like a queen. You won’t know a moment’s despair. You’ll forget that your parents ignored you. You’ll forget that you were nothing but a prop for them. You’ll forget how hard it was for you to get through high school and how lonely you were. And the wreckage Beck wrought on your soul will be gone. You’ll be left with nothing but a husband who puts you first. I do promise that. I’ll always fight for you.”
She’d only thought she’d seen the depths of his madness. “Even when I’ve made it plain that I don’t want you?”
“Isn’t that the stuff of epic love stories? I’m the man who won’t give up, who’ll have you no matter what. Because I know I’m what’s best for you.” He turned in his seat. “I’ve known I had to do something about the situation for a long time, but I needed two things. I needed that formulary, which I picked up from the data we found in Colorado.”
He was so good at rewriting history. “You mean the data Jax Seaborne found and you stole.”
“That data was taken from a secure CIA site, so who was stealing?” Levi asked. “I originally planned to get the formulary from Tucker’s mission. It was precisely why I hired a hacker to add your crimes to Kronberg’s files. This was supposed to go down over three years ago. Never let it be said I’m not patient.”
He’d been planning to steal her memory for a long time. “Why not have the hacker give you the files?”
“They had to come from an op the Agency would approve of. Otherwise I couldn’t use the data the way I wanted to,” Levi admitted. “Do you think I don’t know there are people who watch me constantly? Any data I brought in would be suspect—especially anything concerning you. Unless that data came from a secure place, say, directly from the head of Kronberg’s computer. The fact that my operative sacrificed so much to get the intel out is merely the cherry on top. I mean I had to wait because Tucker was dumb enough to get caught, but it’s really worked out.”
What a tangled fucking web. “So you admit you did this to me. You admit you know damn well I didn’t commit treason.”
“Of course. Sweetheart, this was meant to put you under my control. That’s all. I promise I’ll clear it all up later. I know you would never betray your country. You’re an excellent operative. It’s one of the things I admire about you. You’re brave and strong. Sometimes you’re too queasy to really get things done, but that’s why I’m around. It’s why we make a good team.”
The enormity of what he’d done slammed into her. “You’ve been planning this for years. You meant to do this to me over three years ago.”
“I think I’ve been planning it since I truly understood you were going to marry Beck. I thought he was nothing more than a passing crush. He’s broody and rough and you were rebelling, but I always knew you would come back to me.”
“We never dated,” she said between gritted teeth.
“People like us rarely date.” Levi took another sip. “We form relationships. For that first year we ate most of our meals together, studied together, when you went for a run, I would go along. It came as a shock when I realized you were attracted to that dull moron, but I got it. I knew he would bore the hell out of you and you would come back to me.”
“I never felt that way about you.” She glanced out the back, trying to figure out where they were going. How long did she have before he would put her on a plane and she wouldn’t see freedom again? How long before he took the most precious thing she owned—her memories?
She saw a black Benz driving behind her. There was something familiar about that sedan, but then there were lots of black Benzes on the road. It was pure wishful thinking that someone would come for her.
“I’m sure that’s what you tell yourself,” Levi replied. “But I know the truth.”
There was no talking to him about this. She glanced out the tinted windows. They were leaving the city. She could see far more green than concrete now. How was she going to get away? If she got on that plane with him, she would disappear, and by the time anyone saw her again she would be some Stepford wife for Levi to show off. Of course there were other reasons he could want her. “I suppose you’ll have my accounts transferred to you.”