Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Don’t even think about running,” Carter said. The menace in his voice was darker than I’d ever heard it.
He knew I was weighing my options, but I couldn’t have moved even if I thought he was going to kill me. The look he gave me had me rooted to the spot. It was full of anger, but also hunger. Damn, I wanted to fuck him. Again.
Carter didn’t say another word. He just turned away, knowing I’d follow him. I expected him to lock me up again. Even if I told him everything, spilled it all out right there, I didn’t think he’d give a fuck about who ordered me to do what I did or the reasons why I did it. I’d still fucked him over. I’d still shot him. I’d still broken his heart. And I’d do it again if I had to, because no one was going to hurt him.
He led me away from the building. “Where are we going?”
“You don’t get a fucking say.”
“I hadn’t expected to, but I also didn’t expect to go on an excursion.”
“I hadn’t planned to take you on one until I talked to Leo.”
I stumbled, almost hitting the pavement. “Leo?”
“Yes. Don’t play games with me. Not anymore.”
My pulse thundered in my ears. How much did he know? Had Leo spilled my secrets for me? When I’d arrived in New York, I’d contacted X, a powerful man I’d worked with briefly on a joint mission with Army Rangers. He’d put me in contact with Leo who was former CIA.
“How the fuck do you know Leo?”
“I don’t, but X thought he should enlighten me about what really happened last year.”
“So he told you I’m not the bad guy you thought I was?”
Carter glared at me over his shoulder. “You’re most definitely a bad guy.”
I smiled at him will all the evil charm I’d used when we first met, from before he’d pushed past the façade and broken me wide open.
How much did his friends know about us? Did they know what we’d meant to meet other. I doubted it. It would hurt Carter’s pride too much to let them know how hard he’d fallen for me, but Carter knew. He remembered.
I was going to have to use that to get myself out of this mess. I’d hoped to just fucking run from him, but I owed him a chance to take out his revenge on me. And I supposed I owed him the truth more than anyone else, but the part of it that might make him change his mind was the one thing I intended to keep to myself, at least until I could learn more about who’d fucked over both of us.
Carter pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pressed the fob to unlock a black SUV. “Get in.”
“Are you going to be the bossy one today?”
“Fuck you. Get in the car.”
“Yes, sir.” When I gave him a fake salute, his eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists. I thought he might punch me again, but he stomped to the other side of the vehicle, yanked open his door with nearly enough force to rip it off, and climbed into the driver’s seat.
He really did trust me to obey him. What would he do if took off? Would he chase me? Would he shoot me? Part of me wanted to find out.
I opened the door and sat down in the SUV.
Carter scrubbed his hands over his face. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me instead of me having to find out from Leo?”
The pain in his voice gave me hope I shouldn’t allow myself. Would he ever admit how much he’d cared for me? Had he seen how much I cared, or had he truly thought I was incapable of such feelings? Fuck. He’d probably thought I didn’t have a heart, even before I ruined everything.
“I couldn’t. I’d already ruined my mission, but I needed to determine my next step.”
“And that’s what you cared about? The mission?”
I didn’t answer.
“Why did you do it? Why did you join the fucking CIA?”
So he didn’t know everything. I blew out a harsh breath. Did it really matter what I said? There were no good answers, and the reason I hadn’t told him…I doubted he’d believe me. And if he did, it would just sound like I was trying to manipulate him. Again. If I told him the CIA had forbidden me to tell anyone, that would also sound like bullshit. Since when did I play by the rules?
Which was exactly why they’d targeted me—that and my connection to Carter.
The CIA asshole who’d recruited me had convinced me I wouldn’t last long in the SEALs. I was too defiant, to unwilling to do as I was told. It was one thing to go off script when things went sideways, but I had been writing entirely new scripts of my own. They’d fucking worked, but command hadn’t really cared about that.