“I think you do.” I put the laptop on the coffee table and leaned back into my seat, and didn’t miss the way Theo’s eyes caught on my naked chest. But I wouldn’t let him change the topic. “I think there’s more going on here than what you’re telling me. Sure, this might not be you, but you knowsomething. You already told me you were in Istanbul, but you’re also telling me these videos are fake.”
“Those two thingscanbe true, you know.”
“I know.” I ran a frustrated hand through my damp hair. “But I can’t help you if you don’t start trusting me. You’re holding something back, and I want to know what it is.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “You think I made that building explode.”
“I don’t know what to think, but you sure as shit aren’t giving me much to go on. So if you want to keep King off your ass, and save your own, you might want to start talking.”
Theo shot to his feet and started to pace the length of the room, and it took everything I had not to push further. But I knew if I did, it would just push him away, and that was the last thing I wanted.
I had no idea what had happened in Istanbul, or who was behind these videos, but I suddenly found myself wanting Theo to trust me enough to open up and tell me how he’d ended up in this fucked-up situation.
“I went to Istanbul at the request of a former acquaintance…”
That was a start, but he was still being evasive, and that just wouldn’t do. Not when someone was threatening to ruin his reputation on a global scale and possibly expose his Libertine connection.
“What kind of acquaintance? An ex?”
Theo stopped pacing and looked over his shoulder at me. “Would you be jealous?”
“Would you focus?”
He licked his lips and ran his gaze down over me. “Sure you want me to do that?”
“I meant on our conversation.”
“Shame… But no, not an ex. A former royal guard here at the palace.”
That was interesting. So whatever was going on had something personally to do with Theo, not Libertine.
“Former?” I pressed. “I thought that position was basically lifelong once given.”
“It can be, but he left due to family matters. Or at least, that’s the reason he gave. We figured that meant a sick parent he needed to take care of, and he was released from his position immediately.”
I crossed my arms and didn’t miss the way Theo’s attention fell to my chest. Even discussing something important wasn’t enough of a distraction, it seemed.
“Why would a former guard asking you to come to Istanbul be a reason to take out your tracker and keep secrets? What are you hiding?”
Theo began to pace again, and as the silence between us dragged on, I felt my impatience rise. I sat up, about to snap at him to get on with it, but then he turned around, looked me in the eye, and said, “The former guard is Conrad Black.”
All the blood drained from my face, and I shoved my chair back, getting to my feet as Theo held his hands up.
“Let me explain?—”
“Conrad Black is a traitor and informant with blood on his hands. Why thefuckwould you have anything to do with him?”
“See, this reaction is exactly why I didn’t tell you.Anyof you.”
“Have you lost your mind? You willingly got yourself mixed up with this…this…terrorist?—”
“He’s not a terrorist,” Theo said, standing his ground as I stalked toward him.
“He disclosed highly classified information that cost people their lives, Theo. That’s not someone any of us should have anything to do with, especially you.”
He opened and shut his mouth before finally nodding and dropping his hands. “You’re right. It’s fucked up what happened,and there’s no excuse for it. But he needed help, and I owed him one?—”
“You owe him shit.”
