A part of me was relieved to hear him speak those words, if only because of how much I’d enjoyed the time we’d been able to share before it all blew up in our faces. But I didn’t deserve that. He should have been raging, furious with me for not having warned him. He should have despised me.
Of course, I knew why he didn’t. “You’re saying that because you don’t realize just how dangerous this could be or how seriously it could affect your life. Someone in our organization disclosed my identity. And we’re not a mom-and-pop department. We’re fortified and have the most sophisticated security of any operating government agency, so this leak leading to someone coming for me must’ve originated with someone who has it out for us.”
“Speaking of those assholes, what was that shit I got shot up with?”
“Ever heard of Special K?”
He stared at me blankly.
“K? Like the drug?” I added.
“Oh, yeah. Ketamine. I’ve heard of it.”
“Similar family, but we call it Special Z. Synthetic intravenous anesthetic agent created by the Chinese, stolen by the Russians and then by everyone else. Rapid onset and duration of action are fairly impressive, as I’m sure you noticed. The fact that they were using that suggests they wanted to abduct me, possibly to get more intel about the IPB.”
“IPB?”
“The International Protection Bureau, my former employer. That’s a name I never would have shared with you under normal circumstances. Anyone who even knows that name is in serious danger.”
“Well, you’ve been a part of all this already, and between what you managed back in that fight and this place you have set up to hide out in, I figure there probably aren’t a lot of better people to be in danger with.”
I clenched my jaw. “Yes, I’m good at what I do, and I will keep you safe, Ty.”
I was certain of that much. I’d gotten him into this mess, and I sure as fuck was going to get him out of it.
I pushed to my feet.
I expected him to argue, demand more answers, but he must’ve been taking his time trying to digest everything I’d shared so far because he just sat there, staring blankly forward, perhaps wondering if any of it could be real.
Fuck, I wouldn’t have believed it if I’d been in his shoes.
I headed to the fridge and retrieved a black plastic container. I took it to the table and set it before him.
He played with the edges of the container before pulling it open. “Buffalo chicken wrap,” he said with a sort of bittersweet chuckle.
When I’d seen it at the gas station, I’d been reminded of what he’d said about sharing one with Jesse when they were hungover. “I thought you’d like that.”
“Thank you.” His words were soft, a whisper, and I detested them simply because I didn’t deserve any thanks for what he’d had to endure tonight, or for what he would have to deal with until I could resolve this clusterfuck. Now that we’d been caught in the crossfires of some villain from my past, his life wasn’t going to be the same—couldn’tbe the same.
Not if he was going to stay alive.
He pulled the wrap out of the container and played with the plastic around it, not like he was hungry, but as if he was still working through his thoughts about everything I’d told him.
He shook his head subtly before looking to me, asking, “Haveyoueaten?”
I could hear the concern in his tone. After everything I’d just laid on him,hewas concerned aboutme.
“No. I’m not hungry, though.”
“I’m not that hungry either. We can share this.”
He had to still be in shock over what I’d just unloaded on him, but his generosity and worry agitated me. “It’s okay to be upset, Ty. Or mad at me right now. You should fucking hate my guts. I shouldn’t have kept reaching out to you. Never should have let you come visit me.” I was venting at myself, but Ty’s anger and contempt were what I deserved, not his kindness.
His lip twisted into his cheek as he continued picking at the plastic around the wrap. “It’s a lot to think about. I don’t think I understood half of what you said, so I’m gonna need a minute. Will you sit down and eat with me? You’re making me uneasy, hovering like this.”
I sat back in the chair beside his, like a dog obeying its master’s orders. He seemed startled by how obedient I was to his request, but shook it off and opened his buffalo chicken wrap. He divided the halves, placing one in the container before sliding it to me.
“I told you, I’m not hungry.”
