“That’s an order, Agent Blake.” The finality in her tone left no room for further debate. “You’re dismissed.” She returned her gaze to the laptop on her table, fingers rattling across the keyboard.
I hesitated for a moment before rising to my feet and leaving her office. It felt like my whole world had just crashed around me as I headed back to my desk. My heart was bleeding in my chest, and this guilt kept gnawing at me.
Hadn’t I done enough already?
Was this really necessary?
This was the worst period of my life, and it happened to be the most difficult task I’d ever faced. How could I testify against the man who saved my life? How could I look at him andlie to the judge when I knew he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of?
I felt my tear glands charging up again, and instead of going back to my desk, I hurried into the ladies’ room. Locked inside one of the stalls, I sat on the toilet seat and let the tears flow. I wept like a child, unsure of why I was so emotional all of a sudden.
Maybe it was the pregnancy. Or maybe it was just my humanity taking a toll.
Whatever the case, I knew I had to do something about this. Because if I didn’t, things would get ugly much quicker than I expected. A lot was at stake here, and if I didn’t tread with caution, I’d be the only one to lose in the end.
But regardless of my fears about how this could turn against me, I couldn’t play a part in destroying Nikolai Tarasov for a crime he didn’t commit.
I hated liars, and I couldn’t see myself lying to testify against the father of my unborn child in court.
Chapter 26 – Nik
I should hate her.
She lied to me for months—pretended to be a helpless girl and sneaked her way into my heart, all while working for the Bureau. I couldn’t understand how someone could be such a good actor, good enough to fool me.
I let my guard down around her, refused to do my homework on her because I thought I had the upper hand in this game. I was wrong. I never should’ve underestimated her—never should’ve overestimated myself.
I lay on a small bed in my prison cell, arms under my head as I stared at the ceiling. My thoughts kept drifting back to her every now and then, distracting me from the real issue: how to get the hell out of here.
Each time I tried to think of anything else, her face would flash in my head, a constant reminder of her betrayal. As crazy as all of this was, a part of me was impressed by the fact that she actually pulled off a stunt like this.
I wasn’t the type to be so easily manipulated, but she fooled me without even trying at all. I thought that I was in control when I bought her during that auction. However, it turned out that I was the target all along.
She let me think that I was in control—let me bask in the idea that I was ten steps ahead when, in fact, I was ten steps behind. Everything she did since the day she arrived at the mansion was carefully orchestrated. She owned the game from the very beginning but pretended to be nothing more than a pawn.
Her performance was flawless, and she honestly deserved an Oscar for that. It took the best of the best to take down someone like me; she just proved to be that best of the best.Her genius was off the charts, and it revealed how dumb I was compared to her.
I saw the signs but chose to ignore them. Why? I had no idea. The only reason she won against me was because she found a way to keep me from digging into her life.
A quick search would’ve revealed her identity. However, since she was undercover, nothing might have come up on her even if I checked. But at least that would’ve been enough to point me in the right direction.
Agent Blair Blake must have paid rapt attention during Manipulation 101 because she nailed the act.
I was torn between hating her guts and being intrigued by her skills. It took her less than two months to do what many had tried and failed at; she was a record-breaker.
This whole situation was a huge mess that could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t been so nonchalant.
Although a part of me was impressed by her, another part was still pissed—not just because she betrayed me, but because these accusations could potentially keep me away from my unborn child for a really long time.
If things didn’t go my way, I could end up behind bars while my child grew up without a father. That thought alone fueled my rage. My blood boiled, and my fingers clenched into fists on both hands.
At what point did she stop pretending?a voice whispered in my head.
Initially, I wanted to ignore it, but on second thought, I decided to entertain it.
The night I was arrested about two weeks ago, she couldn’t bear to look me in the eyes. At first, I thought it was fear, but thinking about it now, I realized that I had missed something. It wasn’t fear. It was guilt. Remorse.
She might have been on board with the plan from the beginning, but at some point, her loyalties shifted. Why else would she feel guilty after completing her mission? If she truly was proud of what she’d done, she would’ve looked me in the eyes and condemned me.
