“I didn’t risk my life.”
“He had a gun,” I said evenly. “What did he say, Lula? Was it worth lying to me?”
The world was still rocking, and I couldn’t get a grip. I couldn’t keep the sound of betrayal out of my tone, my fear overwhelming all other emotions.
…The Hunter. Illinois. The bullet coming at her too fast, and me too slow, even in spirit form, too slow to stop it…
“No. You’re not even trying to listen to me.” She shifted the truck intodrive.
I reached over and wrapped my hand around her wrist.
“Don’t,” she said, not looking at me. “Don’t Brogan.”
Her bones felt small in my mitt of a hand, but I knew one of the only good things she’d gotten out of the cursed life, gotten out of the monster attack, was that she was strong. Much, much stronger than me.
“You are scaring the shit out of me, love,” I said, pulling my hand away and instead reaching for the wheel. I held it.
Lula made a frustrated sound and sat back.
“I love you,” I said, grasping for reason in the fear sloshing through me. “I don’t wantyouhurt. Just like you don’t want me hurt.
“I want to understand what you did. What you’re doing,” I went on doggedly. “Why I…why you thought I shouldn’t be a part of it. I also want to break that shit heel’s neck.”
She refused to meet my gaze, staring out the side window, her hands in her lap.
I released the steering wheel. Fear wasn’t going to solve this, and anger would only push her away.
I cleared my throat and tried again. “Did he tell you something useful?”
Lula rolled her head and speared me with a look I’d last seen when we’d first been dating. When I’d acted like a dumbass.
“No. Some big lunkhead showed up and started shouting before he could say anything.”
I grinned.
She squinted at me. “You’re the lunkhead.”
“I know.”
“You barged in there without a clue about what was going on.”
“I know.”
“You ruined it, Brogan.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, even though my heart was beating too hard. I was sick to my stomach, overheated, sweat pouring from my pits, down my back to pool at my belt line.
It was absolutely, miserably hot. Still, I smiled. “Sorry?”
That got a raised eyebrow out of her. “You are not.”
“Well, if you hadn’t lied to me…”
“I didn’t lie.”
“You just didn’t tell me what you were doing.”
She frowned.
