He stepped in closer. “Why? Why should you be sorry?”
“I feel like I’m coming between you and your best friend. You’re lying to Owen because of me.”
“Tex and I will be fine.”
“And you killed a man today.” Bile rose in my throat.
“Which we knew would happen eventually,” he said, far too calmly. “I won’t shed a tear for Nox Woodson. Would you? He tried to kill you. Hedidkill Phelan.”
“I’m not sorry he’s dead. That’s not the issue.”
“In my mind, Woodson signed his death warrant the night he hurt you.”
My emotions tipped over, refusing to be held back. “But I didn’t want his death onyourconscience on top of everything else!”
From the moment I’d agreed to work with Dean, I’d always meant to be the one to deal out vengeance. I hadn’t wanted any more blood on his hands. Only on mine. Maybe that was unrealistic.
Dean kept insisting he was a killer, but he’d tried to change. He’d given up violence. Yes, Dean had raced back to the States saying he wanted to destroy my attackers, butIwas the one who’d insisted we work together and train together. I’d kept this thing going.
He shrugged. “It was self-defense. Loophole, right?”
I wasn’t in the mood to joke around or pretend this was nothing. The more I thought about everything that had happened, the worse it seemed.
One of the men who’d tried to kill me was dead. Why didn’t I feel some sense of satisfaction? Why did I have this hollow echo in the pit of my stomach?
Tears burned again in my eyes, so damn close to falling.
“Do you still think I’m worth all this?” I asked, tripping over the words.
“Are you kidding?” Dean said fiercely. He held my face in his hands. “For you, I would tear this whole world to pieces, including myself. That’s what you’re worth.”
But I don’t want you in pieces, I thought.I want all of you. Your heart. Your love.
The one thing Dean couldn’t give me.
“I would never want you to destroy yourself for me. Or to take stupid risks for me either. Like running after a shooter while unarmed.”
“Are we back to that again? Really?”
I pulled away from him and marched toward the car, digging my keys out of my bag. After beeping the lock, I threw open the door.
There was a business card sitting on the driver’s seat. It hadnotbeen there before. Reaching down, I picked it up.
Crosshairs Security, it read. Along with a crosshairs symbol.
I glanced around the parking lot, but it was quiet, and beyond the bright security lights, everything else was dark.
Dean came up behind me on my side of the car. “What is it?”
“Someone left this in the car.”
“Insidethe car? While it was locked?”
“Yep.” I flipped over the card, showing Dean. The back had the nameHarris Medina, CEO, printed on it. And there was a handwritten note.
Lunch tomorrow. Last Refuge Tavern, noon.
“Of all the fucking nerve,” Dean said. “This guy is summoning you?”
