“Is that why the Cartel kept showing up?”
“Yeah.” She told me about how another agent found evidence that orders were given for a tracker to be put on my watch. “They set me up. And not only that, but they also know I’m pregnant.”
Keeping my cool as she told me that Cartel mercenaries were interested in her child wasn’t easy. I fumed, burning up from the inside out with rage. The mere idea of anyone trying to harm her and the new life we’d created lit a storm of wrath I didn’t know how to contain.
“I don’t know if they want this baby as leverage. Or as a hostage. Or just to…” She blew out a deep breath. “I just don’t know. Since they fired me, I can’t find much. That’s why I came to you. To know your opinions about how to face this. How long any security could last. If you could manage defying your family to want to help me during this period.” She shrugged, not embarrassed nor proud about putting it on the line like this. “When I heard about the tracker on my watch, I wondered if it was just a means of spying on me while I spied. Or if my superiors really wanted me dead.”
“If they wanted you dead, you would be.” I hated to say it, and so bluntly, but it was true.
“I agree. Which is why I kept wondering if they were aiming atyouand someone was trying to take you out, not me. Or maybe they saw me with you and wanted to take me out because of that association.”
“Your superiors at the agency?”
She nodded, then shook her head. “I guess. Or someone from your family.”
“No.” I shook my head. “No one would have endangered my life just to get a shot at an enemy.”
Calling her an enemy felt so wrong now.
She couldn’t be my enemy. She would be the mother of my child.
“So I wanted to find you and see if you were alive. And all right.” She lowered her gaze, as if shy to admit she cared.
I was touched, truly moved that she’d be concerned. “You worried about me?”
She looked up. I saw in her bright blue eyes that she did.
“You still care for me?”
Tilting her head to the side, she studied me. “You say that like I shouldn’t.”
“You haven’t been entirely amicable since you showed up this morning.” It was a poor attempt at lightening the mood.
Annoyed now, she smirked. “Whereasyouare the one who just left me. If anyone should be wondering about who cares more, it’d be me. You leftme. You walked away from me.”
I took her hand now. Nothing could hold me back from erasing that troubled look on her face. “And I regret every second since I did.” Not giving her a chance to argue again, I scooted closer to the edge of my chair, just to be that much closer. “I am very glad that you are here and with me again, Sadie.”
She stood, shaking her head. “Oh, yeah? For now, you mean. How long will this last? I can’t hide forever. Neither can you.”
I shot to my feet, taking her in my arms before she could move away and pace, which was what it looked like she wanted to do.
Tucking her close was the balm on my soul that I needed. Every inch of contact between us recharged me. Her presence calmed me. “We are here and safe.” I edged back to see her face, hating how stressed and tired she still looked. “I need time to figure out how to handle this.”
She winced.
“Weneed time to figure this out.”
“Well, I was fired. I’ve got all the time in the world,” she sassed dryly.
“Good. Then you’re available to let me do this.” I framed her face and dipped down until I could kiss her. Slowly, then with her melting at my touch, harder. With hunger.
She moaned, reaching up to cling to me. I growled, savoring the utter elation of having her again, filling that hole in my heart.
I couldn’t predict the future and there were too many obstacles and unknowns to contend with, but right now, she was here and I wasn’t giving her up. Never again.
“I missed you,” I said between panted breaths when we parted for air.
“I missed you more,” she admitted, tugging at my clothes. “I’m still so freaking mad at you.”
