It still struck a bolt of pain directly into Zina’s heart to hear the words spoken aloud, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t known what would happen once she’d made the decision to do what she’d done. For now, she just forced herself to nod.
“… If these are top secret documents, why are you giving them to me?” Trent asked, frown still in place. “They said you’d be trying to sell them off to the highest bidder.”
They’re not documents!Zina wanted to yell at him – they were ten, one hundred,one thousandtimes more important and precious than that, but not for the reasons anyone thought. But she had to admit, the story sounded good – telling everyone she’d run off with a file full of top-secret documents with a plan to auction themdefinitelymade her sound like the bad guy.
“I told you, I don’t have time,” she forced herself to say, instead of offering Trent any kind of justification or explanation. What good would it do, anyway? “Look – I’ve done what I asked you to come here to do. Just go.”
“And what about you? Do you know how many people are after you right now?” Trent asked.
Zina resisted the urge to shake her head in frustration. “Obviously I do! Why do you think I’m so desperate to get out of here? I just need to lead them away – that’s it. After you leave, it’s none of your concern what happens to me. Just get that box back to your people.”
She started to turn away, determined this time to leave, no matter what Trent tried to say or do, and no matter how hard her heart was beating every time she lifted her eyes to his face.
What’s wrong with me?! He’s just some guy – I don’t evenknowhim. I definitely can’t trust him more than I already have. I only contacted him because –
“Zina.”
Zina gasped at the feeling of fingers around the crook of her arm, stopping her as she turned. A strange mix of emotions surged through her – anger mainly, but also –relief?
That can’t be right –
“Zina, wait. I’m not going to let you do that.”
She blinked up at him as he spoke. “Why? Do you have plans to turn me in yourself?” She swallowed. Well, she couldn’t really say it was a surprise. She was going to get caught sooner or later anyway. At least this way, Hargreaves wouldn’t be the ones to catch up with her first.
“No.” Trent shook his head firmly. “I’m not going to turn you in. And I’m not going to let you go back out there on the run by yourself. If you’re going somewhere, then I’m coming with you.”
Zina felt her mouth dropping open, even as her mind went completely blank with shock.
“W-what?” she managed to stutter out after a moment or two.
“You heard me.” Trent’s voice was steady as his eyes looked down into hers, completely unwavering. “I don’t think you’re guilty of what you’ve been accused of – and even if youdiddo something unauthorized, I think you must have had a good reason for doing whatever it was. I want to help you. And if that means coming with you now, then so be it. You can explain everything on the way to wherever we’re going.”
Zinaknewshe wasn’t dreaming, because her dreams were always weird black-and-white affairs where she was trying to brew coffee in half an avocado or drowning in a knothole in the floorboards despite the laws of physics. They never had storylines or coherent dialogue or hot guys offering to assist her with going on the run from a group ofincrediblydangerous opponents –And yet, this has to be a dream, because why the hell else would this be happening?!
“Why – why would youdothat?” was the only thing she could think of to stutter out, her throat too tight for any other words to pass through her lips.
To her shock, Trent let out a quick, sharp exhalation, blinking and pulling back slightly, looking almost as if he’d just been slapped.
“Because – because you’re –” He swallowed, cutting himself off suddenly, shaking his head. The pain that had briefly crossed his face evaporated as quickly as it had come, replaced with the slightly roguish,extremelyinfuriating smile she remembered from three years ago, as if no time had passed at all.
Still smiling, he handed the box back to her – as if he was reassuring her he wasn’t about to cut her loose and run off with it.
“Because I’m just that nice of a guy,” he said.
Chapter 4
She’s our mate – ourmate!!Why didn’t you tell her the truth?!
Gritting his teeth, Trent shoved aside the absolutelymassivetantrum his kangaroo was throwing – well, insofar as that was currently possible, which wasn’t very far at all.
Now is not the time to spring that on her,Trent told it as it kicked up its powerful legs in disgust, nostrils flaring, ears twitching.It’d be too much – not to mention that she doesn’t seem to think we’re mates at all.
If Zina had been able to tell they were mates, she wouldn’t have needed to ask why he was helping her – she wouldn’t even need to think about it, not even for a moment.
Aside from that, Trent was finding it impossible to get a read on Zina in other ways, too.
Is she a shifter, or isn’t she?
