“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t he complete the task? I mean other than you’re a highly skilled marksman.” There was more irritation in my voice than I’d intended.
He chuckled, but there was no light in his eyes, only the darkness that I’d noticed the first day I’d run into him. “This is just a guess, Fleur. Because on day one we met.”
“So?”
After studying the cars coming and going, he glanced at me again, waiting for my response.
As the words settled in, I slumped into my seat. “Oh. He thought we were together.”
“Likely so. On day two you ended up at my house bearing gifts.” He was studying me as if I was hiding something.
Another lump formed in my throat, the cold chill unlike any of the others. “You think I was working with him.” The words were stilted.
He tugged the keys from my hand and as our fingers collided, I immediately pulled my arm away. As if he’d burned me. Not believing in me after all this time.
The ache was real, a heavy hit on my psyche. I finally turned my head.
“Were you?” He asked the question in the same tone as he’d done with the Russian man whose mouth he’d shoved the barrel of his weapon into.
“No. I didn’t know he was in town. I mean he called me, but I told him to stay out of my life. Remember? He sent a text and I just told him to go away a second time.” A sudden feeling of suffocation washed through me.
“What is it?”
“I knew I was being watched. I felt it several times but blew it off. You don’t honestly think he tried to run me over?”
“A blue truck matching the one that tried to run you down was in the motel’s parking lot.”
His expression was stern, his jaw tightly clenched.
“You also think I staged almost being run over? For what reason? So I could gain your trust so I could set you up to be killed? That’s crazy!” The brooding man didn’t answer fast enough, so I pitched the candy in his face and tried to get out of the Blazer, only to have his huge hand wrap around my arm, tugging me all the way back until I was basically sitting in his lap.
For the first time around him, I was frightened of what he could do to me. Wait a minute. Two minutes ago, I’d silently professed my budding love for the man. Now I was afraid of him?
“Don’t make a scene, little flower. We’re still in danger. Remember?”
“Yeah, I’m in danger from you. If you honestly believe I would ever consider working with my brother to kill you then you’re fucking insane. God, I hate you. I cannot believe you’d think something so horrible of me.” I struggled in his hold, wondering why the hell no one was paying attention to the two people who were obviously fighting like cats and dogs.
“Breathe, Fleur. There are several missing pieces, but your brother was in town for more than just having a nice, long chat with you.”
“That truck wasn’t his. That had to belong to the person who killed him.”
“Maybe. Did you see any keys in the duffle bag?”
“No!” I was so rattled I couldn’t remember. “Maybe.”
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he slowly released his hold. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Fleur. If someone was following you, your brother could have realized we were close and indeed was trying to warn you. It’s entirely possible if he was given the orders to kill me and was subsequently found trying to contact you, that he could have been killed.”
“You’re backpedaling. I know what you’re thinking.” I almost jumped into the back, trying to grab Danny’s duffle bag.
“Sit down.”
“No! Not until I prove the keys weren’t in the bag. Did you check his pockets?” My dead brother’s body. Another ache formed. This was all completely insane. I finally managed to snag thehandle, jerking with force until I was able to wrangle it into the front seat.
As I tore through the bag, he was absently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Frustration continued to grow, all the items I’d neatly folded where Danny had tossed them into his back were finally jerked free and tossed over my shoulder.
I even turned the bag over, shaking it. “See? No keys.” Yet I noticed a lump on a side pocket. After exhaling, I pressed my fingers across it.
