She works her jaw.
"And we can't afford any more suspicion if this is going to work." By the end of the sentence, I'm shouting, and I can't even help it.
God, this woman.This womanis going to be the death of my sanity.
Her brows lower and her lips part, and I can't wait to hear what sort of defense she has for a move like this. But it's like watching a dark veil as it's lifted from her face. I know the look. I've seen both Eli and Sev when that veil is pulled back. I'm sure it's exactly how I looked the moment I got the call from my contact confirming Chris was no more than a dude in his fifties who legally adopted Aurora as a teenager with his wife, Grace.
The rage bleeds from her face, and she's trapped in a state of quiet guilt in its absence. Her breaths come a little quicker as she casts her gaze toward the pavement and digs her fingers in where she's gripping her arms.
I tip my head to the sky as if some higher power can give me the patience I don't have.
But whether I'm in the wrong here or not doesn't erase the fact that she put herself and this entire operation at risk. And she needs to understand that we can'taffordany mistakes.
"What if that had been Ambrose's tracker?" I ask, and she finally deigns to look at me again, confusion twisting her face.
"It was yours." Her defense is weak and her voice is only above a whisper.
"It was," I admit, knowing I have to take responsibility. "But you didn't know that. Not for sure. What if it wasn't? What ifafter you reached out using the Find Delilah form, he decided to look into you? Follow you?"
"Why—"
"You still don't get it." It's so hard to keep the frustration from my tone, but I really fucking try. "You need to understand what we're up against, Aurora. Ambrose is smart and cunning. Before, he was always a step ahead. This time,weneed to be the ones a step ahead, and I can't fucking keep us there—keepyousafe—if you're pulling shit like this."
She blinks and gulps, and I can see her pistons firing, windows on the desktop of her mind opening and closing as she struggles to figure out how to respond.
"I—I…"
I sigh heavily. The police are already at the crash site below us. We don't have time for this. I have to get her out of here and figure out how to fix this before it gets out of control.
I can't help asking, though, "Did you think this throughat all?"
Her rage comes back with a vengeance as she levels her lethal stare on me. "What? Becauseyoualways think things through before you, I don't know, hold a woman at gunpoint? A woman you just fucking slept with?"
The reminder is a slap and my fists clench at the sting of it.
Iwantto have this fight. We need to, but we can't do this here.
"And it's funny," she says with no mirth in her tone. "Youcallingmea whore when you need to contract sex with women because you can't form a real connection with anyone outside of your brothers!"
It's a low blow, but at least now I know she ready my fucking letter. There is one point I need to clear up.
"You're not a whore, Aurora. I never should've said that."
She scoffs, but there's a slight tremble where her lips are pressed tightly together.
"And you're right. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I did something hurtful and stupid."
Her expression grows even more tense.
"I let my emotions get the better of me. I let myself spiral. I thought it was what I needed to do to protect them."
She flinches.
"To protect them,"I say again, because it's worth repeating. "They're all I have, Aurora. They're the most important thing in the world to me. My only family. What wereyoutrying to do here other than piss me off?"
Her head drops, brows knotting, lower lip caught between her teeth.
I want to say more, but I don't. Unsure I can stay calm with the smoke still clogged in my throat and the acid still burning in the pit of my stomach.
