“Thank God my roommate recommended I get tested for drugs—and STDs—after I went home and spilled the whole sordid story.”
“You got tested?” he asked.
She crossed her arms. “Yep.”
“That’s good. But why didn’t you tell me back then?”
Really? She scoffed. “Because I wasangry. You let me down, Jason.” She tapped her chest with her knuckles. “I wanted you to believe me because you knew my character, and because you knew what kind of guy Trey was. Not because I was positive for GHB.”
“God, Em.” He shook his head. “I know I deserve your anger, and everything else you’re feeling.”
They were just words, but they did help. A little. She took a deep breath, determined to be honest about all of it. “When you immediately moved on, part of me wondered if you’d been looking for an excuse to break up with me all along.”
He straightened. “Hellno. You think I don’t wish every damn day that I’d done things differently? Up until that moment, you were the best thing that had ever happened to me.”
She couldn’t help but give him a dubious look. “And yet, you accepted Trey’s lie without question.”
His brow furrowed deeply as his gaze skittered away. “I did. And I’ll never be free of my regret for that.” He swallowed hard and looked at her. “I wish like hell I’d been smarter, more mature, whatever I needed to be to trust you the way you deserved. I wish I hadn’t made an already traumatic situation worse for you. I don’t know if it helps, or if I can ever prove to you how sorry I am—if it even matters—but I will carry the guilt of my actions, of how I failed you, for the rest of my life.”
It did help some. As did getting all of that off her chest. And he seemed sincere, but what if he was just telling her what she wanted to hear so she’d trust him?
“Okay.” She stood and strode to the other side of the room, putting some much needed distance between them. “I appreciate you listening, and apologizing, but it doesn’t change the situation we’re in now. There are people I need to protect, and that takes priority over everything.”
He sighed, his expression uncharacteristically grim. “I can respect that.”
She peeked out the window at the busy square below. If Jason was truly clueless about Warner’s crimes and who’d killed Viktor, then he was in just as much danger as her. And if he was in on the whole thing, sticking with her in order to recover the drive—or even to silence her—the longer she kept him from communicating with Byron or Renfro the better. Her heart rebelled at the idea of him being one of the bad guys, but she couldn’t allow herself to be swayed in either direction by their history, or by his apparent remorse.
Until she came up with a new plan, she needed to keep him on the hook. “If you agree not to take it from me, I’ll show you what’s on the drive. Deal?”
It was late afternoon in South Carolina, where Saber paced in his home office, while the Russian gave a recount of the shootings at the Lucerne condominium his men had been led to by the tracking software on Viktor’s SD card.
“What happened?” Saber asked, forcing his voice to stay calm. “You weren’t supposed to kill anyone.” Not yet. “We can’t get answers if they’re dead.”
“Yes, sir. It was an unfortunate outcome,” the Russian said without elaborating or making excuses. It was the most annoying and most impressive thing about him.
“We’ve identified the man and woman who escaped.” Saber had already received the results from the freelance hacker Archer kept on retainer. “They’re Jason Chin and Emma Gallagher. I’ll send you the details when we’re done, but be careful. This guy’s a former special operator, and he runs a security company. He’s got skills.”
He’d also been a decently famous model and a college football player. The guy didn’t exactly blend. But his skills and cover job were perfect for The Invisibles. It all made sense.
The woman supposedly worked as a freelance copywriter and journalist, which gave her good cover and access to witnesses.
“We found Chin registered at Hotel Richter,” Saber said. “He’s probably smart enough to stay away but—”
“I will put men on it immediately, and forward the names and photos to my contacts in transportation and the police force.” That right there was the Russian’s greatest value. Saber could hire any less-than-savory type to snatch the pair, but not everyone had this particular man’s network. His people would be watching all routes out of town and keeping an eye on the city’s street cams. “And if they access the SD card, we’ll be ready.”
“Make sure of it,” Saber said. Despite the Russian’s good reputation, he hadn’t yet delivered. Saber would reserve full judgment until Emma Gallagher and Jason Chin were sitting in front of him, begging to spill everything about their destructive network.
Saber rubbed his hands together and smiled. He couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WATCHING EMMA AS she strode across the tiny apartment, Jason’s gut churned at the reminder of just how badly he’d hurt her. How badly he’dfailedher. She might never forgive him for how he treated her in college, but she’d given him the chance to apologize. That was probably more than he deserved.
Confirming his suspicions that she’d been drugged that night in college gutted him. Thanks to his fragile ego, he’d not only failed to trust and protect her, but he’d destroyed any chance of repairing the relationship by immediately sleeping with another woman. Emma had been both assaultedandbetrayed on the same night.
Her fearlessness in confronting him with her pain and anger was another reminder of how incredible she was. He’d been a goddamned fool.
And what she did for a living now—assuming it wasn’t another lie—put her dangerously close to perfection in his eyes. She risked her own safety, gave over much of her life, to find justice for those who’d otherwise be denied. Just asshe’dbeen denied.
