"You need to leave. Where's Melissa?" He stood right by the window, unmoving. But his hands were clenched at his sides and even though his face looked impassive she could see the tension rolling off hisbody.
Encouraged Audra took another step and then another until she was halfway across the room. "She's notcoming."
"Whynot?"
Audra lifted her chin daring him to argue. "Because I told her we needed totalk."
"We have nothing to talk about." And just like that, he turned his back onher.
Her gaze narrowed on his back, memorizing the sharp planes of his shoulders and spine. Melissa had been right to warn her. But if Diggs thought she was giving up that easily he didn't know her very well. Silently, she padded across the room and touched his shoulder, moving with him when he flinched away from her. "We need totalk."
Finally, he faced her. He turned and she didn't know if it was because he was trying to get away from her touch or see her face. From the closed off expression on his face she guessed it was the previous. "There's nothing to talk about. Trigger took care of your brother’s commander and I lost thegold."
"Diggs,weall lost the gold.Wewereattacked."
“I let Dawson take me by surprise. I put you in danger. I didn't avenge your brother. If you’re through, could you pleaseleave?"
His words stabbed her, intentionally hurting her but she was a big girl. She could take it, especially from a man like this. "You were nearlykilled.”
"Exactly." In a surprise move Diggs grabbed her shoulders, raw pain burning up his eyes. "I didn't protect you or my team. I failed. And I'm not going to failagain."
He yanked his hands back as if they’d been burned but she grabbed him, wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight. His chest rose and fell in short bursts, his heart thudded hard and fast against her ear. "You saved me. You’re myhero."
Diggs let out a harsh bark of laughter. “I didn't save you. A damn three-legged dog did.” Diggs’ fingers wrapped around her arms and peeled them off his waist. He held her away from him as if he couldn't stand her touch. "I failed my team. If I would have warned King sooner, he would still be able to see out of both of his eyes. Now he's partially blind because of me." Diggs jabbed a finger at his chest, all of the cool unemotional tone gone from his voice. "I left my best friend in a godforsaken lab to be experimented on like an animal. Don't you see? I'm not the hero. I'll never be thehero."
