He was getting annoyed again. She had to bite her lip not to laugh. There went that tic in his jaw again. Next his eye might start twitching. “There’s more to it than that. You wouldn’t put your family through that kind of stress without reason. You have a flair for dramatics but you wouldn’t run away from home for the sheer hell of it.”
How did he know her so well without knowing her at all? A lot had changed about her in the past four years and not just her attitude. She supposed her morals had never changed. Her family was still important to her. “I can’t tell you.” She decided for honesty.
“Why not?”
He was worse than a dog with a bone. Who knew he cared so much about why she was here. “Because you’ll tell my brother and demand I go home when I can’t.”
Vincent set the bag of ice down, moving to the seat next to her. She stiffened when she caught a whiff of his body wash and it made her stomach flutter. Pine and lemon. A scent she had tried to forget but couldn’t. Pivoting her body, she leaned away from him.
“What if I promise not to tell your brother?”
Fiona couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that spilled out. “You can’t make a promise you’ll never keep.”
Vincent didn’t even try to deny it.
“I’m going to go.”
“Go where? By the looks of it, you don’t have a car or a change of clothes.”
“Clothes can be easily bought.” No point in telling him she had a car around the block. “Besides, as you’ve seen, I can take care of myself.” She nodded toward his red and swollen nose.
“And apparently pick locks.”He didn’t look pleased about that at all. It only made her grin more.
“You can thankJoaquínfor that. He was also escaping the house. Mom tried locking him in but it never worked. He taught me when I was a teenager. Called it a survival skill.” There had been other things he taught her. Sadly, some she forgot; they would have come in handy in the Congo.
“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know he taught you to break into his own house.” His sarcasm could cut steel but she wouldn’t apologize for what she’d done.
“I was desperate. I left after work yesterday.”
“With no plan. You have no idea how worried your family is about you. Your brother was frantic when he called me this morning.”
If he was trying to make her feel guilty, he didn’t need to bother, she already did, but it couldn’t be helped. “I plan to call them when I get to my final destination,” she defended.
Vincent leaned forward, his knee brushing hers under the table. She moved her legs so they were further apart. A downside to two people with long legs at a small table. “And where is that? You don’t know. You weren’t thinking about anyone but yourself. You are still a selfish, spoiled little girl with no thought of consequences.I should call your brother right now and tell him—”
“Someone is threatening me,” she shouted, and immediately regretted it. The less that people knew about her situation the better.
Vincent lost his bluster. His anger morphing into concern. “What do you mean someone is threatening you?” His fists clenched on the tabletop, his knuckles turning white.
She didn’t know what he had to be upset about. She didn’t mean anything to him. He treated her no better than a pebble he couldn’t get out of his shoe. “Just forget I said anything.” She moved to stand up butVincent caught her arm.
“I can’t forget you saying something like that. Who threatened you?”
She couldn’t look in his deep eyes anymore. They peered straight into her soul, probing. “It doesn’t matter. You said it yourself, I’m spoiled and selfish. Maybe I had it coming.”She didn’t believe that for a minute but she wanted to hurt him the way he’d always hurt her.
Vincent grabbed her arm above her elbow, giving her a gentle shake. “Don’t play with me, Fi. You don’t believe that bullshit any more than I do. Who threatened you? Give me names.”
It was the first time he had ever called her Fi. She hated how much she liked him calling her that. He’d always called her Fiona. Like a barrier between them. Keeping cool and aloof around her except for that night. A mask had fallen away and she had seen a new side of him, but the mask quickly came back on. Even in the Congo she saw it. It was his way of keeping his distance, to not be involved. That’s why she insisted on calling him Vincent instead of Vince like everyone. A reminder she couldn’t trust this man with her heart ever again.
Yet again, that mask was gone. He looked like an avenging angel wanting to slay her demons for her. Who was she kidding? This was Vincent they were talking about. He didn’t care about anything but his team and conquering the next in his long list of women. He gaveJoaquína run for his money.“I don’t know who it is.”
“When did it start? After the Congo? Before?”
“Why do you care?” She couldn’t figure out why he cared so much. He had gone out of his way to be cruel to her, if not treat her like she didn’t exist, and now he was trying to play her protector.
“Because,” he said, as if it was all the answer she needed.
Fiona’s eyebrows rose, waiting for more.
