He shook his head. “I don’t deserve your sympathy. I failed them. I was supposed to keep them safe.”
“Oh, Jared. I’m sure you did try. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”
“It doesn’t make it easier to take. I should have protected them.” His hands were clenched into fists. His face could have been carved from granite.
It explained why he was so over-the-top with his protection of her now. And why he was horrified that the Fox had gotten through to her.
Shit. He must have been so scared when he came in to find the Fox here.
“And Beltran had something to do with that? He was the one who killed them all?”
“Yeah. I had recently stolen away some of his suppliers and he wasn’t happy. Beltran always left his victims with a symbol burned into their chest. Several of my people had that symbol.”
God.
“I cleaned everything up, buried my dead, and tried to find Beltran. But he and his men went underground. I couldn’t find any trace of them. So I came home. That’s the last time I saw you . . . before my father died, that is.”
That time she’d thought he’d changed. That he’d grown cold.
Okay, that explained a lot.
“And you’ve never been able to find him?” she asked.
“No. I didn’t have the manpower left to take him down. And I had to clean up back here. My father left a fucking mess. But that didn’t mean I didn’t use my connections to search for him. And a few of my guards that survived also wanted revenge. They started a security and investigation company with my backing. They’ve been searching for him too. And like all snakes, he eventually slithered back. He started operating again under an alias, so we didn’t realize at first. Once we did, though, we started hitting his businesses hard. We believe he’s figured out that I’ve been bankrolling them. That’s why either he or someone he’s hired is killing my people here.”
“In revenge?” she asked.
“Exactly.”
“God, what a mess. I’m so sorry about what happened to your people.”
“And I’m sorry I treated you so coldly that last time we spoke before Fergus’s death. I’ve always felt terrible that I never did more for you.”
“I wasn’t your responsibility.”
Jared just grunted. “I was going to free you, you know. Once things died down after Fergus’s death. But you ran. You were safe while away from me, but now we’ve put you at risk.However, I won’t let anyone harm you, baby. I will die before that happens.”
“I don’t want you to die,” she said. “Either of you.”
The door to her room opened and North stepped inside.
His face looked as impassive as always, but he was tense as he stormed to her side. He leaned over her, and to her shock, cupped the side of her face gently.
“Are you all right? Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?” North asked and it took her a moment to realize he was talking about the Fox.
“He didn’t. I promise. He’s a friend.”
His gaze narrowed.
“A renowned assassin is your friend?” he murmured.
“Yes. I promise he won't harm me.”
“He didn’t seem like he would, but that doesn’t mean that if the price wasn’t high enough he wouldn’t turn on you,” Jared said.
She understood his mistrust. Like her, he’d had little reason growing up to trust anyone, to let anyone close. But she just knew, deep inside, that the Fox wouldn’t harm her.
“I know I’ve got no concrete reason to trust him, but I do.”
