“Yeah, that’s what I always thought, too.” He shrugged, purposely letting his sarcasm fly. “Of course, we all know the United States government would never lie to us, right? I mean, all those stories about shadow agencies and government-sanctioned hits . . . those are all just whack-job conspiracies, right? No way any of it could be true.”
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play here but whatever it is,thiscan’t be real.”
You know it is. You just don’t want to admit it.
“Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but this is about as real as it gets.”
The term of endearment barely registered because she was too busy fighting the truth of what she’d just seen. The ID and badge both appeared to be legit, but in what universe was her sister’s brother-in-law a secret government spy?
With a blink, she tore her gaze away, bringing it back to the abandoned folder she’d left on the coffee table a few feet away.
“Unfortunately, that’s all real, too,” Colt rumbled. “The pictures, the names . . . a living nightmare for those women and girls, and their families. There’s more if you care to listen.”
Did she care to listen?
“No.” Alex gave a vehement shake of her head. “I don’t want to listen to more because none of this is true.”
She wasn’t sure what kept her from accepting whatwere clearly the facts. But her denial was strong and unyielding despite his having laid it all right out there for her to see.
“You honestly think I would lie to you about something like this?”
“Why not? According to your own words, you’ve been lying to me and everyone else for years about what you do for a living. Yet you want me to trust you now?” She slapped the leather holder against his chest. “I can’t believe a single thing that comes from your mouth.”
His hand covered hers, the warm, slightly rough touch causing even more confusion than before. When Alex ripped her hand free, Colt’s expression grew harder.
“I never told anyone the truth about my job because I was trying to keep you all safe. You, Garrett, our dad . . . your sister . . .” He shrugged off his tuxedo jacket and threw it onto the back of the nearby chair. “What I do is dangerous.” Colt began rolling up his stark white sleeves. “So from the start, I chose to keep my involvement with the agency a secret. But then tonight, you showed up right in the middle of my op, so I had no choice but to?—”
“Oh, I’msorry.” Alex’s’ mocking tone filled the tense air. “I guess the next time I’m invited to a top-tier gallery by one of the world’s richest men, I should check with the CIA first to make sure my presence at his private party is allowed.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“No?”
“No.” He took a broad step toward her. “I’m trying to explain why I’m telling you the truth abouteverything now. Why I’m coming clean with you tonight of all nights.”
“The truth.” She crossed her arms at her chest and sighed. “I’m pretty sure you don’t know the meaning of the word.”
Something akin to hurt flashed behind Colt’s incredible eyes before he blinked it away. “You can’t have dinner with Crawford tomorrow night, Alex. You can’t ever have dinner with that man or even speak to him. Not ever again.”
“You don’t control me, Coulter.”
“Dammit, I’m not trying to control you, but I can’t stand by and watch you get hurt.”
“The only one hurting me right now is you.” She began marching across the room, toward the door. “I’ll arrange for a rideshare to take me back to my hotel.”
A low under-the-breath curse reached her ears almost instantly. “You can’t do that.”
“Watch me.”
“No, I mean youliterallycan’t do that.”
“Funny, I don’t recall asking your permission.” Her angry steps froze mid-stride when a loud knock sounded at the door. With her focus straight ahead, she didn’t hear Colt’s approach until he was passing her by. “Expecting someone?”
“Actually, yes.” He covered the remaining space between him and the door.
Alex’s spine grew stiff when she noticed the butt of a pistol tucked into a hidden holster at his back. “You have agun?”
If he really is a CIA agent it makes sense that he’dhave his own gun.
