He shook his head, a wistful look on his face. “Much as I’d like to stay, I won’t be able to resist playing. Then whoever comes with the food will get an eyeful, and while I love to play in public, I’d rather save that for a bit.”
Holy hotness. He sure didn’t hold back what he was thinking about.
She cleared her throat. “Got it,” she whispered.
Another quick kiss, this time dropped on her lips, then he stood, turned on his heel, and left the bathroom without looking back. Was he afraid he’d change his mind? She smiled to herself as she reached for the wine glass and had another sip.
There were two Triumphs she dealt with, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t falling hard for both of them. Was it because he was truly that magnetic? Or was it because she’d been so starved for a healthy relationship while living with Guillermo?
Either way, despite her desperately wanting to explore her feelings for Triumph, there was still a small, niggling worry that this fledgling relationship was doomed. They might click, chemistry-wise, now. But was she ultimately too much or too damaged to give him what he needed?
He certainly didn’t seem to think so.
Once again, she was faced with deciding whether to trust him or not. Earlier, at the morgue, she caught herself wanting to show her appreciation for all that had been done for her in a way that was more than a verbal thank-you. She didn’t know these people, so what could she do? It’s not like buying them dinner made up for all they had done.
All she could think to offer them was a favor at a later date. It should have made her skin crawl. She hated owing people. Always had—because what they wanted never seemed worth the payment.
But really, what could ever repay saving her life?
As she sipped the rest of her wine in the cooling bath and dissolving bubbles, she admitted that, while she might be in the States, her life was far from safe. Guillermo would come for her, if for no other reason than to inflict punishment for her deception. The conversation on the dock between Triumph’s friends proved that.
The best thing to do would be to flee. Protect Triumph and the others as best she could. If she wasn’t here when Guillermo found her—and he would find her—then he might just pass everyone by. Triumph was the only person he could positively identify as having helped her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn about the fishing charter escape or even discover the deadmen who’d helped her.
And if he found out that his bastard brother had helped her? His fury would know no bounds. He’d go to war gladly if it meant a face-off with Ildefanso. Part of her actually wished he would find out. If anyone could bring him to his knees, or even destroy him completely, it would be Fanso. The man was frightening because anything and everything in his hands had the capacity to become a weapon. It was one of the reasons his father had preferred him to his legitimate sons. He was an efficient killer.
“Don’t even think about running.”
Her head popped up to find Triumph leaning against the doorjamb, one foot crossed over the other.
“That is what you were thinking about doing, wasn’t it?”
Heat crept up in her cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the bath water. “It did cross my mind,” she admitted. Like earlier, the thought of lying to him made her nauseous. “He’s going to come after me. He’ll kill anyone who helped me. Anyone who stands in his way. He won’t care who it hurts.”
“And what are you going to do? Keep running your whole life?”
“If I had to. If it kept you safe. Your friends.”
“Then why call me in the first place if you’re just going to run?” He stood straight in the doorway and prowled into the bathroom. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he opened it and gestured for her to stand.
When she did, the water sluiced off her body, leaving traces of bubbles in spots on her skin. He helped her over the tub’s edge, patting down her skin with the plush fabric. His attention was focused yet detached. She knew it would take very little to provoke a physical response, but she didn’t want to distract him. This was a conversation they needed to have, no matter how distasteful it might be.
“I’m running on instinct, Triumph,” she offered in explanation. “There’s very little logic that’s been running through my head since I woke up and found myself tied to that chair. My training kicks in automatically. I don’t even consciously think about it anymore. The natural reaction for operatives when they’re in trouble is to run. Doesn’t mean we do it, but if you do, when you get somewhere relatively safe, you stop. Reassess. And usually, you end up running again.”
He finished drying her off and wrapped the towel around her, tucking the upper corner into the fold to keep her covered. “Is that standard for CIA operatives?”
“Ones who get caught? Burned? More the rule than the exception, I’m guessing. Those of us who work in the field undercover, we’re specialized. We’re put into impossible positions, and if we’re exposed or suffer some other fate at the hands of those we’re working against, we’re expendable. Our sacrifice is for the greater good and all that gibberish. You know that.”
“You arenotexpendable, Glennon. Your life is valuable. You’ve given a third of it to a cause that almost cost you your life.”
She smiled at him, her hand curving his stubbled cheek. “You’ve no idea how much that means to me that you believe that. Truly.” Rising on tiptoe, she gave him a quick, sweet kiss on the mouth. “But the reality is, you’re not the CIA.”
“They don’t define your worth,” he growled.
She bit back the giggle that wanted to escape at his anger over what he considered dishonoring her. He would not understand or enjoy her amusement.
“But honestly, they do, Triumph. For twenty-odd years, my worth was defined by my family. When I left them behind, the CIA became the stand-in, with Guillermo as their unknowing proxy. Between those three triangulation points, there’s not a lot of positive, but there hasn’t been anyone else in my life.”
“There is now.” He cupped her jaw in his hands. “I’m telling you right now—you are worthy. Your life is valuable. And I’m going to keep telling you that because it’s true.”
