“What are you doing?”
“Making sure I don’t mess up my baby’s pretty rug,” he growled, coming to me. Then I was in his arms, his mouth on mine. He kissed me feverishly as if we were running out of time. His hands snaked up the back of my neck, squeezing it before gently letting my hair down. A whimper left me as he yanked my head back, his mouth going to my neck. I gasped, anchoring myself to him, my arms hooking around his neck as he dragged his tongue across my skin.
“I can’t handle you when you put on a mask for me,” he grunted, his arms banding around my waist. He buried his face in the curve of my neck, forcing me to arch my back. “I can’t handle much when it comes to you,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?” I cupped the back of his head. “Talk to me. What are you not telling me? Please help me understand.”
“You didn’t tell me how you escaped,” he whispered. Something in his voice sent a chill down my spine, its malicepooling around my feet, melting the floor. “I thought you’d been sold into human trafficking.”
Something cold shot through me.
“Went after you, Starlight. Went all the way into hell for you.” His arms tightened around my waist.
What?
“I don’t understand, Ash.” I pushed him back, cupping his face, his beard rough under my palms.
“I woke up and you were gone. I thought—I assumed Benson had taken you.”
The blood drained from my face, my eyes widening. “What?”
His eyes were filled with torment, memories of the past tearing his soul apart right before me. “I hunted you. For years, Angel.”
My mind drifted back to the night he came back. “You—wait—you said that you were on a job. That was for me?”
“I never found you, but then again, how could I? You were in witness protection in a different country.” His hands moved to my shoulders, his eyes hardening. “Am I correct?”
“I-I’m not—I can’t tell you.”
“Is that why you wanted me to stay out of your life?” he pressed, his fingers pressing into my skin. “Is that why you pushed me away?”
“Ash, please hear me. I can’t say anything. I signed legal documents.”
My cell phone started ringing, and our heads snapped to it. I remained frozen as he swiped up the phone. “Doss.” His jaw tightened, his eyes cutting to me. “For you,” he muttered, holding out the phone to me.
I eyed it for a second and then looked back up at his face. “Who is it?”
His nostrils flared. “Agent Masters.”
Oh god.
I took the phone and put it to my ear, tucking some hair behind the other. “Hello?”
“Ms. Howell,” a smooth feminine voice greeted. “How are you?”
“I’m a little confused at the moment,” I answered honestly.
“Right, well,” Agent Masters said, sighing, “there’s no way to sugarcoat this, so I’m going to debrief you. Do you remember when I told you that you would never hear from me unless it was an update?”
I pressed my hand to my stomach, trying to stop the pain from surfacing. “Yes, I remember.”
“Alan Benson was found dead at an island resort inside his condo earlier today. We’ve sent our team to the scene, but the FBI is closing their case.”
My head fell, a strange sense of relief hitting me. “Oh” was all I could manage.
“I also need to tell you something else.”
I braced, feeling Ash’s heat at my back. “What is it?”
