Page 70 of Ash Storm

“What are you thinking, Reka?”

“Who are you guys?” she asked.

“That’s a loaded question,” Ash said evasively.

“You work with my uncle, I know that. So it’s something top secret.” She paused, her teeth worrying her lower lip. “You risked your life to save me. You could have been killed.”

“I was only doing my job.”

The last thing he wanted was her gratitude.

“You all speak of the team, but what kind of team—“

“That’s something you might want to ask your uncle about,” he said noncommittally.

He sighed. He was exhausted. And if he was tired, he couldn’t begin to imagine how she was feeling.

As if reading his mind, she yawned.

“You need to get some sleep,” he said.

She nodded bravely, but then her full lips quivered. “Please don’t make me go back to the other room,” she begged.

In his mind, Ash cursed. He wished with all his heart that he’d had the chance to kill Afsan. He promised himself he would make this right. He would end Afsan. He would make sure Reka felt safe if it was the last thing he did.

“You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to do, Reka,” he said fiercely. He softened his voice. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to stay here with you tonight,” she said immediately. Again, doubt crept into her voice. “If that’s okay with you.”

Ash nodded. “You can take the bed. The sheets are clean. I’ll sleep on the armchair.”

Reka shook her head. “I’m not going to take your bed.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ve slept in much worse places.” He stopped as he realized how quickly her trust in him would die if she knew exactly what he meant—if she knew he’d been in prison.

“I’m not going to take your bed,” she repeated stonily. “We can share the bed.”

“Okay,” he lied easily. “We’ll share the bed.”