Page 70 of Until the End

She respected and admired him for that. Maybe she’d developed a hero complex, since he’d saved her more than once.

Glancing back at Alistair, she saw blatant concern etched on his face. Or it might’ve been the hangover. If Alistair was worried, maybe this thing between her and Castle was real, proof that she affected him as much as he affected her.

Alistair stalked off to the mini-mart, throwing her one more cutting look before going inside as she heard Castle put the pump in the tank and started fueling up.

She took her morning meds, washing the pills down with water, and felt Castle’s gaze on her, burning a hole through her head. If she went out there and talked to him about all this, simply faced the issue head-on, what would he say?

Another eloquent speech about not shitting where he eats? Another rejection?

She could take it. She wasn’t a coward.

Kit hopped out of the car, her feet carrying her to Castle as fast as possible without running. She had no clue what the right words were, but she was determined to tell him the truth. He was stealing her heart one argument, one life-saving act, one gentle caress at a time. She wasn’t sorry that they’d kissed last night or had been about to do it again in the car. She wasn’t sorry that she didn’t have the slightest hope of ignoring her attraction to him or holding her growing feelings at bay.

But she regretted that they’d been caught by his coworker. That she had potentially sidelined his career. That she worried about Alistair poisoning him against her.

She got around to Castle’s side of the vehicle, where Alistair couldn’t see them from the convenience store, and opened her mouth. Castle’s large hand took hers, bringing her flush against his hard body.

He stared at her for a long moment, his other hand cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheek with such tenderness. As if she was precious.

Neither of them said anything. Words weren’t necessary.

That undeniable zing between them flared hotter, brighter, and he kissed her.

Seeing Castle in the park that first time had been like being struck by lightning. The same electric resonance stirred in her belly now and she understood what it meant.

He had not only saved her life but had the power to change it irrevocably.

This was real, a force of nature brewing something beautiful. Dangerous.

But what would it cost him? And her?

23

Cambridge, Massachusetts

8:05 a.m.

“Mendoza isn’t here,” Echo said, finishing his sweep of the upper level of the small cottage-style house.

Bravo holstered his weapon and walked to the French doors that overlooked the Mystic River. “The professor must be on campus already.” He stifled a sigh.

This circus kept getting more complicated, his choices constrained by rules that grated on his nerves. After losing the girl and a nine-hour car ride that compounded his frustration, what he wouldn’t give to smash in a nose or put a bullet in someone.

“Looks like this shitty gamble of yours didn’t pay off,” Charlie said, niggling the thorn in Bravo’s side. “Now we’re way behind the power curve because of your bright idea.”

Bravo spun on his heel and slapped Charlie backhanded. The stinging blow was delivered precisely and with such quickness, the man stood stunned and red-faced.

“Oh shit.” Echo cackled. “He bitch-slapped you.”

“If I hear another insubordinate word from your mouth,” Bravo said, his tone cool, his composure collected, “you will swallow teeth.”

Charlie reared up and took a step forward.

“Please make my morning worthwhile.” Bravo beckoned Charlie to test him, give him an outlet for the rage percolating inside him.

Echo jumped in front of Charlie and held him back. “You don’t know who you’re messing with, bro.”

“Neither do you,” Charlie said.