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“Three years ago, Bastien called me in to give me a kill order. There was a little girl beside him.”

My lips part on a gasp, my eyes remaining glued to his face. “What happened to the little girl?”

“She’d been kidnapped and sold into sex trafficking by the Nikitin brothers. Bastien wanted me to kill Iosef Nikitin, so I forfeited the five hundred K he would’ve paid me and took the girl instead.”

My stomach rolls, and I suddenly feel very sick.

As I start to shake my head, he continues calmly, “I had her call her mother and left her at a McDonald’s. The police came, and when I was sure she was safe, I walked straight to the FBI offices and handed myself over.”

It takes a moment for my mind to catch up after thinking the worst, and I gasp, “You helped the little girl?”

Rowan nods. “That’s the one line I won’t cross. Kids are off limits.”

Oh my God. Maybe there’s still a part of Rowan that’s good?

“What happened then?” I ask, wanting to know as much as I can about his life.

“I gave the FBI everything I had on Bastien and the Nikitins. Years’ worth of information I gathered as an insurance policy to keep myself safe. The FBI cut me a deal. I got a new identity, and they got the head of the Bratva and two prominent members.”

Now that I think back over the past two and a half months, everything makes sense. Rowan was quiet and didn’t try to get to know any of us. Nothing got to him. He was cold and shut off. But I pushed and pushed.

Biggest mistake of my life.

God. The first time I fall in love, and it’s with an assassin.

Of all the bad luck in the world.

I shake my head, rubbing my palms up and down my arms.

“Are you cold?”

“No.”

I shift in the seat, my backside numb. “How much longer until we stop?”

“Give or take four hours.”

My eyes widen, and I gasp, “What? Where are we going?”

Rowan glances at me, and I notice the dead expression is gone as he replies, “We’re going to the Alvord.”

My jaw drops. “The desert?” Fear bleeds through me again, making my body tremble violently. “Why? Is that where you’re going to kill me?”

“I’m not going to kill you, Annie,” he says, his eyes moving between the road and me. “For the third time, I won’t hurt you.”

“How can I believe you?”

Rowan yanks the steering wheel to the side and once again brings the car to a sudden stop. Leaning across the console, he grips the sides of my jaw and tugs me closer until there’s only an inch between our faces.

This time, his tone is low and deadly when he says, “You make me feel good emotions. Yes, they’re fucking overwhelming, and half the time I don’t know what the fuck to do with them, but . . .” He shakes his head, his expression softening, “I’m not prepared to give you up for anything in this world. I’m not going to kill you. I will keep you safe.” He tilts his head. “Do you understand?”

With my breaths sawing over my lips, I nod quickly.

His features relax, and he exhales a sigh. “I know this is a lot for you to take in all at once, but try to think of this as us going on a road trip and getting to know everything about each other.”

Yeah, this is not what I meant yesterday when I said less physical and more talk.

Chapter 16