“Am I right? Is that what you are?”
“I’m part of a specialized agency.”
I waited.
He dropped his head. “Sweetheart, the more you know, the more dangerous it is. The deeper you get means it’s harder to leave.”
I waited until he lifted his head, my nerves taut. “Are you really planning on letting me go? After…”
He traced his finger down my cheek. “I would do what I needed to do to make you happy.”
“And if it’s you?”
A mix of emotions crossed his face. “I’m not sure I’m what is best for you.”
“Because you’re older? More experienced? You deal with bad guys?” I paused. “Or because I’m too much to take on?”
“I like how much you are to ‘take on,’ as you phrase it. I am older and more experienced, which I think helps in your case,” he responded. “The bad-guy thing, yes.” He sighed. “It’s dangerous. It consumes a person.”
“But you can have a life outside of it?”
He studied me. “My old boss, Matteo, was determined. Driven. Removed. Then he fell in love, and it changed him,” he admitted. “He gave up this life and found something different.”
“With Evie,” I said.
He looked surprised. “How do you know about Evie?”
“Julian said her name the other day.”
“Oh?”
“He said something about lightning striking twice, and he mentioned Matteo and Evie.”
Marcus frowned. “It’s not like that,” he muttered, but he looked conflicted. I decided to change the subject.
“I can help you, Marcus. Finding this Xander. I’m great with a computer. Tracking down leads and following up—”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I want you far away from this.”
I slammed my hands on my hips. “But I’m in it. I was the one you pulled out of that cage.”
“And since I don’t want you back in one, you’re staying out of this.” He pushed back and began to walk away.
“You are such a stubborn ass!”
He turned, his eyes narrowed. “What?”
“I would be perfectly safe behind a computer. I could be another set of eyes. Maybe something would trigger my memory, or I would recognize someone or something one of you wouldn’t.”
“I said no.”
“You insufferable jerk! I can’t sit around here waiting for you to find this lowlife. Twiddling my thumbs, doing nothing.” I crossed my arms. “If you won’t let me help, then I’ll tell Julian I want to go home. I’ll demand to be released.”
He stalked over, fury rolling off him. He stood over me, breathing hard. His dark eyes were lit with a fire of annoyance. I held my breath, pretty sure I had just crossed a line with him by threatening to leave. Part of me was thrilled with his reaction.
“You are not going anywhere,” he said through clenched teeth. “You will be staying here until I decide otherwise.” He leaned closer. “And I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.”
He turned and strode away, heading toward the room he used for workouts.
“Looking forward to working with you, then,” I called. “I think it’ll be great!”
The door shook as he slammed it shut behind him.
I thought I had won.
Chapter Nine
Marcus
I worked out until I was a sweating mass of exhaustion. Missy’s words kept echoing in my head.
All of them. Her quiet question about a life outside this one. Her insistence that she be allowed to help with the case.
Her thought process was correct. She would be perfectly safe behind a computer. Damien and his team were amazing, and everything we did was untraceable. We were cloaked in darkness as we searched and gathered intel.
But the thought of her seeing some of the things I did. Reading the words, looking at the images, made me want to explode. It was hard enough living with the pictures burned into my mind. Knowing they would be in her brain as well seemed unacceptable. I knew she had trained to be a cop, but she was still so young, and given the small town she lived in, she hadn’t had a lot of experience. I still shook my head that she had been allowed on the task force. I had to admit she was perfect for the role, but given her limited experience, it surprised me.
But then again, I wasn’t part of that system, and it probably worked differently from what I was used to.
She was intelligent—there was no denying that fact. She had figured out who I was, what I did, and had made the connection to who I worked for. We had teams all over the world, so I wasn’t surprised about the rumors.
She was the perfect mix of everything I liked, everything I would have looked for in a woman, a partner—if I had been looking.
I hadn’t expected her. I hadn’t expected to feel the way I did that night when I pulled her out of the cage.
And I certainly hadn’t expected her to still be with me. I should take her to Julian—let her go. He would make sure she was taken care of—resettled somewhere safe. I could even send her to Matteo and Evie, who would watch over her. Yet, I couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving.