No, he didn’t.
“What will you give to her? More danger? Maybe even the same death that I gave to my Marguerite?”
Mercer looked very tired and weaker than Cale had ever seen him before. “I want Cassidy to be safe. To have a normal life. But she won’t have that life with you, Agent Lane.”
Because he was EOD. Because he’d learned long ago how to deal quick death to the threats in this world.
“Step back from this case,” Mercer told him. “Step back from Cassidy before you do more damage to her than even I ever could.”
“The last thing I want is to hurt her,” Cale conceded. The words were true, but he hadn’t thought ahead. Hadn’t thought past the moment of being with Cassidy.
He’d ju
st wanted her.
After so long of being in the shadows of life, she’d been a temptation he couldn’t resist. He’d reached out to her.
Taken what he needed so badly.
And hadn’t considered the future.
“There is no future for you two,” Mercer said, seeming to read his thoughts. “Cassidy needs to move away from the EOD, away from the guilt of her past.”
Because of her friend’s death.
“She needs to find someone safe and settle down.”
Another man. Anger had his hands fisting.
“You see that, don’t you?” Mercer pressed. “You see that you aren’t the right one for my daughter.”
He wanted to be. He wanted to be her everything.
“Too violent, too dark and with too much death hanging on you.” Mercer’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t you think I know? You’re just like me.”
No. He didn’t want to be like Mercer.
“We weren’t made to love,” Mercer continued. “We were made to break and destroy.”
Cassidy couldn’t be destroyed. “That’s not happening,” Cale growled.
“You will let her go,” Mercer said. “Because you don’t want her to break.”
Their eyes locked.
“I can pull you from this case—we both know I can.” Ah, there was the Mercer he knew—the cold confidence. The hard threat.
But Mercer was right. He was the EOD. If the guy wanted Cale tossed from the building, he would be. Armed guards would flood upstairs in an instant at his command. They’d toss him into the street.
Then I’d just have to bust my way back inside.
“But I want you working this one,” Mercer continued, surprising him. “Cassidy trusts you. And with her friend’s life at stake, I don’t want Cassidy any more afraid than she has to be.”
Cassidy was already plenty afraid.
“So you can keep working with the team.”
Cale’s eyes were slits. Thanks—I was going to do that anyway.