Her former fiancé finally answered, “I’ll listen but it doesn’t mean I have to go along with what you say. For the sake of argument, let’s pretend these legends hold a grain of truth. What am I supposed to do about it?”
“I have a friend who will take you somewhere safe in exchange for information on what you’ve seen and done inside the AMT research facilities.”
“And what about you, Leyna?”
“I go back to my life as a mercenary and you never see me again.”
~~~
Somehow Will managed to keep his emotions under control.
Bloody Leyna and her wanting to protect everyone but herself. That aspect of her personality hadn’t changed over the years. “Trust is something to be earned. This friend of yours has yet to prove anything. Hell, I’m not sure I fully trust you.”
“Which is as it should be.”
Leyna fell silent. It was hard to believe he’d been fucking her only a few minutes ago.
His eyes flickered to Leyna’s small breasts and hard nipples, and his dick twitched. If life were simple, they could block out the world and spend the night having meaningless sex. Well, nearly meaningless sex. If Will closed his eyes, he could pretend it was the woman he’d nearly married under him. It was the closest he’d ever come to turning back the clock to a happier time in his life.
Opening his eyes, he met Leyna’s gaze again. It was time to stop pining for the past and to focus on the future. “Do you like this new life of yours?”
She blinked. “What?”
Will shrugged a shoulder. “You seem keen to go back to a life of danger and questionable morals. The old Leyna I knew never would’ve enjoyed it. I think there’s a bigger reason behind it.”
“The clock is ticking, Will. I need to know if you agree to disappear or not.”
As he studied the toned woman with long hair and a hard expression, a shadow of his old feelings flared. He might never trust Leyna with his heart ever again, but her current life would probably end up killing her. “I survived you dying once and I’m not about to do it again.”
Leyna frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “If you want me to run away with your friend and share my knowledge, then I want you to stay near me until I feel I can trust these friends of yours.”
“Will, I can’t—”
“Either that, or I go back to my work. If you truly want to make up for putting me through hell two years ago, then this is what I want.”
Leyna remained silent for about ten seconds before saying, “Fine. But I’m only going to warn you once—if you stay near me, you might become a target. My brother is still wanted by the drug lord I mentioned earlier, who is even more influential and powerful than two years ago. My brother and I managed to get away from his claws, but not on good terms. There's a bounty on our heads and any person looking to cash out on it won’t blink twice at killing an extra person or two who stands in the way. I just want to make that very clear.”
He studied her a second before replying, “What I don’t get is you seem capable of reaching out to friends to try and save me. Why can’t you do the same for this drug lord problem?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“You know what, I’m tired of your secrets. Start making sense or I put on my clothes and return to the AMT facility.”
Leyna growled. “He has powerful friends, okay? I have yet to meet anyone with resources who is also clever enough to outsmart him, let alone have the desire to help a lowly for-hire hand like myself.”
Will wondered who this mysterious arsehole might be. Not that it was his concern. Leyna had made her choice years ago. “Maybe someday you’ll be brave enough to try.”
In the next instant, Leyna had Will pinned to the bed with an arm across his throat. “Listen, William. I didn’t ask for you to try to fix my life. My only concern is getting your ass out of here and to somewhere safe. I’m not going to ask again, so what’s your answer? Are you staying or going?”
It was difficult to concentrate with Leyna straddling his chest. The warmth of her skin and her womanly scent made him want to flip her over and fuck her all over again.
Then she pressed firmer against his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He snapped out of it. His reply was strained as he said, “If you accompany me, then I’ll go.”
Leyna leaned down and her hot breath tickled his cheek. “Good. I’m going to let you up and you’re going to get dressed. After that, we need to lose your tail and flee.”
He nodded and Leyna released his throat. After a quick cough, he met her gaze again. “I’m assuming you have a plan?”