by Cynthia Eden
It wasn’t about letting him. He was doing this.
A tear slid down her cheek. “You don’t want me taking risks. Don’t you get that I don’t want you in danger, either? And if I can stop this mess, if I can do something to keep you and Antony safe, then I have to leave with Dex.”
“I don’t care about danger.”
“No, you might not. But I do. I care about you.” Alyssa blinked, as if she’d just said something she hadn’t intended to reveal.
He’d been dead serious before when he said that he loved her confessions. Even before he’d ever met Alyssa, Antony had once laughed and told him about his sister’s tendency to blurt out exactly what she was thinking.
Sebastian had met her, seen her in action for himself, but hadn’t found the trait humorous.
He’d found it fucking adorable.
“I’m asking you to let me go right now,” she told him. “Because if you’re in jail, you can’t help me. If I’m gone with Dex, then you don’t have to look out for me every moment. You and Winston and Antony—you can try finding this guy. You can work together and find him.”
Sebastian shook his head. She didn’t understand Dex the way he did. “No.”
“Please.”
Shit. She’d just said please to him? Didn’t the woman get it? She didn’t have to beg him, not for anything. Not when he’d give her everything.
“You can’t go to jail for me. Winston can’t get in trouble for me. And Antony—he can’t get shot at because of me.” Her breath released in a low rush. “I’ll see you soon. This isn’t forever. It’s just for now.”
The hell it would be.
Her hand pressed to his chest. “I don’t want to be in cuffs, and I don’t want you in cuffs, either.”
“Listen to the lady,” Dex quietly ordered him. “She’s offering you some good life advice here.”
Sebastian’s gaze cut to Dex. Fuck you, he mouthed.
Dex smiled at him. “I’ll keep her safe. I know how to do my job, and I’m not so obsessed by her that I can’t see the threats around me.”
Sebastian lurched for him, but Alyssa pushed her hand back against his chest. Winston grabbed his arm.
“Get yourself in check,” Winston urged him. “Because if you go for him and I don’t arrest you, then I’ll be sharing a cell with you. That doesn’t help either of us.”
“Sebastian.”
His gaze flew to Alyssa’s face. She didn’t say his name enough. He loved to hear it on her lips.
She smiled at him. “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing.”
“You don’t. You don’t know him.”
She swallowed. “But I know you. And Antony. And Winston. And this is what’s right for all of us.”
She was basically trading herself—going into Dex’s custody—in order to protect them.
His stare whipped to Dex. “You were supposed to help her.”
Dex raised his chin. “I am.”
The hell he was.
“I’m also helping you. You’ll thank me later.”
He would rip out the man’s heart later.
“Goodbye, Sebastian.”
His name again, slipping from Alyssa’s lips, only she wasn’t supposed to be saying good-bye to him. He wasn’t supposed to be losing her. He wasn’t going to lose her.
She stepped back from him. Turned toward Dex and the bastard’s stupid outstretched hand.
“No!” The word burst from Sebastian. “I don’t care what I have to do, he’s not taking you from me!” Once more, he surged forward.
This time, Winston caught one of his arms. Antony caught the other.
“Play the game,” Antony rasped to him. “Do it your way.”
“Don’t make me haul your ass to jail,” Winston muttered. “Shit, you know I won’t do it, so I’ll wind up losing my damn badge.”
Alyssa took Dex’s offered hand.
“We can get her back,” Antony added quickly. “Just not here. Not when he has a whole team in the hallway and nurses are gawking at us. Pick the time. Pick the place.”
The time was now. The place was now. It was—
“He’s got media waiting outside,” Winston revealed in a grim voice. “If you do this, you’ll take us all down in a blaze of glory that no one will forget anytime soon. The media won’t know you’re a spy. They’ll just think you’re a dumbass rich boy who picked a fight in a hospital, and your detective buddy and your business partner backed your ass up, and we will all lose everything.”
Alyssa glanced back at him.
Please. She mouthed the word again. Asking him to stand down. Asking him to let her go.
Asking him to let her sacrifice herself for him.
“Dex!” Antony shouted.
Dex stiffened. Slowly glanced back.
“I thought we were on the same side,” Sebastian said.
“We are. You’ll realize that soon enough. Once you’re thinking clearly again.”
“My mind is crystal clear.” He smiled at Dex. A deliberate flash of his dimples. “See you soon, my friend.”
Dex frowned.
“Very, very soon.” It was a promise.
Dex hurried away with Alyssa. The goons he’d brought along closed in around them.
Antony and Winston didn’t let Sebastian go. If anything, their grips tightened on him, as if they expected him to make a last-minute lunging attack.
He wasn’t. Because Alyssa had asked him not to attack. So he wouldn’t.
Or, at least, he wouldn’t attack there.
He watched the group until they vanished.
“That was a close call.” Winston still didn’t let him go. “I thought you were going to fight for her.”
“I am,” Sebastian promised. But he wasn’t doing it in the freaking hospital. And he wasn’t going to take his friends down with him.
Besides, Alyssa asked him to stand down, and for the moment, he would.
He would just take the fight to a different location. And I’ll make sure that my friends aren’t pulled into the battle between me and Dex.
“Hell.” Antony sounded worried. “What are you planning?”
“Let go so I don’t have to hurt either of you.”
They slowly let him go.
He marched forward.
They followed quickly.
His mind spun as he considered possibilities. “Winston, get your connections to work on those street cams. You see our perp, you call me immediately.”
“On it.”
The elevator was up ahead. The doors were open.
He could see Alyssa. For an instant, their eyes met.
The doors shut.
“He’s not going to let her go.” Antony stared at the closed doors. “Not until the threat is gone. You and I both know why.”
Yes, they did. Because Dex had put the pieces together, too. Because Dex had realized that Alyssa was the key in this mess. The tool that the perp planned to use against Antony…because she was his sister, and he loved her.
And the tool that the perp planned to use against Sebastian.
Because even Dex knows I’m obsessed with her. After the way he’d run out of the Shark Gaming and Design press conference and gone straight to her, the perp damn well had gotten the message about Sebastian’s feelings, too.
“Maybe it’s safer to let her stay with him. Until we catch the SOB out there,” Antony amended. “I mean, you heard her. It’s not forever. It just…for now.”
A set of elevator doors opened to the right. Sebastian headed inside. “I made her a promise.”
The others strode into the elevator. “What was it?” Winston asked.
“I said I wouldn’t let her go.”
Antony hesitated. “But…she left to protect us. You get that, don’t you?”
Oh, he damn well did. But what Antony wasn’t getting… “I don’t break promises to Alyssa.”
Antony and Winston shared a long, worried look.
“She’s not goin
g to be taken from me.” He knew how Dex operated. He knew exactly the type of shit that the man would pull.
And how he would use Alyssa to get what he wanted.
Not happening.
“I’ll get her back.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I know it’s not exactly the Ritz.” Dex rolled one shoulder in a shrug. “But we don’t all have Sebastian’s limitless budget. Uncle Sam does the best that he can.”
She stood in the middle of the apartment with her arms loose at her sides. He’d rushed her through a maze in downtown Asheville and set her up in what had looked like an old warehouse. Once inside, though, she’d quickly discovered the warehouse had been converted into apartment units. The other units had still been under construction, but this one—it was finished. Finished, furnished, and, apparently, her new safe house.
“Didn’t think he was going to let you go.” Only Dex had entered the apartment with her. The men in suits—silent guards—had stayed beyond the door. “Rather expected Sebastian to put up a fight. Thought you’d matter more to him.”
That was just insulting. Her spine stiffened. “I asked Sebastian to stand down.”
Dex’s brows lifted as he made his way toward a stocked bar on the right. “And he always does what you ask?”
Do not answer that. But…now that she thought about it…
Usually, yes. Hmm. How about that?
“You know, you slipped under my radar.” Dex poured a drink into a shot glass. Downed the liquid in a fast gulp. “That doesn’t happen often. I usually am pretty good—great even—at seeing threats.”
“I’m not a threat.”
“Of course, you are.” He put down the shot glass. Turned toward her. Propped his elbows on the bar. “It’s the threats you never see coming that are the most dangerous.”
“Okay, you are obviously under the wrong impression. I’m not a threat, and I’m not dangerous. I’m a law-abiding citizen who happens to find herself in the middle of a nightmare.” She huffed out a rough breath. “Could totally happen to anyone.”
He laughed. “I don’t think so. This situation is very unique to…you.”
Her stare sharpened on him. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re an important piece in the puzzle.” He smiled. It was an enigmatic, Sphinx-like smile.
She was done. “Playtime is over.”
“I rather think it’s just getting started.” His smile widened.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I know your game.”
“I highly doubt that you know—”
“I may not have my brother’s IQ, but, trust me on this, I can spot a player like you from a mile away.”
His smile slipped a little. “Excuse me?”
Now it was her turn to laugh. Mockingly. “You don’t care about keeping me safe.”
“I’m a government agent. My job is to—”
“It’s to be a spy. Or to handle the spies or something like that.” She waved the specifics away with a negligent flick of her fingers. “Your job is not to put women into protective custody because you secretly want to be a hero.”
He didn’t argue.
“So let’s circle back to that point, shall we?” She began to pace. She often did that when she was stressed. Walking was good for the soul. And for a person’s stress level. “You handle spies. That means that you look after Sebastian’s and Antony’s best interests.”
“That is one of the things I’m supposed to do.”
She could feel his eyes on her. “Antony didn’t tell Sebastian to watch me.”
“So it would seem.”
She turned and paced back toward him. Her hands slid to her sides. “You think I’m a threat to them.”
“I do not think that you would ever physically hurt either of those men. Not your brother. Not your boyfriend.”
Her eyes raked over Dex. “We’re not talking about physical pain here, are we? At least, not pain that I would personally inflict.”
His lips pursed. “I don’t know. You’re the one doing all the talking.”
“Because you’re the one doing all the bullshitting.” She stopped in front of him. Tilted back her head and stared into his eyes. “You think someone is trying to use me against them.”
His eyelashes flickered. “Do I?”
“It’s obvious that Sebastian was sent after me.”
“And he went running, didn’t he? Tore you away from your date and whisked you to his home.”
“Then my brother appeared at my side, and someone immediately took a shot at him.”
“I did notice that shot at Shark Gaming and Design.”
She swallowed. “I’m the bait, right?”
His brow furrowed. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
He was such a jerk. “Do you lie all the time? Or only when you’re risking someone’s life?”
What could have been appreciation flashed in his eyes. “I took you into custody in order to protect you and the two men you care so much about. Because, yes, it does seem that a particularly dark brand of trouble is following you. People close to you appear to be in danger.”
Now they were getting somewhere, but all the cards still weren’t on the table. Time to expose his hand. “You took me because you want to draw the attention of the man who is after me. You’re pretending to keep me safe, but, really, you’ll leak my location. Then you and your guards will stay in the shadows while he closes in on me. You want to find out who is threatening your agents because, after all, you handle them, so I’m sure this compromise in security reflects badly on you.”
“It could.”
“This isn’t a safe house.” She looked around. Sighed. “It’s a trap. One that you’ll be springing at any time. So let’s not insult each other by pretending this setup is anything other than what it truly is.” Her gaze slid back to him.
Now he cocked his head and studied her. “If you knew that, why come with me?”
Her lips pressed together.
“Why?”
“Because you’re right. Danger is following me. And I didn’t want to put Antony and Sebastian in jeopardy.”
He laughed. “They’re spies. Don’t you think they are far more equipped to handle this situation than you are?”
He was deliberately taunting her. “You keep pissing me off. You need to stop.”
His laughter died away.
“Yes, they are spies.” She’d accepted that. “But you obviously think my presence puts them in danger. You think they’re at greater risk when I’m with them. And if you have that worry, seeing as how you’ve worked with them for so long, then so do I.” Tension tightened her muscles. “You were also threatening to have Sebastian arrested by one of his best friends. I couldn’t let Sebastian be tossed in jail, not if I could stop that crap from happening. You were obviously trying to drive a wedge between Sebastian and Winston by making Winston choose between his job and his friend, and that kind of manipulation makes me crazy.”
“Now I’m a master manipulator? I’ll consider that as a compliment.” His eyebrows lifted. “You see a whole lot more than I thought.”
“It goes with hanging in the background. When you watch others, you can see some of the things they give away.” She licked her lower lip. “Why is it that you think they’re at greater risk when I’m close?”
“Because you have Sebastian…” He reached for her left hand.
His fingers were callused, rough, but his touch was gentle.
He wiggled her pinky. “You have him wrapped around this finger. You say jump, and Sebastian does everything you ask.”
Her shoulders stiffened.
“You know why he does that?”
“Because he’s my friend.”
Laughter exploded from Dex.
She was not amused.
“And here I thought you said…” More laughter, but softer now. “I thought you said that you saw things that others gave away.” His eyes gleamed
. “Or are you just blind…” His voice lowered and his head dipped toward her. “When it comes to Sebastian?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re dangerous to him because Sebastian would risk everything for you. He wouldn’t hesitate. He’d trade every secret he knows if it meant keeping you safe. So would your brother. I can’t have that. Those are my secrets. By taking you, and, yes, by planning to use you, I changed the equation for us all. If everything goes according to my plans, this will be over in a few days—hell it might be over in the next few hours—and you can get your life back.”
“You believe both Antony and Sebastian would trade government secrets for my safety?” That was crazy. They wouldn’t. Would they?
“Yes.” Dex’s answer was immediate and absolute. “I think the perp we’re after has realized that, too. At first, perhaps he thought he could only use you against Antony. But now he’s seen Sebastian with you. Seen how he reacts when you’re in danger. I guess that…friendship…of yours cuts pretty deeply.”
Her heart thudded into her chest. “But we’re going to catch the bad guy.”
One eyebrow quirked. “Oh, we are?”
“Yes, we are. I came willingly because I want this to stop. I don’t want Sebastian or Antony having to risk anything for me.”
He was still holding her hand. Frowning at it. “So delicate.”
“I’m stronger than I look.”
His gaze met hers. “I’m starting to think that you are.”
“Well, this shit sure is cozy.”
Her shoulders stiffened. Sebastian? She glanced over her shoulder. Yep, that was him. Standing a few feet away. Hands on his hips. Eyes hard with fury. No dimples. And a whole lot of hard intensity on his face.
And he had orchestrated another spy entrance that made no sound. At this rate, she was just going to have to start assuming spies were standing behind her. Or at least, one spy in particular.
“You take her away, saying you’re going to protect her.” Sebastian advanced with a slow, languid grace. “You toss out a song and dance about keeping her safe. Threaten her with cuffs. Threaten to have one of my closest friends lock me in jail if I put up a fight…” His nostrils flared. “Then I find you here, holding her freaking hand?”
She snatched her hand away from Dex. “It’s not what it looks like.”