Page 40 of Fighting for Scarlett

But one thing he knew was that a woman who would throw herself in the path of a bullet to save a man who had been nothing but horrible to her and was taking her into custody was not one who would willingly sell a drug to someone who would not use it for its intended purpose. Athena Team had created the Reactivator to save the lives of their colleagues in the field, and the lives of American men and women serving in armed forces across the globe. Not so a weapons trafficker could get his hands on it and sell it to one of their country’s enemies to give those seeking to destroy democracy the upper hand.

The only reason Scarlett would have made that deal with Raul was if she had no other choice.

All he had to do was gain her trust enough to get her to open up to him and tell him what she had been threatened with, so he knew how to help her. Maybe if she was open and transparent from here on out, given that she had taken a bullet for him, they could even work out a deal, so she didn't serve any prison time.

For now though, he wanted to keep her somewhere safe, where neither Raul nor any of the agencies who wanted her would find her. There was a bullet wound to take care of, and he wasn’t sure whether she’d had any chance to rest after her team left her last night, but that was also a priority.

After that they’d talk.

Honestly this time, and when they did, he had to find a way to keep his own trust issues under control and not keep using them as a weapon against a woman who didn't deserve his anger.

He had to prove to her that she could trust him. But how Tate was going to do that when his ability to trust had already been so badly damaged he had no idea.

One problem at a time though.

Thankfully, they’d managed to get away from the scene before the cops arrived. The last thing he wanted was to be explaining why he, a Navy SEAL, had just killed three people on US soil.

Not when time was of the essence.

Tonight had made it perfectly clear that even if Scarlett had been coerced, Raul had no intention of letting her go until he got what he wanted from her. It was pretty ballsy to make another attempt on her life, right out in the open on a public street, even if it was in the early hours of the morning, immediately after Scarlett was released from custody.

Once he’d pulled into his driveway he turned to Scarlett, who hadn't spoken a single word after he’d told her he didn't know why he was taking her to his place. Even if he told her that was a lie and he knew exactly why he wanted her close he doubted she would believe him.

Her eyes were closed, and even though he could see the rise and fall of her chest, Tate reached out and touched two fingertips to the base of her throat. It wasn’t until he touched the smooth, silky skin that he saw the bruises marring it.

Scarlett had told him she’d been attacked in her home, and that was why she’d run, and he’d had trouble believing her.

Which now that he had calmed down a little sounded ridiculous even to his own ears.

The evidence of her innocence was right in front of him, his own issues just kept blinding him to it.

Obviously, someone had attacked her because she didn't have those bruises when he’d delivered her to Prey, and no one had laid a hand on her during the time she’d spent there.

He knew. He’d watched her the entire time, and if anyone had done anything close to hurting her physically, he would have … done something that would have ruined his career.

Tate hadn't even realized he was stroking his fingertips over the darkening marks as though he could somehow erase them and the pain and terror Scarlett must have suffered when they had been inflicted.

Each one was fingertip-sized and shaped, and even if she hadn't told him that someone had wrapped their hand around her slender neck and squeezed he would have known that was what had happened. He sincerely hoped that whoever had tried to strangle her was one of the men he had killed.

“I kneed him in the groin,” Scarlett’s soft voice spoke, and when he glanced up, he saw her eyes were open and she was watching him somewhat warily. “That’s how I got away. I know you don’t believe me but?—”

“I do,” he interrupted. Maybe if he had believed her at the time, she wouldn’t have gotten shot.

Because being this close to her, touching her so intimately, was likely to make him do something he shouldn’t, Tate abruptly pulled back, ignoring the hurt that flared in Scarlett’s beautiful big brown eyes.

“Let’s get you inside so I can assess the damage,” he said briskly, already reaching for his door handle. Since it was so badly damaged, the door creaked and he had to shove at it to get it open.

Not making any progress with her door, Tate could tell from the way it was caved in that it wasn’t going to open, he reached over the driver’s seat and grabbed Scarlett under the arms, pulling her over and out into the cold night, doing his best to ignore her muted grunts of pain.

She swayed, and he locked an arm around her waist, holding her tightly against him. For a moment their eyes met and he felt that same spark that he had that first night. As much as he knew he never should have touched her, Scarlett had the romance vibe down to a tee, and he was happily single, Tate found he didn't have it in him to regret the night they had shared.

He should.

And he shouldn’t have her here now.

But he couldn’t let her go yet.

That one night of light, peace, and happiness was going to have to last him a lifetime.

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