Page 90 of Inside the Wicked

“It’s going to take time for you to stop thinking I would have been better off without you,” I say. “I don’t know what else I can say to make you believe it isn’t true. Maybe I would have been safer. Or maybe Gregory would have achieved exactly what he wanted, and Matthew would have taken me. There would have been noyouto help stop it. Perhaps we would have still met someday, but it would have been through your work, when you saved me after it was too late.”

Rhett’s eyes close at that unthinkable alternative fate.

I force him to look at me. “Say that it’s you and me. Say that you have no regrets.”

Rhett leans his forehead to mine. “It’s you and me, little bird. I promise you that.”

“You don’t get to lock me in another cage and do this yourself. Don’t ever think of that again.”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, kissing me once and then lifting me off the hood.

“Good. Now let’s get back to work, Agent.”

It’s past midnight when we get to the Den, and I’m buzzing with nerves and excitement over what could be so important it couldn’t wait.

The elevator doors open, and Rhett and I head into the large empty room. It’s just Rix and Adam here, but though I spot them, they don’t detect us.

“Oh shit,” I mutter, stopping my step, which strains our joined hands.

Since everyone else has retired for the night, my quiet words travel across the space, breaking up a very heated-looking kiss between Rix and Adam.

They push away from each other as if a grenade has been thrown between them.

“He’s just pretty to look at, and you took a long fucking time, before you get the wrong idea,” Rix grumbles, taking up his seat again. He looked about to climb on top of the desk with Adam under him.

My cheeks flush at the intrusion. I look to Adam, who won’t meet my eye.

“I should have been home a while ago, just took charity in him being a loner here,” Adam says. He grabs his jacket.

“Wait—we’ll go with you after this,” I try, but Adam looks ready to bolt out of here.

“Thanks, but I’ve heard it all. See you later, A,” he says to me, not looking back at Rix or at Rhett at all.

When I look up, I don’t think Adam needs to see Rhett’s glare to feel it. The elevator doors shut to take Adam up, and I whack Rhett’s arm. His head whips to me, stunned as if I’ve snapped him out of a reel of a hundred ways to kill Adam Sullevan.

“What?” he complains.

“When are you going to let go of your grudge with him?”

“Never.”

“Why?”

“I don’t care about his reasons—he hurt you.”

“Icare abouthim.So you need to get the hell over it.”

Rhett kisses my head. “No.”

He slips around me toward Rix, and I follow him slack-jawed. This conversation isn’t over, but as he begins asking Rix what’s so urgent, I settle that issue for now.

“You called me here to show me a track on Jeremy,” Rhett says.

“You’re going to want to see where he went,” Rix says, clacking away at the keyboard.

A map appears and then zooms in. Whatever it is makes Rhett lean in, eyes darting around. “That’s a Forthson location,” he says to himself.

“Think Alistair really has the balls to send spies inside his number-one enemy’s territory? It’s the worst offense, and if Forthson found out ...”

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