Page 88 of Exes Don't

Anton

Iblink. Rose is biting her lip, waiting for me to say something, but my mind and mouth are refusing to work together. Maybe it’s ridiculous, but the first words out of my lips are, “No, you’re not.”

“I am, actually.” She winces. “I was hired by the palace in Penwick to keep you safe. There’s been a threat made against you.”

I hold up my hands becausethatgets my attention. “Wait.What?”

“I know. This is a lot. But I need you to hear the truth from me. You’ve got nothing to worry about. We’re doing everything we can to keep you safe, and we will keep you safe. You have my word.”

I shake my head. “That’s not what I’m focusing on here.”

Rose sits up straighter and cocks her head to one side, like she can’t figure out what I mean.

“You said you were hired by Penwick,” I say slowly.

She nods.

I try my best to keep my voice even, but inside, my blood feels like it’s rushing through my veins like whitewater rapids. “Nobody cared to inform me about this?”

“It was written into my contract that I’m not allowed to disclose any details about this arrangement to you. You’ve always rejected security in the past.”

I press my hands against the table and jut my chin at her. “You’re darn right I did, for good reason.”

“I know you don’t like to feel confined, and you want to live a normal life. This was Penwick’s solution. They put me undercover with you in an effort to allow you to live life normally while also having an extra layer of protection in place.”

“So, this was, what, some sort of service to me? Done for my benefit.” I let out a mirthless laugh. “Please. Let’s not pretend either of us believes that. I was lied to, by the palace and by”—my voice cracks—“you.”

Rose’s face falls. “I wanted to tell you. I tried to get them to let me, but they refused. I’m going against every protocol put in place by my agency by coming clean with you tonight. I’m probably going to lose my job.”

Maybe I should care more about that, but right now, all I can see is red. “How could you do this to me?”

“I—”

“I trusted you, and you took advantage of that…and of me.” My mind is reeling.

“No!” Rose shakes her head. There’s a frantic look in her eyes. “You have to understand. I wanted to tell you the truth about everything, but since I couldn’t, the only thing I could do was try to keep you safe. I didn’t want anything to happen to you, so I kept my mouth shut and did my job.”

“But you didn’t care about me enough to be honest.”

Rose’s shoulders slump. “I do care about you.”

“Really? Because from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t feel like it. You’ve basically been spying on me.”

“No! Well, yes. But it’s for your own good. Your safety.”

“I don’t feel safe. I feel completely violated.”

Rose straightens her spine. “You have to believe me. Don’t you see? It’s different this time. I’m telling you the truth now. I—”

I hold up my hand, and she falls silent. “This time?” I whisper. My stomach is in knots. “You mean I was a job to you all those years ago too?”

Rose’s expression contorts into one of anguish. Her eyes are frantically searching my gaze. “Hear me out.”

“No. Tell me the truth—if you’re even capable of that. Were you hired back in Mobile too?”

She drops her gaze, and I have my answer.

“So, when I ran into you in the bar, that wasn’t serendipitous? It wasn’t providence. When you told me you didn’t know who I was and sat there shucking peanuts with me, you knew the whole time I was Anton Bates, Prince of Penwick, because you were assigned to protect me?”

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