Page 63 of Hunted

“And I said White’s in town. Do you want her safe, or don’t you?”

Connor nodded, then glanced toward Lexi. She’d been trying to knuckle her eyes dry without being obvious.

“Lexi Stoltz, Darren Wade.”

She nodded, muttering hello while searching Connor’s face. Something was going on here.

“The formula?” the newcomer asked.

Connor nodded, then got the spiral notebook from where he’d tucked it under the mattress. Lexi couldn’t help sucking a breath through her teeth when he handed it over.

The men heard it and he looked at her quickly. “It’s okay, Lexi. I trust Darren with my life.”

“And have, a time or two,” Darren Wade said, and the men exchanged a familiar look. There were a hundred remembered stories in that one look. “It’s all right, Miz Stoltz. I know this is difficult. Believe me, you’ll be as safe as if you were in your own mother’s arms.”

She blinked at the reference to her mother, then frowned as the rest of his words sank in. “What do you mean?” Her gaze flicked back to Connor. “What's going on?”

“I want you to go with Darren, Lexi.” He put his hands on her shoulders and she got the feeling it was more to make sure she wouldn’t run from the room than to comfort or reassure her. “He’s taking you to a secure location for the night. By tomorrow it should be safe for you to go home.”

She pulled free of his hands, shaking her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. It’s over now. You gave him the notebook.”

“White has no way of knowing that,” he said.

She blinked slowly, her mind racing. And then suddenly, she got it. “You don’t want him to know. You think he’s going to come after you tonight, don’t you? And you want me out of the way.”

Connor said nothing, but he broke eye contact, looking down at the floor. She blinked back tears and went to stand face-to-face with Darren Wade. “If you’re really his friend, you won’t let him do this. He’s not going to arrest White, he’s going to execute him or die trying. You can’t let him?—”

“Now, calm down, Miz Stoltz. Romano isn’t gonna do anything foolish. I’m not gonna let him lie in wait all by himself. He’ll have backup and plenty of it. White will be arrested and brought to justice.”

Dread settled heavy in the pit of her stomach. “Don’t do this, Connor.”

Darren kept right on talking, as if unaware of the emotional undercurrents snapping in the air.

“Go with him. Lexi, for God’s sake, don’t make this any harder than it is.”

She shook her head. “No.”

Darren Wade’s fleshy hand closed on her arm gently. “I’m sorry, Miz Stoltz. Try to understand, White’s responsible for mass murders, bombings, assassinations, kidnappings. We can’t risk him escaping again, no matter what we have to do to prevent it.”

She tugged her arm away, annoyed at him getting between her and Connor. “I said no.”

“I have the authority to arrest you, Miz?—”

“It’s Doctor Stoltz,” she snapped, and then her gaze flew to Connor’s.

“I’m sorry, Lexi. It’s for your own protection.”

She looked at him in stark disbelief, and the pain in his eyes almost brought her to her knees. “It’s a choice. You know that, don’t you? It’s a choice between a chance at living again, and your vendetta against White.”

He lowered his head. “This is something I have to do.”

So he knew. He understood. And he was choosing hatred over love. “Do you know how good it could have been between us?” she whispered. “Do you have any idea what you’re throwing away?”

“Yeah.” His voice was so choked it was barely audible. “Yeah, I do.”

“I was falling in love with you.”

“Goodbye, Lexi.”

---