Page 110 of Wicked Intention

“Not yet, Señor Alvarez.”

The old man grinned. “You may call me Tio Luis.” Before Finn could think of what to say to the invitation, he continued, “You’re going to have a fight on your hands when you tell her of your plans.”

“Maybe not.”

Alvarez shook his head. “We cannot risk standing here any longer.”

Finn nodded. “Sí.”

Tio Luis rounded up his group, ignoring his wife’s protest. “Stay safe, Zofia,” he told her before they set off.

“Let’s go, loquita.” Finn resumed walking, and Zo followed him.

Normal wasn’t interesting. He’d told Griff that about a century ago, but today made him rethink what he said. A normal person would have gotten their ass out of the hacienda with Alvarez and his team, but not his woman. No, she had to go and pillage a dead man’s office for an ancient relic. Was it too much to ask that she fucking consider her safety?

“Where are we going?” she asked quietly.

Scowling, he pulled to a stop and rounded on her. “Why do you think some damn inanimate object is worth more than a human life?”

Zo immediately returned his glower with her own. “That’s unfair. I was willing to give up the disk to save Tia Izel. I’d give it up to save you. I don’t value it more than someone’s life.”

“Let me rephrase that. Why is the disk worth more thanyourlife?”

Shaking her head, she said, “It was a calculated risk. I was right there, in front of the office, when I ran into Tia Izel. The men were already getting her to safety and—”

“You should have escaped with them. When we met up, you could have said something to me. I would have gone back to the estate to recover the disk for you, but you don’t trust anyone else with one of your precious artifacts.”

Her scowl deepened, and she stepped forward, going toe-to-toe with him. “Do you think I was going to ask you to risk your life for the disk? Not a chance.”

“But you’d risk your own, just like I said. Damn it, Zofia, I have a lot more experience at this kind of shit than you do. Why the fucking hell can’t you ever ask me for help?” He took her hand before she could reply, and tugged her into motion. “Come on. We have to go.”

Anger churned with every step, and Finn didn’t make it far before he said, “You don’t need anyone, do you? You can do it all yourself.”

“I never said that.”

“No, but actions speak louder than words. You’ve never—not once—asked me to help you with a damn thing.”

Zo tried to pull her hand free, but he held on, and she relented. “You said you like my strength. It’s the most frequent compliment you’ve given me since we met.”

Her voice was choked, and Finn glanced over at her face, but her expression was impassive. He wanted to stop and look at her more closely, but they were pressed for time. “Yeah, I like that you’re strong and resourceful and smart, but did you ever stop to think maybe I need you to need me for something?”

“That’s unfair!”

“What? What’s unfair?”

“Changing the rules on me midstream. You liked me because I was strong, so I was strong for you, but now you’re saying you secretly wanted me to need help. You never told me this. If you’d said something, I would have done it for you.”

She’d managed to confuse him, and he stopped, turning to face her. “I don’t understand. What are you saying? Would have done what for me?”

Zo’s lips tightened, and it seemed she was struggling for control. “I was trying to please you, to be who you wanted me to be so you wouldn’t leave me. But I failed with you, too. At least my parents’ expectations were clearly spelled out.”

This time, when she yanked her hand, Finn let her go, too dumbfounded to hang on to her. Zo started walking, continuing in the direction they’d been heading. As he stared after her, his brain spun through the information she’d dropped, pairing it up with conversations they’d had over the time they’d been together, like the fact she’d gone along with herparents’ plans as long as she had because she wanted them to love her.

She couldn’t have meant—

Finn hurried to catch up before she disappeared from view. She didn’t spare him a glance when he pulled beside her. After a moment, he said, “You know how I grew up, loquita. No one ever needed me. No one ever cared if I was around. I never wanted you to be helpless or weak. I only wanted you to need me for something.”

She reached over and took his hand. “I need you, Finn.”

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