Page 17 of Joshua's Mistake
Will laughed. “I’m going to put your plane out of sight. I’m sure someone must be looking for the two of you or you wouldn’t be in my neck of the woods to begin with.”
“True enough.” Joshua didn’t look away from the sink.
Tessa looked around the nicely furnished house. When she looked at the ceiling she could still see the metal building. However, the ground-level interior was dry-walled and painted. Leather couches and lounge chairs made a cozy living room. The kitchen reminded her of a restaurant with stainless countertops and an industrial range and refrigerator.
“He’s not even going to ask why we’re here.” She was amazed and intrigued by Will’s attitude.
Joshua shrugged. “He trusts I’ll tell him what he needs to know.”
“And will you?”
“Your opinion of me is not too flattering, Tessa. I won’t let any harm come to him.”
“You may not have that much control over the situation, Joshua.”
He frowned. “I protect the people who mean something to me and I’m pretty good at what I do.”
She found herself wondering if he was including her in that group.Don’t be stupid, he just met you.“What is this place?”
He continued to wash dishes. “You mean besides Will’s house?”
“Why are we safe here?”
“We’re not. There’s no place safe if people want you dead, Tessa.”
At least he didn’t lie. “So why here?”
He placed the last dish in the dishwasher and wiped his hands on a dishtowel. The swaying towel caught her attention and she couldn’t take her eyes away from it. It was only a short walk around the island to reach her, but he somehow crossed the distance faster than she’d expected. She blinked to clear her head. “Hypnosis?”
“Just a little trick. Sometimes it distracts people.”
She forced herself to control the surge of anger he would instantly detect. Sliding her foot out, she swiped his legs behind the knee in a quick movement. She’d blocked her mind sufficiently to surprise the great Joshua Lakeland and send him crashing on his ass. She stood over him smiling. “I’m not just ‘people’.”
Instead of getting angry he grinned up at her for a moment before standing. “I know. I’m sorry. I brought you here because we’ll have a few hours, maybe even days before they find us. I thought it might give us time to figure out why people want you dead and how I figure in. Very nice move, by the way.” He took her offered hand and got up off the floor.
She shrugged. “Do you think they are really getting rid of all agents over a certain rating?”
He was already shaking his head before she finished speaking. “I’ve been thinking about that. If they were going to do something so huge, they’d have to strike big and fast. Though I wouldn’t count the idea completely out, this feels more specific. Your team, what was the mission?”
The moment of truth. Should she trust him?
“Why didn’t you just take the information when you were in my head?” She hated the tremble she couldn’t control in her voice.
The deep crease between his eyes told her he didn’t like the question. “I’m going to get angry real fast if you keep bringing that up.”
“Oh, are you the injured party here?” Her voice crackled with sarcasm.
He dug his hands into his pockets and frowned down at the floor.
She thought he’d be angry. But she couldn’t get a sense of emotion from him.
“No, but you know I had to do it.” He looked up and she could not look away from his pain. Strange, she could see it, but she couldn’t sense it. His control slipped. Heart-wrenching agony took hold for a moment before he reined it in.
He said, “If I hadn’t probed you I probably would have left you chained to the table and you’d likely be dead now.”
The truth cut deep. Her bravado remained in place though. “Why did you take me with you? I’m nothing to you. It would have been faster and easier to go without me. And just maybe they would have stopped chasing you for a while, at least long enough to deal with me. Why not save yourself, Lakeland?”
He took her hand and pulled her past the dining area.
