Page 28 of Delta Mission
Channing turned to me with a weird smile. “You got nine lives, Makenna.”
I huffed.Only one life mattered. The one I’d had with you.
He tossed a stick into the fire, creating a burst of orange sparks. “You were held captive for four days, is that right?”
“Yeah. Every time they walked into the room, I thought I was about to die.’’
A sob burst from my lips.
“Shit.” Pity swelled in his eyes.
A knot wedged in my throat so big I could barely breathe.
He shuffled over to me, pressing our thighs together, blanketing me with his warmth. “How did they find you?”
I released a small chuckle. “Apparently, behind me in the video they took were crayon drawings. One of them had the name of the school.”
“Stupid bastards.” Channing laughed, and it tore down a wall inside me, offering a glimmer of hope. But I was yet to tell him the worst part.
“When your brother’s squad came to rescue me, they killed the men who’d captured me, but . . . the three other men in Talon’s team died too.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“When he pulled that hood off me, I thought it was you. I thought you’d saved me. I couldn’t believe it. He used your surname, so I had no reason to believe he wasn’t you. I was in a bad place, and scared and vulnerable, and he . . . he was there. I wasn’t thinking straight. Afterward, Talon claimed he didn’t know I was your girlfriend. Why didn’t you tell him about us?”
He glared at me. “You wanted to keep our relationship a secret, remember? To protect our careers.”
“Yeah, from our work life, not family.”
“Yeah, well, I never told anyone. But they found out at Uncle Henry’s wake.”
Torment twisted inside me. “And I’m sorry about that. Talon should never have told you.”
“He’s my twin brother. We tell each other everything.”
“No, you don’t. If you did, he would have known I was your girlfriend when he came to rescue me. And he would have told you the truth about me wanting to tell you.”
“He was drunk, Makenna.”
“Which was exactly why you should have let me explain, and when you started beating the crap out of each other . . .” I didn’t finish my sentence. It was bad enough that we had fought at the wake, but when Channing and Talon had started that fight, they ruined everything. “Whydidyou two have that fist fight?”
Channing’s stunning eyes shimmered with heartache and loathing. “He said you were a lousy lay.”
I wanted to vomit.
Scrambling to my feet, I strode to the opposite side of the cave. The last thing I wanted to do was rehash the revolting moment that ruined my life, but Channing needed to hear the rest of the story.
Or I was forever going to be the slut he thought I was.
I yanked my ponytail out of the band, and driving my good hand through my hair, I forced myself to focus. “After Talonsaved me, we went to the roof of the school, where he managed to relay a message to have us rescued. But we had to wait it out until it was safe for the helicopter.”
I turned to the wall and staring at a small weed pushing through the rocks, I braced for what I had to tell him next. “We were both emotional. And it happened so quickly. I honestly thought I was making love to you, Channing. I thought you’d saved me . . .. That you’d nearly died saving me. That all your team had died because of me. Talon is the asshole. He took advantage of me. I was vulnerable and scared. He’s the one you should be pissed at. Not me.”
I spun around and peered at Channing through the heat-distorted air over the fire. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, and I flicked them away. “After we’d . . . finished, I was getting dressed when I called him Channing. And you know what he did?”
“What?” He sounded defeated.
“He laughed. He fucking laughed as he told me he was your twin brother.”
