Page 29 of Spy With Me
“Hey, go slow. You almost passed out.” His arm tightenedaround her waist as though he was afraid to let her go. “Just rest for aminute. The sedative she gave you is probably making you woozy.”
“Reliving the torture I went through is making me woozy,Zach. Please let me up. I don’t want to be here.”
He took a long breath and moved his arms so she was free. “Iknow, sweetness, and that is one hundred percent my fault. I should have comeafter you the minute Huisman made his play. I shouldn’t have left you behind.”
Her head hurt and she wanted to cry. Was crying, but in aninactive way. She needed a big sob fest to get rid of the anxiety anvil thatsat on her chest. She swiped at the tears and tried to shove the turmoil downdeep as she slid off his lap and forced herself to stand on her own two feet.“Are you saying you wish you kidnapped me earlier?”
He had the grace to wince. “That sounds worse than I meantit. I’m just saying I didn’t handle this well, Devi. I should have come to you.I thought it was better to leave you with your family. I thought they couldprotect you. Now I’m going to do the job, but I should have come to you andtold you the truth.”
“About how you want to marry a Taggart and you weren’t goingto let a little thing like being a criminal and betraying your team stop you?”Anger was far easier to deal with than the horrible vulnerable feeling she’dgone through.
She was weak. She was lesser. No one wanted to hire her evenafter all the money her family put into her college. She had been kidnapped.Twice. Neither time was the actual kidnapping about her. One had been to forceDaisy O’Donnell out into the open, and the other she was leverage against herbrilliant, deadly cousin.
He went still, his eyes pinning her. “That is not true.”
“So you didn’t have a thing for Tasha?” It was stupid thatshe was stuck on this. He betrayed everyone. Put his whole team in danger, andshe didn’t really know why but this was what she pushed at him.
Because once again she was small and insignificant, with theexception of her family name.
“I had a kid-like crush on her in the beginning.” He seemedto think through every word. “I never touched her. Never once made a move onher.”
“Not like you did with me. She was the beautiful, perfectwoman, and I was available.” It was how she felt. “I was convenient and had theproper last name.”
“This is where we’re going?” His lips curled up in aslightly self-satisfied smirk. “I kidnap you, haul you across the ocean andaway from your family, and you’re jealous. Not angry. Jealous. Baby, we’realready halfway there.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” She took a step back as hestood and loomed over her.
It was too bad she’d been wearing sneakers when they caughther. Not that she had them now, but she longed for some four-inch heels. Theywouldn’t put her on eye level with him, but they would help.
He simply stood there, that stupid, sexy smirk on his face.“It means I thought it would take weeks to get back into your bed, but if I wasbetting now, I would say a couple of days and you’ll need more than you cangive yourself. We’re stuck on this nice but weird farm and oops, there’s onlyone bed.”
“Zach, I am not fucking around with you. You sought me outbecause I was the last Taggart you could hit on.”
He frowned, a look of pure consternation coming on his face.“Why would you say that? Look, the thing with Tasha was probably more about herdad and wanting to belong than I want to admit. But you… I looked at you and Iwanted you. I know we met before and I always thought you were beautiful, butthat night we connected in a way I have never connected before.”
“Because my cousins wouldn’t give you the time of day,” sheshot back.
“I didn’t want your cousins,” he said in an altogether toocalm voice. “Kala and Kenz are like sisters to me. As for Tasha, I’m now prettysure it wouldn’t have worked. She’s too calm and polite for me. I seem to havea thing for brats.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t believe a word you say.”
“And I can understand that. Devi, I wish I could let youmove on with your life. I wish I was a good enough man to not touch you againbecause there’s no happy ending for us. I’m going to die or go to prison, andif I was a better man, I would hand you back to your uncle. But I’m not. I’m adesperate man, and I need these weeks with you because one way or another thisis it, and you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Ever will happen tome. I’ll do pretty much anything to get back into your bed and have these lastdays with you.”
He sounded so serious, like he’d spent weeks thinking aboutwhat he would say to her. She wanted to sit and talk to him and work this out.What if he was telling her the truth? What if he honestly wanted her and thiswas a tragic misunderstanding? What if she was his real love?
She needed to kill this part of herself. The part thatwanted to believe the best in everyone. The part that thought she should tryone more time and everything would work out. “You can go to hell. I considermyself your prisoner, Zach. Every bit as much as I was his prisoner last night,and honestly, for the same reasons. You need something from my uncle. I don’tbuy for a second that you’re willing to die or go to prison. You’re a user, andyou’ll use me to save yourself from whatever is going on here.” She was feelingmean. Her head hurt, and she wasn’t even sure they were telling her the truthabout where she was. Or if Lacey was only a friend. She was probably Zach’smistress and she was helping her man save himself. “What’s wrong, Zach? Wereyour mommy and daddy not good enough for you and you need a new family? Poorlittle boy wants mine? Is that it?”
His eyes closed, and if he was acting, he was damn good atit. “I suppose I deserve that. I’ll leave you alone then. I’ll find anotherplace to sleep. Be careful when you’re walking around. Lacey doesn’t believe inpenning in the cows. I’ll see you at dinner.”
He moved around her, leaving the room. The space wassuddenly quiet but her mind wasn’t.
“Wow, now I believe you’re a Taggart,” an unwelcome voicesaid. Lacey stood in the door with a mug of tea in her hand. She walked in likeshe owned the place, setting the tea down on a coaster on the table by thechair. “It’s something my mum has used since she was a kid. It always helpswith headaches. I don’t think it will make you less of a bitch, though.”
“Yeah, because the kidnapped girl should be polite to thepeople holding her. Sure thing.” She looked back to the door where Zachdisappeared. Was he trying to play on her sympathy? Did he think looking like ahurt boy would bring her around?
“Well, you weren’t exactly polite to the men guarding you,were you? So it feels like you’re a bit nasty to everyone.” Lacey frowned andmoved to the corner of the room. She opened the door to the closet. “Come on,kitty. I don’t think she wants you in here. Will you let me pick you up?”
The cat hissed and retreated.
