Page 22 of Tracing Her Stolen Identity
“I refuse to drag you into this dumpster fire of my life,” she whispered. When he lifted a brow, she sighed. “Okay, drag you any deeper into this dumpster fire I call life.”
“I’m in it to win it, Sky,” he promised, running his knuckle down her cheek to catch another tear. “A few tears won’t scare me away if that’s what you think.”
“Tears never scared you away, Land.”
“Sometimes they drove me to do stupid things, but I always came back,” he said with a wink.
Until the time he didn’t. She’d wanted it that way, though. She’d begged him to stay away from her and to get on with his life. When he had, she’d died inside, knowing she would never get to see him achieve all his dreams. They’d shared so much during their childhood, but it wasn’t fair to hold him back when he could make his dreams come true.
“We’re in the right place now to sort all of this out,” he promised, brushing her hair off her forehead. “I have every tool at my disposal, and now that I don’t have to worry about keeping you safe while trying to do my job, I hope we can resolve this even more quickly.”
“That’s good. The sooner I’m out of your hair, the better,” she agreed, prepared to sit up and get the day started, but he grabbed her elbow and held her there.
“First, you aren’t ‘in my hair,’” he said, using air quotes with one hand. “I’m here because I want to be. Second, things aren’t going to go back to the way they were before, Sky. I won’t allow it.”
Her heart hammered in her chest as he forced eye contact. His eyes told her everything he meant by that statement, but like a moth to a flame, she had to ask. “Back to the way they were before?”
“Both of us pretending the other doesn’t exist,” he said, his gaze holding hers. “There’s no way I can go back to that way of life, so once we solve this problem, we’re going to be friends again—the kind of friends who see each other and spend time together.”
“No, Land—”
Before she could say more, his lips brushed hers. Sound and light disappeared when he did it again, this time letting his lips linger on hers. His warm breath met hers and shewhimpered, wanting more but also afraid to want more. He solved that problem for her by pressing his lips to hers fully and sliding his fingers into her hair, holding her there as they breathed together in harmony for a split second. When he pulled back, he ran his thumb across her lips.
“It looks like it’s time to start the day,” he whispered, his thumb still grazing her overly sensitive skin. “The team will be waiting for us. Give me five minutes to clean up, and then the bathroom will be all yours.”
Slowly, he pulled his fingers from her hair without breaking eye contact. The things she read in his eyes were dangerous to her way of life if she allowed him to touch her again. When he tossed the blanket off and climbed from the bed, her gaze followed him to the bathroom, his joggers low on his hips and his hard, muscular chest bare with just a smattering of blond hair. He was just as sculpted as in high school, but maturity looked good on him.
The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, she brought her hand to her lips. She’d been kissed before, but not like that. Not by someone’s entire heart. And that was the only way she could describe it. It might have been the tamest kiss in history, but the action wasn’t the point. The underlying emotions were the point. Hurt. Anger. Pain. Loss. Joy. Desire. Trust. She felt them all, and each one had pierced her heart and lodged there as an arrowed reminder of their past and why they couldn’t have a future.
* * *
BREAKFAST HAD BEEN DELICIOUS. Reece had told her that their cook, Sadie, made a huge breakfast and dinner every night for the entire crew, which had to be a massive undertaking, from what Sky could see. Only part of the crew had been there, but the cafeteria was still full. According to Mina,Secure One and Secure Watch had more than doubled in size since she moved there with her husband, Roman. That wasn’t even counting their remote operatives like Reece. She was starting to see the scope of who was helping her and how much power they had to make sure she rolled out of this alive. After last night, she didn’t even care if she had a career to return to as long as she and Reece were still breathing at the end. As far as she was concerned, that was all that mattered anymore.
“You didn’t eat much for breakfast,” Reece said as they rolled into the conference room to decide the next move on the board. They didn’t have many, but she had confidence that Mina had mapped them all and knew exactly what percentage each one had of working.
“I have a bit of a headache,” she answered as he pulled a chair away from the large conference table so she could park her chair under it. Once her wheels were locked, she shifted in the chair to find a more comfortable position. The truth was, the ride to Secure Watch last night had left lasting effects. Her belly hurt from being hunched over for so long, but she wouldn’t complain since she was alive to see the sunrise this morning. “I’ll grab a snack later.”
Once they were settled, Mina leaned in on the table. “I’m not going to lie—this has been a challenge. Binate knows what he’s doing when it comes to hiding his footprints and your information. It’s hard to stump me, but he’s thwarted my every move.”
“Mine as well,” Reece agreed.
“That’s why it’s not Silas,” Sky said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t have the skill set to do this.”
“He didn’t when he left home, but that was nearly fifteen years ago,” Mina gently said. “People change.”
“Especially when driven by hatred or desire for revenge,” Reece added.
Skylar adjusted herself in the chair again, partly to get more comfortable and partly to avoid spouting off at him about her brother. “I know you think I’m hindered by family alliance when it comes to Silas, but I’m not. I don’t disagree that people change, but what you don’t know is that Silas was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was—”
“Nineteen,” Reece finished before she could. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“My parents were adamant no one know,” Sky said, averting her gaze from him and Mina.
“I’m lost,” Mina said.
“When Sky was thirteen, I walked in on Silas attempting to assault her. Silas was nineteen at the time.”
Mina’s lips thinned. “My guess is that didn’t go well.”
