Page 86 of Tell No One
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Tag had heard everything.
Delaney was still saying no to using him as bait and Tag felt relieved and guilty. He suspected that Delaney wanted to use him but felt some sort of obligation not to. If Tag let things take their course, Delaney was going to leave him here while he went up to Scotland and that worried him because they might know Vadim wasn’t who he said he was.
On the other hand, if Tag went to demand his money from Norbury, he’d get taken to Scotland to be part of the hunt and either Delaney would be hunted with him or Delaney would be able to save him. Maybe. There wouldn’t need to be anyone else involved. Delaney would be pissed off and that would be the last Tag would see of him, but that was the future anyway.
Maybe Tag could do some good and get bad people put away. Maybe he could save Ahsan and give two people a happy ever after.
“Is pasta okay?” Tag asked.
“Sure.”
If things went wrong, Tag knew no one would really care about him dying. At least Delaney would have put an end to Norbury and the Master and anyone else who wanted human trophies.Evil fuckers.Tag wasn’t stupid. He knew he’d have trouble keeping out of the way of a bullet, but maybe a bullet was what he deserved. And he could be all noble and stuff for the first time in his life. Well, maybe the second time, but this time people would know. Maybe notpeoplebut Delaney would know he was a good person. That was important.
Tag kept thinking of that prince being made to be a pet. Maybe having to crawl around with a tail stuck in his arse, and eat his food out of a bowl and get beaten when he did things he wasn’t supposed to, or just get beaten because his owner felt like it. That was fine if both were into it, but that wasn’t the case. And maybe Tag wouldn’t even need to get chased by fuckers with guns. He’d find a way to run before that happened. Or hide. Because Delaney would be coming.
He stirred the pasta into the boiling water, then took bowls from the cupboard. That would be the end, of course. Delaney wouldn’t want him anymore, but he wasn’t going to want him anymore anyway, was he? How could he be a…government agent and have Tag waiting at home, spending his time making pots no one wanted. Delaney didn’t let himself get close to people because that made him vulnerable. Delaney didn’t want to be put in the position where he’d be conflicted if Tag was threatened.I get it. Even through my confused thinking, I do get it.
There could never be a relationship between them. It wouldn’t work. Delaney couldn’t ever have a normal life. Nor could Tag. His past wouldn’t let him, it stuck to his heels like dog shit. The horrible thing was that since he’d met Delaney, he’d started to hope. He knew Delaney had given him no reason to.It’s all on me.
His head hurt. A bit of him wanted to destroy what little he had. Put an end to hope because it was too fucking painful when that hope was destroyed.
“You’re too quiet,” Delaney said.
“I’m thinking about whether I should tell you why I got sent to a YOI.”
“And what did you decide?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Delaney came up behind him and pressed against him. “Tell me later what you decided, or tell me why you were a bad boy?”
“Depends.” Tag squirmed round and wrapped his arms around Delaney’s neck.
“On what?”
Tag almost saidif you agree to my plan, but Delaney didn’t go for threats.“Not sure yet.”
If he told Delaney what he wanted to do, he’d say no. He’d said no to whoever was on the phone. But it wasn’t up to him.
Tag let Delaney go and turned back to the pasta.
“Don’t even think about it,” Delaney said.
“What?”
“Letting Norbury find you.”
Shit!Tag turned and glared. “I wasn’t.”
“You’d be of no value up there. You’d be a distraction I can’t afford.”
Tag bristled.Fuck you!
“Think about it. It makes no sense for you to put yourself at risk. When I get the call, you stay here and wait for me to come back.”
Tag didn’t even hope for the additional words that might have made him change his mind. Delaney saying that he liked him, didn’t want him to get hurt, that he wanted to get to know Tag better. He wouldn’t anyway once he found out why Tag had been put away.
