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Drake s big reveal during the hours of darkness.
And not with his endless questions.
Where is his money all of it, Jasmine. Off-shore accounts, properties&
I want his business associates. Every name that you know.
Why did he pick you? Why you?
He d seemed enraged when he asked that question.
Her answer hadn t exactly thrilled him. Because I was convenient.
She d worked with one of Maxwell s bodyguards before. Saxon had been the one to tell Maxwell
about her particular skill set.
 He s out there. Drake s arm brushed against hers as he came to stand with her on the balcony.
A dull headache pounded behind her eyes.  Yes, he is. Waiting. Planning to strike. How would he
attack first?
He ll come after me.
Jasmine figured that Maxwell would save his big game for last.
 I answered all of your questions. She d given Drake as much information as she safely could.
 Now, I need you to answer mine. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to face him.  Who was the
woman?
He was staring at the rising sun. She knew just how that sunrise looked like blood flashing across
the sky.  Anna Jean. Beautiful Anna Jean.
The name meant nothing to her. That would be changing as soon as she got near a computer.  Did the
beautiful Anna Jean have a last name?
His gaze slanted toward her.  That doesn t matter.
It did. Everything in this vendetta mattered.
 How did you meet her? Jasmine pressed.
 We worked& covert operations together. After I got out of the military. His lips twisted.  She was
my friend s girl.
Hold up, wait, that didn t make
 But I had sex with her. One drunken night. He ran a hand over his face.  Because that s what a good
friend I was to Tucker.
She backed up a step. Her hips hit the balcony s railing.  Did you& did you love her? Jasmine held
her breath as she waited for his answer.
He kept staring at the sun.  Maybe.
That wasn t really an answer.
His head turned.  But that didn t stop me from killing her.
Those words were supposed to terrify her. Okay, they did terrify her. And after dropping that big
bombshell, the guy just turned around and started to head toward the bathroom.
 No! So she d yelled. That yell had stopped him in his tracks.
She ran around and faced him. Jasmine jabbed her index finger into his chest.  I deserve more than
that. I talked until I was hoarse for you. That would be why her voice sounded so husky. Not because
she was scared and sad and close to breaking on the inside.  So don t just spout a line about killing
her. Tell me what happened. Everything that happened.
 Why?
Seriously? He made her want to yell, again.  Because I want to know! I want to see past this cold
mask you re giving me! You didn t kill her in cold blood. You couldn t have.
 How would you know that?
 I think you re more than that.
 You want me to be more. His lips twisted.  You need to accept that I m not.
Her heart shook her chest.  What happened?
 She betrayed me. I killed her.
She grabbed him and she shook him. Okay, she tried to shake him, but the guy was an unmovable
object of stone.  Stop it!
He blinked at her. Then his gaze lowered to her clutching hands. A furrow appeared between his
eyes.  Why are you drawn to the danger?
She didn t let him go.
 I tell you that I killed the last woman who told me that she loved me, and you& you hold on to me as
tightly as you can. He looked back up at her.  Something is wrong there, princess.
Something has been wrong with me for a long time.  There s more to the story, she said stubbornly
even though his words had hurt.  You re trying to scare me, but you don t have to do that. Don t you
get it? I was scared of you before we even met.
His head cocked to the right as he seemed to study her.  Yet you came to my bed.
 I m scared every single day of my life. If he lived her life, he would be, too.  Fear can t stop me.
If it could, she d be hiding in a closet some place, with her eyes squeezed tightly shut against the
darkness.  Now drop the bullshit, and tell me what really happened.
 You re so sure I m not a monster?
 Yes.
 You re wrong.
She wanted to slug him.  Tell me.
At first, she didn t think he would. That glittering gaze of his seemed to weigh her and judge her. How
many times had she been judged before and found lacking? Too many. She tried to stiffen her
shoulders and straighten her spine. If he closed her out, then fine, she d walk away. She wasn t going
to just hang around for nothing.
 The first time she died, we were in a wasteland of snow and ice. On a mission gone bad, bad
because she d betrayed my team. She d set us all up to die so that she could make away with a
fortune.
 The& first time? Just how many times could one person die?
His gaze stared into the past, and, judging by his expression, she knew it wasn t a pretty sight.  I was
taken on that mission. Held. Tortured because they wanted more intel on my team.
 Your team?
 My buddies and I formed our own covert reconnaissance group after our tours were over.
His buddies& Trace Weston and Noah York.
 Trace and Noah came for me. They got me out them and Tucker. His voice roughened on the last
name.  Anna Jean was supposed to be Tucker s girl. Of course, he didn t know that I d taken her
behind his back. One time. A muscle flexed in his jaw.  I was drunk and I woke up afterwards,
hating what I d done. But Anna Jean& she was the kind of woman who could get beneath your skin.
She pulled her hands away from him.
 She wanted me to be with her. Only I wasn t going to betray Tucker like that again& hell, maybe that
was why she was so eager to sell us all out. I pissed her off, and she got her payback.
 The scars on your back&  The scars that she d felt in the darkness. Felt but hadn t seen. Her
hands had stroked more scars, too. On his stomach. His chest. So much pain. So much hell.
 Those scars are mementos from my captivity. They remind me of the price for betrayal. He exhaled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]