She shook her head, then tried to push his hand away. He didn't budge.
'You aren't leaving this room until you've given me the full truth. No more lies, Jade.'
She stared at his chin now. 'You ask too much of me.'
'I ask only what I can give in return,' he countered. 'And we're going to stand here all day until…'
'Oh, all right,' she replied. 'I wanted you to touch me because you were such a kind, gentle man and
I realized how much I… cared for you.'
She looked up into his eyes then, for she needed to know if he was going to laugh or not. If he showed even a hint of amusement, she swore she'd use her fist on him.
He wasn't laughing. He did look pleased with her admission, arrogantly so, but she decided he was entitled to that much. 'Caine, you weren't anything like the man I read about in your file. Even your director doesn't know the real you.'
'You read my file?'
She decided she shouldn't have mentioned that fact when he grabbed hold of her shoulders and began
to squeeze fresh bruises on her skin. 'Yes, I read your file,' she announced. 'It took most of the night. You have quite a history.'
He shook his head. He was more astonished than angry. 'Jade, the file should have been sealed… locked away, the name wiped clean.'
'Oh, it was, Caine. Yes, the security was actually quite good. No faulty latches on all the doors, sturdy locks on each cabinet…'
'Obviously the security wasn't good enough,' he muttered. 'You were able to get inside. You found
and read my file. My God, I haven't even read it.'
'Why would you want to read it?' she asked. 'You lived each event. The file only related assignments you'd handled. There wasn't much about your personal life. Why, the incident with the Kelly brothers wasn't even mentioned.'
'Caine, why are you so upset?' she asked. She thought he might be trying to crush her bones now.
'You read everything? You know everything I've done?' She slowly nodded. 'You're hurting me, Caine. Please let go'
He put his hands back on the wall, blocking her exit again. 'And yet, knowing all this… you still came looking for me. You weren't afraid?'
'I was a little afraid,' she confessed. 'Your history is most… colorful. And I was worried, yes, but
after we met, I found myself doubting the accuracy…'
'Don't,' he interrupted. 'There wasn't any exaggeration.'
She shivered over the briskness in his voice. 'You did what you had to do,' she whispered.
Caine still wasn't absolutely certain he believed her. 'What was my operative name?'
'Hunter.'
'Hell.'
'Caine, do try to understand my position. It was necessary for me to find out everything I could about you.'
'Why was it necessary?'
'You were in danger.'
'Did it not occur to you that I could take care of any threats that came my way?'
'Yes,' she answered. 'It occurred to me. Still, I had made a promise to your brother and I was honor bound to keep you safe.'
'Your word is very important to you, isn't it, Jade?'
'Well, of course it is,' she countered.
'I still don't understand why you thought you needed to read my file.'
'I needed to find your… vulnerability. Don't look at me like that. Everyone has an Achilles' heel,
Caine, even you.'
'And what did you find? What's my flaw?'
'Like your father, you have a reputation for being a champion of the weak. That isn't necessarily a
flaw, but I used that part of your character to my advantage.'
'By pretending to be in danger? Jade, you were in danger. Those events did take place. You…'
'I could have taken care of the threat on my own,' she boasted. 'Once I got away from Nathan's carriage, I went to Shallow's Wharf. Jimbo and Matthew were there, waiting for me. The three of us could have taken care of the problem.'
'Perhaps,' Caine said.
Since he was being so agreeable, and looking so distracted, she tried to duck under his arm. Caine simply moved closer to stop her. 'You believed I was weaker and you therefore became my champion, my guardian angel,' she finished.
'As it turns out, you were my guardian angel, too,' he said.
'Does that injure your pride?'
