“You lied to me, too. Oh myGod, Ryan! You have no idea the kind of life I’ve had! It’s likeI’ve been kept in a cage my whole life! Do you think you did anybetter?”
“No, I didn’t know, andyes, I did lie, but not to hurt you. I had to keep my identitysecret. And I only lied about the female assassin. There was nosuch assignment. I made that up to get you to trust me. I justdidn’t tell you anything else. I didn’t think I could trust you,Katya. You are part of a family that tore mine apart. I’m askingyou to trust me now.”
“Trust you? After what youjust told me!” She felt so betrayed. “We’ve been together! Youcould have told me then.”
“That was unexpected—us.You need to know that it was you that had me look at everything ina different light and want to just leave, taking you withme.”
She just stared at him indisbelief.
“It’s true. But then I seemy brother’s corpse on a cold steel slab, and I get driven by angerand grief. It’s at that moment that I don’t care who I hurt to getretribution my brother and the family he left behind.”
“Oh God!” How awful to becontrolled by such emotions and lose sight of who you really are.Yet, she knew she could relate over the loss of her sister. Shewanted those men dead. She even felt a sense of satisfaction thatsome of them were.
He could clearly see thedevastation on her face. He did his best to return some emotion tohis expression and show that he was sincere. He softened his voice.“Listen, I will just walk away with, or without you. Just say theword. Before you do, though, you need to realize something—myvengeance aside. Your father will go on killing, selling drugs,exploiting women and destroying lives. I’m here to stop him so noone else will suffer my brother’s fate. It’s not just that. There’smore at stake here than you know. It’s not just about my brother.Your father has money and political connections that have himgaining power in circles he shouldn’t be in. Some very particularmembers of the government are getting jumpy about it. My superiorswant him stopped.”
She buried her face in herhands and sobbed.
“My brother had a family.He left behind a widow and two children.”
She wretched again. “I’msorry.”
Here was this woman,instead of feeling sorry for herself, was empathetic towards himeven though she was angry. “It’s not your fault,” he said gently.He felt his chest constrict. They were both suffering great losses,and just escaped for their lives. Yet through it all, she still hadstrength in her to fight. She could not be more beautiful to him atthat moment. He was sure about one thing now; he didn’t want tolose her.
She lifted her head andstared at him.
He reached over and brusheda tendril of hair off her wet cheek again. Her green eyes glistenedwith tears, sadness and anger, but unbelievably stunning. “I’mwilling to do anything you want. I will leave with you now, or goback and finish what I’ve started.”
She swallowed and lookedpast him out the window. “Would you trust me with the decision Imake?”
He hesitated slightly.“Yes.”
“No matter what it was?”Her eyes met his again.
It was his turn to swallowhard. “Yes. You have my word.”
That right there meant alot to her. She had to know how much she meant to him.
“Before you decide, there’stwo more things. You’re not going to like it, but you have to know.Like you said, no more secrets.”
She was definitelyapprehensive given what he’d just told her. What could be worsethan that? God, she didn’t want to know, but she’d asked for thisso she nodded for him to go ahead and tell her.
He told her about hermother and her sister. Then he waited. She turned and looked out ofthe shattered front windshield. Steam was rising out of the grilland he knew there wasn’t much life left in the vehicle. They had toget going, but she needed this time to sort things out. So he keptsilent.
She wasn’t crying now. Shejust sat there and stared for about twenty minutes. Then she slowlyturned and looked at him. There was clear anger and betrayal in hereyes. “We go back, and you finish it. I don’t want anyone else tosuffer at the hands of my twisted family.”
“As you wish.” He startedthe engine.
CHAPTER FIVE
They drove in silence.Katya needed it. He must’ve known because he never said anotherword and gave her that grace. Like she thought before, he couldread her like no one else she ever knew. Anger and hate mixed inher gut like a toxic stew. Her father was responsible for murderingthe only person that ever loved her, and her sister put her throughhell.
Yes, she was strugglingwith the decision she made, but she was going to stand by it. Shedidn’t have a family. She knew now, she never did. No one lovedher, except maybe her mother, but it was so long ago she couldbarely remember her. Her sister! All the grief and betrayal twistedin her gut and it hurt. How could she do that to her? Terrorizeher? Who would do that to family? She grieved for her! The siblingshe’d thought she lost, but all along she was just like her father!Oh, she could really shoot someone right now!
Her attention went to Ryan.Despite everything he was the only person that was honest with her.Well, that she could tell so far. She didn’t know if she couldtrust him, but God, she cared about him so much! Right now, he wasthe only person that knew and understood what she was goingthrough, and she needed him. In all honesty, he opened her eyes tothe truth about everything.
She checked his wound acouple of more times while he concentrated on driving. It was stillbleeding but not as bad. What man could take a bullet and barelygrunt?
The rest of him lookedpretty beat up too. She had some cuts and bruises from theaccident, but nothing like he did. He was a big man and the impactwas harder on him. It was
