Page 52 of Locked In Ice

Suspicion confirmed.He’d basically known as much from the beginning, but anger still simmered inside of Lane.And there was one thing that he absolutely had to know.“Does fucking me help with the profile?”

“Why was your sister the one who pulled the trigger and not you?”

It was his turn to blink.Why had she—the question was—

“Your question was rude, by the way.I think you should apologize.”

Lane gaped at her.He felt like he’d lost control of the conversation.If he’d ever had it in the first place.With Ophelia, you just didn’t know.

“I fucked you because I wanted you.”Crisp.A bit cool.But her eyes didn’t seem cool.“Just like you wanted me.I get that you’re angry because you think I’m somehow misleading you, but I’m not.This is the first time you asked me if I was profiling you.And I’ve answered you directly.No secrets.No lies.I am.”

Hell.Confirmation pissed him off and made him feel…nervous.Uncertain.Something he hated.The last thing he wanted was for Ophelia to see him as some dangerous predator.

“But…” Not so cool.Soft.Gentle.“I can already say I don’t think you’re going to turn into some dark villain who goes out and attacks every person he sees.”

“Good to know.”Then he realized her wording had been very, very specific.Ophelia-speak.“Not every person.”He let that sink in.“What do you believe, that I might have a specific victim type in mind?”

Her head tilted and her hair slid over her shoulder.“Doyouthink you have a specific victim type in mind?”

Talking with her this way was dangerous.

“Why did your sister pull the trigger and not you?”Ophelia went right back to that question.

His hands fisted.

“You and Lark went into foster care after the deaths of your parents.The autopsy showed that your father had a brain tumor.The tumor led to his violent outbursts and uncontrollable anger.Suddenly, he was pitied, and you—because you’d taken the blame for the shooting—you were the one people were whispering about.They talked about you, Lane.Teachers at school didn’t trust you.Foster families didn’t want to keep you.Yes, I read it all.”She swiped a hand over her cheek.

Hold the hell up.Was Opheliacrying?He gaped at her.“What is happening right now?”He’d been on the bed, fantasizing about her, she’d come to his door and somehow—she was crying.Her crying had been in zero of his fantasies.

Ophelia flipped her hair back and sniffed.“You want us to share secrets.In the middle of the night.When we are both dead on our feet.You also just accused me of fucking you to create a profile.Which, yep, I get that you don’t have official FBI training, but I can assure you, that isnotthe way one creates a profile.They don’t teach you to do that at Quantico.”

His mouth opened.“I…” Had he hurt her feelings?Was she crying about his past?He needed to stop those tears, but Lane had no clue how to do that.He hadn’t comforted anyone in years.When he’d been locked away, hell, he’d even told his sister to give up on him.To protect herself.

Lark hadn’t exactly been comforted by those words.She also hadn’t listened to him.Instead, she’d fought until he’d been cleared.

I think Lark and Ophelia would probably like each other.

His eyes widened at the thought.What.The.Hell?Lane rubbed a hand over his chest because it suddenly seemed tight and the whole night was just out of his control.

Ophelia cleared her throat.“You know what?I don’t think we should talk about this anymore tonight.It’s too…raw.”Another swipe of her fingers over her cheek.“Or maybe I’m too raw.I have a profile on you, one that I’ve been working on, yes, but I can tell you right now, if I thought you were morphing into someone evil, I would never have climbed into bed with you.It had been ayearsince I had sex with someone.You really think I’d hop back into the saddle with someone I thought might be a demented killer in the making?”

Shit.Yes.This would be the moment he realized he’d just well and truly fucked things up.I did hurt her.Something he had never, ever wanted to do.“Ophelia, I—”

“I came upstairs to check on you.You had to go into a cell today.You saw a dead body.You were interrogated by cops.I was worried about you.But, you’re okay.I’m okay.We’ll sleep and train tomorrow.”She swung away and headed for the stairs.

He had to stop her.And the only way he knew to do that… “The first time my dad hit me, I felt more shock than pain.”

She froze.

“He said he was sorry.Apologized over and over.Hugged me so tight.Promised it wouldn’t happen again.But it did.My dad got worse.So much worse.I-I didn’t know he was sick.How could I know about the tumor?”

“It’s why you wanted to become a doctor.”Ophelia looked back at him.The light from his room spilled toward her.

Yes.He’d first wanted to study medicine as some way of atoning for the past.He’d thought that maybe he could stop someone else from living with the hell he’d experienced.“My mom was on the floor.Blood was everywhere.”He hated that memory.Fucking despised it.“I was holding her when she pulled in her last breath.If you know nothing else about me, understand that I wouldnever,ever physically hurt a woman.You have nothing to fear from me on that score.”And I’m sorry if I just hurt your feelings.I can be a bastard, but I do not want to be one with you.

“I wasn’t afraid of that.”Again, her voice had gone soft.Gentle.“I know you’d never physically hurt me.”

He didn’t deserve gentleness.“I trust my sister.She’s the only one in the world I trust completely.”

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