Page 20 of Knot Innocent

“Damn right, I’m angry. You see me with a guy and assume I’m doing something wrong. Like it’s impossible to imagine that a man would have a legitimate interest in me, so I must be up to something.”

Bastien leans into the car, bringing his face to within inches of mine. “Cut the bullshit, Birdie. I’m sure your gorgeous ass has no trouble finding company when you want it.”

His words thrill and hurt at the same time. “Think so?” I challenge.

“I know so. What I can’t figure out is why you’d alter your appearance to catch a guy’s attention.”

Leaning forward, I lick my lips and whisper, “Maybe that’s my kink.”

Bastien’s jaw clenches, and his eyes drop to my mouth. I let him stare a moment and mouth, ”Back the fuck up.” The big operative snaps out of his trance and scrambles away from my door. With the opening clear, I grab my stuff and step out of the car. “Well, this has been educational, but I’ve had enough. I am not a drug dealer, a hooker, or a traitor. What I do in my personal life is my own business and not subject to your approval. So, you can take your fake concern and your training sessions and shove it.”

I leave a stunned Bastien crouched on my driveway and turn for my front door. At the steps, I spin around and deliver my last blow. “Oh, and by the way, you suck at mobile surveillance. If you’re going to tail someone, they shouldn’t know it.”

Two seconds later, a hand clamps down over mine that’s about to open my front door. I shriek and jump, but Bastien’s body blocks my escape. “What are you talking about?” he growls over my shoulder.

“Please,” I say, facing the door. “Are you going to deny following me home two nights ago?”

Bastien spins me around and pins me to the still-closed door. “I didn’t follow you home.”

The man’s face holds no humor—not that it ever does—making it impossible to know if he’s jerking me around or not. “Sure, you did. After your freak-out, you rebooted your system and followed me home to interrogate me. You must have cooled off during the drive, so you kept going after I pulled into my driveway.”

He shakes his head slowly. “I walked to the pub that night. My truck was at home.”

“Your blue sedan—”

“I don’t drive anything but that truck, Birdie. Someone else was following you.”

My knees threaten to buckle right there on the porch. “Oh shit.”

Bastien opens the door and shoves me through it. After depositing me in the closest chair, he kneels in front of me. “Yes, I spoke to Sadie because I was worried. I offered to train you for the same reason. You were acting scared that night, and then that asshole grabbed you. Of course, I wanted to know what was happening.”

I barely registered what he said, consumed by one prevailing thought. Reaching out, I grab onto Bastien’s forearms. “Someone was following me?”

“You tell me. Who would be following you, Birdie? What are you involved in that you would be targeted? Who was the man I chased off?”

Suddenly cold, I wrap my arms around myself. “He was a… target.”

When I don’t continue, Bastien tips my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Blackmail? Assassination? You’ve got to give me something.”

Bastien’s eyes are loaded with concern, his voice with genuine worry. The effect works with my fear to loosen my tongue. “He was the subject of a sting operation.”

“Sting? There were no cops, Birdie.”

“Um, my detective contact was rushed to the hospital just before the scheduled meet. I didn’t want to risk losing the mark, so I went alone.”

Bastien closes his eyes, drops his head, and takes a deep breath. After letting it out slowly, he lifts his head again. The concern I saw in his eyes before has been replaced with relief. Talking to himself, he says, “She was dressed like a teenage girl, scared to death, waiting to meet this guy.” He looks at me again and adds, “The man’s a pedophile.”

My only response is a slow nod, but I may as well lay it out. There’s no hiding after today’s revelation. “I hunt them. With my research and occasional participation, police are able to get these bastards off the streets.”

I’ve surprised Bastien. His level of shock stings, as it means he really was expecting some dark truth to spill from my lips. He drops to sit on his ass with his arms on his elevated knees.

After several breaths, he finally says, “I can’t imagine the police would sanction you meeting this guy on your own.”

“Detective Cooper wasn’t exactly happy about it. But it’s over. Nothing happened, and Predator Tom is already in a cage.”

“That’s good to know, but this Tom fucker isn’t who followed you. I watched him peel out of town, going in the opposite direction. In a different car.”

Bastien lifts to his knees again and takes one of my hands in his. “Have you ever been followed before?”

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