Page 49 of Too Lethal to Love

“Someplace safe.”

“But I have to go back and get my things.” Her gun was on her nightstand. Bringing it to the party hadn’t been wise because of all the kids running around, and she’d felt safe with Kane, but she craved the cool assurance of thefirearm now. Not that having a gun in the cemetery would have helped. There hadn’t been a visible target to aim at.

But what about Kane? He hadn’t brought a gun to the party, had he? The mind-blowing orgasm in the bathroom had really short-circuited her brain cells because she hadn’t even thought about what he’d do if Chavez showed up.

He’d done a good job of protecting her in the cemetery, though. Without hesitation, he’d thrown himself in front of a bullet. It wasn’t a cliché. She wasn’t being dramatic. The man put her life over his, and that meant he…

Cared.

Her stomach sickened.Not good. Not good.

Caring could lead to loving. Hell, she was already falling for him, and they’d only spent one whole day together. What would happen when they were alone again? “We cannot go to a safe house.”

“It’s the best option for keeping you secure,” Ryan said through the speaker.

“No.” Any common sense she possessed flew out the window. What if the safe house was a hotel room? Or a tiny efficiency apartment with just a kitchen, a bed, and a bathroom? And she knew what happened in bathrooms when Kane was around. God, there’d be no place private to run from her burgeoning feelings that could get him killed.

I’m not…

Christ, she couldn’t even talk herself into believing she wasn’t cursed. She dug her hands into her hair and pulled. The prickle in her scalp didn’t stop her self-defeating thoughts.

Kane gripped her wrist. “It’s going to be okay. Did you hear what Ryan said? Nic is meeting us at the safe house in a few hours. Linc is going to your parents to gather our things.” His grip shifted from her wrist to her hand andsqueezed. “You know what they say. Three super soldiers are better than one.”

“Nobody says that.” But at least she didn’t have to worry about being alone with Kane. Or Nic or Linc dying. She wasn’t falling for either one of them.

“I’m bringing the team online now to catch everyone up,” Ryan said. “Stand by.”

A second later, Nic, Linc,andChris confirmed their presence.

Beth’s head snapped up. “You weren’t supposed to bother Chris on his engagement-moon.”

“You’re a part of something big now.” Chris cleared his throat. “Scarlett is here too.”

“Of course she is.” Feeling more out of control than ever, Beth drew her coat tighter around her shoulders.

Kane reached into the back and pulled out a blanket. “For your legs. They must be cold and wet.”

She took the blanket and wrapped it around her. Even though heat blasted through the vents, she couldn’t stop shivering.

“Beth, please don’t be mad I’m here,” Scarlett said. “I made Chris promise to tell me if there were any new developments.”

“I’m not mad at you. Just the situation.” The whole goddamn situation that started when she’d buried her first boyfriend.

“Good. I took the liberty of explaining to the team the black widow connection.”

Beth nodded and glanced at the hard line of Kane’s jaw. It had been hard enough to talk to Kane about it. Bless Scarlett for saving her from explaining again.

A gruff cough came over the line. “This is Edgar.”

Beth sat up straight. “Admiral.”

“Dr. Parker, the intel you’ve been told about is credible.You’re the only female employee at the National Agency for Health with enough knowledge about Triple X who has reason to be called a black widow.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for the losses that you have suffered.”

“Thank you.” She pulled her hand away from Kane’s. Getting close to him was a bad idea, and she craved his comfort way too much. “Who do you think shot at Kane in the cemetery, my stalker or Chavez?”

“Chavez,” Ryan said. “Footage video suggests that whoever made those shots was a professional. According to police reports from the night you were attacked, your stalker was sloppy. We can assume he wasn’t tonight’s gunman. And we can assume Chavez knows about your history with the stalker and knows your alleged black widow curse. That makes you vulnerable.”

Beth eyed Kane’s gun in the center console. If one more person called her vulnerable, she’d shoot them.

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