Page 60 of Desperate Needs

Was that what I wanted? His love?

Shit.

I was going to mess this up if I wasn’t careful. The real truth was love me or not, I wasn’t ready to give him up just yet. He made me feel things I’d never dreamed.

But it was tainted now by this unease that had taken root deep inside.

It was like standing at the edge of a cliff, not knowing whether you’d step off or turn back, but knowing something had to give.

And I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever it was.

“You’re being silly, Clem,” I told myself, sliding into a pair of leather ankle boots.

I grabbed my purse and coat and headed downstairs. The elevator was efficient, perfunctory. But by the time it opened, I was breathing like I’d just run down all sixteen flights of stairs to get to the garage.

I glanced up and forced myself to calm down. Right on time, a familiar black SUV pulled up, but driving was a man I’d never met.

Having been brought up by the man who ran Sigma International, one of the world’s top security firms, I reached for the pepper spray inside my pocket and waited.

The driver, seeming to know my predicament stepped out and walked to the back passenger door. He was tall and svelte, thinner than Connor, but he had an innate power I recognized.

This man was lethal. But he was trying to appear unassuming. I could have told him to save it, but what good with that do? Especially if he was there for nefarious reasons.

“Who are you?” I asked, no nonsense.

“I’m Balor Cruz. Connor is my cousin. I work for him, and he sent me to get you,” the stranger, Balor, said, opening the door.

“How do I know that?”

“Here,” he added, dipping his chin like he approved of my precautionary reaction.

I was too struck by his eyes—his two distinctly different color eyes—to react quickly. Sighing like he was used to it, he shook the phone in his hand to get my attention.

I took it, feeling sheepish for having been caught staring. Connor suddenly appeared on the screen, and I clicked the image.

“Connor?”

“Balor is going to drive you to my house, Clementine. Go with him.”

His words sounded hard and angry. But that couldn’t be right.

What reason would he have to be mad at me?

“O-okay. You sound busy. Are you sure you don’t want to reschedule or something?” I asked, thinking it might be a good idea.

“No. Get in the car. I’ll see you in twenty.”

The call ended, and I shivered. I’d never heard him be so cold with me.

Maybe a few days was all Connor had wanted and tonight he was meeting me to tell me face to face? But why bring me to his house then?

Nothing made sense. I shook my head. I was reading too much into this.

He probably just had other things on his mind.

“Come on, Miss Aziz. Get in the car,” Balor said, and I handed him back his phone.

“Okay,” I said, “but hang on a second. I’m sending your picture and a pic of the car to my cousin for safety reasons.”

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