Page 78 of Power Games

“Thanks to you,” Charles repeated. “I didn’t take the fall because you made your father back off.”

She nodded. “It wasn’t hard. He’s been trying to get me back in DC from the moment I left. It wasn’t hard.”

“Why?” he asked her, for the third time now. “Why did you put all this on the line for me?”

“Because I had to. Because, right now, you could be rotting in a cell if I hadn't."

"Because you love me," Charles said, his voice barely a whisper. His forehead rested on hers. "Because you love me," he repeated.

She bit her lip.

Dangerous words. A slippery slope. Giving power that she couldn't ever hope to take back.

And yet she said it nonetheless.

"Because I love you."

She didn't know how long they remained in place. It might have been seconds or days.

"I don't deserve you. But God, I want you. I need you. And I fucking love you."

She exhaled a breath she hadn't consciously been holding.

"Oh. Well, good. Glad we got that out of the way. Because now, we must discuss how you have to come to Thanksgiving. Youhaveto."

Charles probably had a million protests on the tip of his tongue, but she cut them short. "Because your reluctance to speak to him is obvious as fuck and I don't want the next set of prototype bullets in your brain."

Charles' eyes widened as the reality of it all hit. They were talking about a life and death situation, not convenience and preferences.

"I can't be close to that man. I can't."

"No one is asking you to pretend to be his best friend. But you need to bediplomatic."

Charles groaned.

“I’ll try.”

“You don’t have a trial option. Not on this.”

32

Brains over Brawn

Charles didn’t sleep much that night, everything Vanessa had said running through his mind over and over.

She loved him.

Her father had ordered Izzy’s murder.

She loved him.

Her father would have pinned it on him.

She loved him.

He had to play nice with Theodore.

She loved him.

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