Page 9 of Cyclone

Ofcourse,she wasn’t a nun. I already knew that.

But that also meant—whoever she was running from wasn’t just a jungle militia or some crooked traffickers.

This was bigger.

Which meant she’d lied to protect herself. Maybe even lied to stay alive.

And I’d fallen for her anyway. What am I saying? I didn’t fall for her. She has a smart ass mouth, and she was rude, most of the time.

I didn’t know what pissed me off more—the fact that she’d lied…

Or the fact that now I wanted to protect her even more.

‘

4

Jude

Waking up felt like swimming through fog.

Pain throbbed in my arm. My head was heavy. Something beeped softly nearby.

I peeled my eyes open and found myself in a white-walled room—clean, sterile. Medical equipment buzzed gently around me. A steady drip of IV fluid ticked into my veins.

And sitting across from me, arms folded, legs braced like he was preparing for battle—was Cyclone.

Oh. Crap.

His jaw was tight. His shirt was wrinkled. His eyes?

Pissed. Off.

“Hey,” I croaked.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me.”

There it was.

I tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed in protest. He was at my side instantly, adjusting the bed without looking at me.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

“No, you’re not,” he snapped. “You got bit by a damn spider, almost died, and in the middle of all that, you decided to casually mention that you’renot actually a nun.”

I winced. “So… you heard that?”

He leaned down until we were nose to nose. “You lied to me.”

I held his gaze. “You think I had a choice?”

“I think you could’ve told me before I dragged your unconscious body through a jungle while dodging tripwires and praying to every god I’ve never believed in.”

His voice was raw. Angry. But underneath it, there was something else.

Worried. Hurt.

I sighed, staring at the ceiling. “I didn’t lie to hurt you. I was embedded. Deep. And I couldn’t risk exposure. Not even to you.”

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