Page 56 of Pride
Parker stormed off, pacing a few feet away, his bionic fist opening and clenching. Then he rounded back on her. “When you stayed, I thought you were going to take the blame. For the body count, and—” He cut himself off, some kind of wild emotion flashing in his eyes.
“And what?”
“And it was reckless and stupid.Youwere stupid.”
She recoiled. “I was the one who acted on instinct,trustedyou, and saved our lives. Stupid is the opposite of what I am.”
“You’re stupid for trusting me.”
“What?”
He threw up his new hand. “It’s not perfect yet. I could have failed to activate the wingsuit. I could have missed catching you. I could have failed to hold on!”
I could have missed catching you.Such a far cry from his original sentiment.You’re not worth holding on to.
Alice glanced at his new hand, only now seeing the fine motor skills were jerky and rusty. He was right. She’d assumed. She’d assumed that because he’d thrown his fist through a person, and a door, that he was ready for anything. The fear in his eyes said otherwise. Not fear for himself, but for her.
Her heart kicked against her ribcage like a mule and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She put her palm on his chest, her voice almost a whisper. “It was reckless of you to come to my aid without your mask, but you did. Now your identity is compromised. He saw your face.”
His big, warm hand covered hers.
She flinched. “They’ll hand you over to the police.”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
“How can you be so cavalier about this? Liza can’t save you from the authorities every time.”
“These men are greedy, Alice. They won’t turn me over. Trust me.”
“So what, you’ll bribe them?”
“No,” he said, jaw tightening. “They’ll blackmail me first.”
A stone dropped in the pit of Alice’s stomach. “They’ll take your company.”
The grim nod he gave made her sick to the core. Parker would lose everything. Because of her.
21
Parker rushedAlice back to the penthouse via a network of rooftops and less trodden alleys the Deadly Seven frequented for anonymity. With each passing minute since their conversation, Alice’s demeanor quietened. He worried she’d injured herself more than she admitted. So when they walked through his front door, he closed it and turned to her.
Silence stretched.
“Are you injured?” he finally asked. Notwithstanding her limp, blood covered her body.
“Not badly.”
“I’ll run the shower.”
He left her in his bathroom, told her there were clothes for her in the closet, and then went to the kitchen to remove his suit and wash his face and hands. Left standing in his boxer shorts, he braced the countertop and hung his head, replaying the events in his mind.
She’d pushed him off the roof.
She’d jumped into the air without a chute, without any safety except for him. And he hadn’t known until he felt her land between his shoulder blades.
She was lucky. Damned lucky. He could have just as easily assumed she was a threat and eliminated her. The wind had stolen her scent. Only a delay in his reaction time saved her.
He exhaled, tension leaving with his breath. She could havedied.
