Page 91 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost
"You manipulated me from the beginning," she says quietly. "Was last night part of your strategy too?"
The accusation hits like a physical blow.
"Alina—" I start, my voice unusually soft.
She shakes her head.
"I need some space." She turns abruptly, heading toward the exit.
"Where are you going?" I demand, instinctively stepping forward to stop her.
"Roman's office," she says without turning around. "To do actual investigative work instead of being played."
The door slams behind her, leaving heavy silence.
After a long moment, Asher speaks. "Well, that went about as well as trying to defuse a bomb with a sledgehammer."
He looks at me pointedly. "Perhaps not your most strategic operation, Ghost."
I glare at him, then at Jax. "Not another word." I turn to Cole. "Send me everything you have on those manifests and financial records."
"Already done," Cole responds quietly.
I stride toward the door, torn between following Alina and giving her the space she deserves. The mission demands focus, but all I can think about is the look of betrayal in her eyes.
"Continue the investigation," I order over my shoulder. "I need to fix this."
"Good luck with that," Asher mutters. "You might need more than tactical training for this particular extraction."
I pause at the doorway, my hand tightening on the frame. Everything was supposed to be controlled,calculated. Now it's all spiraling, and the worst part is I don't regret watching over her that night at the restaurant.
I'd do it again.
twenty-seven
Alina
Isit at Roman's desk, frowning at my laptop screen as the words blur together. The search results on this case aren't telling me anything useful. I slam the lid down harder than intended, then press my fingertips against my temples.
The pounding headache matches my mood—fucking furious. My mind keeps circling back to Kade and his bullshit. The way he played me, used me, manipulated every interaction between us.
I take a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but Detective Wilson's face flashes through my mind. He's lying in a hospital bed right now because I got sloppy. My stomach twists with guilt, but that quickly morphs back into rage.
"Damn it," I mutter, opening the laptop again.
The bright screen makes me wince. I need to concentrate, but all I can think about is how Kade's hands felt on my skin, and how every touch was calculated to get what he wanted from me. The bastard probably rehearsed his lines in the mirror before feeding me that garbage.
The door opens, and Kade steps inside. His expression is carefully neutral, but tension radiates from his powerful frame.
"Alina, we need to—"
"I want to see Detective Wilson," I interrupt, refusing to meet his eyes.
The anger from our earlier confrontation still burns hot beneath my skin. Finding out he'd been manipulating me from the beginning, inserting himself into my investigation, my life; makes my chest ache with betrayal.
He approaches slowly, like I'm a wounded animal that might bolt. Or attack. "That's not possible right now."
"He took a bullet because of me." My voice cracks despite my best efforts. "I need to see him."
