Page 94 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
"Shut up." I press harder, feeling her heartbeat race beneath my palm. Another flash of lightning reveals only empty rain-soaked pavement past the dumpster. False alarm.
The immediate danger passes, but something inside me ruptures. "What the fuck were you thinking?" I demand, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "One gust of wind, one slip..."
"I was gathering critical intelligence," she fires back, eyes flashing like the lightning above us. "That transmission pattern could lead us right to the trafficking victims."
"Your intelligence is worthless if you're dead." My fingers dig into her arms hard enough to bruise as I yank her closer. "I can't protect you if you don't follow the plan."
Her wet hair clings to her face, pink streaks darkened by rain. "I don't need your protection. I need your cooperation. The mission..."
"Fuck the mission." The words escape before I can stop them, raw and unfamiliar. "I can't focus on the mission if I'm watching you risk your life."
Something changes in her expression. Her fingers reach up, touching my face with surprising gentleness.
"Asher..."
Rain pours between us, soaking through my tactical gear, plastering her shirt against her skin. Her body feels impossibly warm against mine despite the cold downpour. My hands grip her shoulders, holding her in place, keeping her safe, keeping her alive.
"You're actually scared," she whispers, wonder in her voice. "Not for the mission. For me."
I don't answer. Can't answer. The admission burns in my throat, foreign and terrifying. Her gaze holds mine, seeing too much.
"I've never…" I start, voice rough with an emotion I've never allowed myself to express. "I've calculated every risk, every variable in my life. But you, you make me forget the entire equation."
Thunder cracks overhead, swallowing my confession. But she understands anyway, her eyes widening at whatever she sees in my face.
twenty-four
Vanessa
"You can't just shut down like this." My words are barely audible over the rain hammering against the windows. The steady rhythm matches my heartbeat—too fast, too hard, like it might burst through my chest.
Asher sits on the couch, a statue carved from ice. His eyes track the raindrops sliding down the glass instead of looking at me. His silence is worse than shouting.
My fingers tap against my thigh. One-two-three, one-two-three, as I pace back and forth across his living room. The space feels smaller than before, the walls closing in with each second he refuses to speak.
"I need to understand why you reacted that way." My voice cracks. "You almost broke my arm pulling me back."
Nothing. Not even a twitch.
I snatch my phone, checking my security program yet again. Fifth time in the last three minutes. The data hasn't changed. Nothing's changed except the growing pressure in my chest.
"Fine. Be that way." I move faster now, my sock-covered feet sliding slightly on his hardwood floor. My arms gesture wildly asfrustration builds. "I was doing my job. The signal was weak, and I needed to—"
"Your job," Asher finally speaks, his voice cutting like a knife with each syllable, "was to follow protocol."
"Protocol wouldn't have gotten us the information!" My hand sweeps through the air, knocking something off the mantle with a soft thud.
"Protocol keeps you alive."
"I was perfectly safe! Five feet of roof space isn't going to—" I spin toward the sound, my heart dropping as I see the picture frame face-down on the hardwood floor.
"Shit! I'm sorry." I rush over, dropping to my knees and carefully turning the frame over. The glass has a spiderweb of cracks across it, but the photograph inside remains intact.
I freeze, staring at the image. A young woman with Asher's eyes smiles back at me, her arm thrown around a younger version of him. The woman in the photo shares Asher's features, but gentler somehow.
Those same intense dark eyes stare back at me, that identical strong jawline, but on her they look elegant rather than intimidating. Her glossy dark hair tumbles past her shoulders, framing a face that's unmistakably connected to the man behind me.
She's beautiful, with a warmth in her smile that makes my chest tighten. I can't believe I've never noticed this photo before.
