Page 50 of Redemption
I wish you’d jump into a lake and find an alligator to eat you.
“Well... no... but Ican’tget that information without at least going there and try—”
“I can get that information!” he interrupts with a shout. “I can get in and out undetected! I can attempt to rescue them if they’ve been captured!” He pounds his chest with the declaration, accenting his taut, firm muscles and forcing my eyes to glance down at his chiseled perfection. The years might have aged both of us, but he’s still...
So...
Fucking...
BEAUTIFUL....
I. Hate. Him.
“Uh, then, why are you picturing tearing his clothes off and taking him down and dirty right here in the mud, hoe?”
I growl at my inner—outer—self, thankful her relentless interludes are no longer audible to others, as I, reluctantly, tear my eyes away from my past. “And how the hell are you going to do that? Turn yourself over to them? Pretend to be one of them?”
“Something like that...”
“And why can’tIdo that too? That David guy was practically obsessed with me and definitely seemed to think I had potential for something.”
He scoffs, lifting an eyebrow in a knowing tell. “Yeah, I’m sure he did. Most guys only want one thing from women nowadays.”
“Oh, and does that include you?”
“No,” he says easily. As if he didn’t even need a second to ponder his response; it just is.
I tsk at his nonchalance, turning to leave his ass in the past and stomp off to rid myself of this excess tension building within me when he stops me with a hand on my arm. “Mi Al—Alessandra. Please... Youneedto trust me. I promise you I can find them and get them out.”
“And why is that? How do you possibly think you’ll be able to waltz in there, undetected, and get them out?” He turns away, his stance turning concerningly rigid, but I continue. “Why would they not suspect you?” He growls at my questions, stalking away and choosing to pace in front of me instead, the agitated gait to his steps and the balling of his fists not slowing my interrogation in the slightest. “How can you—”
In almost a blur, he quickly turns to me, eyes blazing with truth and regret as he grasps my shoulders and tells me the last thing I ever thought would spill from his lips.
“Because I work for them!”
Chapter Eighteen
Dare
I can tell it hits her like a freight train. That I, the man she used to love, am now associated with the group that took the men that have replaced me.
It must feel like the worst betrayal. An absolute gut punch to the system that I’m part of the reason for their abduction. But it’s not what she thinks.
Her head tilts to the side, eyelids blinking profusely at my revelation. “What... the fuck... does that mean?” She waits a second... Two... And then. “You know what? Fuck you!” She bolts, running for the dense cover the trees provide, her canine companion following right on her heels.
She’s absolutely right. Fuck me.
I had an idea she might respond this way, which is exactly the reason why I didn’t bring up my unfortunate connection with the group. But while I understand her concern and the fact that there’s a very strong possibility she’ll never trust me ever again, I also don’t want her to leave like this. To think I’m some sort of enemy when all this ends. Because, whether she believes me or not, I’m not like them. I’m not the bad guy. That lingering thought causes me to race after her.
While I might be twice her size and can eat up the distance between us relatively easily, she’s quick and agile on her feet as she ducks and dodges tree branches and fallen logs. Every obstacle that I actively try to avoid, she does so easily. Which is... new.
She always used to be, for lack of a better or gentler term, clumsy. She’d trip over her own shadow if she wasn’t careful. But now? Not anymore. There’s power in her legs, a newfound strength that has her gliding through the trees with grace, almost making it look like a choreographed dance as she flies through an open area, only to change direction in an instant.
When did this happen?
I pick up my pace, pushing my legs to go even faster as I wrap my hands around branch after branch, switching directions as quickly as she is. It takes a bit of time and well-placed dodges from her dog’s aggression, but eventually I manage to outpace her enough to get in front and then quickly turn around. The swift maneuver causes her to run right into my open, waiting arms.
“Shit... Fuck... No... Let me go! You don’t want me! Gaaaaah, fuck you!” Obviously pissed off—and now without the use of her arms—she turns her head... and bites me, full-on Mike Tyson’s my ass, nearly ripping my earlobe off. I try to remain calm and gentle, but fuck, woman, my ear?! I wrap my hands around her wrists and pull them behind her back, holding them with one hand, before pushing the first two fingers of my free hand into the underside of her jaw, right at the hinge point where a particularly effective pressure point hides. It doesn’t hurt her, but it definitely makes her uncomfortable enough to loosen her bite.
