Page 81 of Deadly Betrayal
“It does to me.” Face flushed, eyes flashing,fists clenched, she’d never looked more fierce. Or more wounded.Kaden wanted to take her in his arms and promise her everythingwould be all right. Shit. Even if she was involved in the ambush,he still wanted her. She bent to pick up the fallen nuts. “I didn’ttell you because the marriage will never happen. Once we get Lailaand Freba away from Khan Tariq, I will have no choice but todisappear.”
“And do what?” He grabbed her by the arm andforced her to rise. “How will you live? Isn’t it a crime for peopleto harbor runaways?”
“There are places that will help. Places Icanbeof help.”
“Shelters.”
“Yes.”
Either she was lying, or she didn’t careabout herself. Frustration bubbled up. He wanted to hit somethingbut settled on pulling his own hair. The pinch of pain helped himfocus. “That’s not a life, Azita.”
Her face lost its hard edge. “In a few years,I will be nothing more than a passing thought. He will forget.”
“No, he won’t.”
She frowned. “Of course he will.”
Kaden kicked at a rock stuck in the hardground. She was wrong. Khalid would never give up. He’d pursue heruntil he’d looked in every cave and turned over every stone. Love,hurt, a need for revenge: they would all drive him to find her.
She stepped closer and ran her palm along hisstubbled jaw. “There’s no need for you to worry. I will be okay. Hewill move on and forget about me.”
Slowly, he raised his head and held her gaze.“Ineverdid.”
“Oh!” Her gasp and the tender surprise in hereyes wrapped around his heart. But he didn’t let that stop him. Oneway or another he had to get to the truth. And if baring his soulto her was the way to go, so be it.
He moved in, his hands slipping behind her,one at her neck, the other at the small of her back. “You know howI feel about you. When Jake told me what you’d done, how you’drisked your life to save mine, it sounded too good to be real. Butthen I went to see you at the clinic, to thank you, and I knew youreally were an angel. God sent you to me that night.”
“But you never—”
“You were married.” He molded her small bodyagainst his, letting her feel the erection that raged even now,even with guilt ripping through his veins. Her nearness, the subtlescent of cardamom that clung to her, wound him up.
She moaned and arched her neck. Shoving asidethe material covering her throat, he pressed his lips against herflesh and breathed her in. At the first touch of skin on skin, hisbody went up in flames. She was so soft, smelled so good, andtasted like heaven. Christ. This was a mistake. A huge one. Thewoman was killing him without even trying.
His hand slid to her bottom. She writhedagainst him as he cupped and kneaded a part of her he’d never seen.He had to get his mind in the game. With Herculean effort, hefocused on the mission. “How… how did you know to be there thenight I was shot?”
He licked from her collarbone to her ear,pausing to caress its rim and suckle the lobe. She shivered in hisarms. “I knew an exchange was going to take place. I… I wanted…”Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit it as though to keep herselffrom talking.
Kaden redoubled his efforts. Wedging histhigh between her legs, he settled her weight on it. She didn’tstruggle, didn’t question. Her trust humbled him, and he felt likefucking shit. “What did you want, honey?”
“I have seen so much suffering, even inKabul. Abuse worse than anything in my nightmares.” She shudderedand a sob tore loose from her heaving chest. Tears gathered, thencrested along her lower lids before finally falling down hercheeks. “Girls with their tongues cut out, noses sliced off.Children burned with acid, beaten, raped. Many times, they die, notfrom their injuries, but from the infection.”
The horrors she’d witnessed were all stampedon her face. He pressed her head under his chin and stroked herback. As a soldier, he’d seen his fair share of violence, but verylittle of it had had to do with civilians. How strong she was todeal with it on a daily basis and still be as trusting as she was.A trust he was even now betraying.
When she quieted, he pressed her again.“You’re brave and you’re beautiful, and your heart is so big thatyou want to save everyone.” Cupping her face, he dried her wetcheeks with his thumbs. “Was that why you were there that night?You wanted to be close in case someone got hurt?”
She stared at him, her eyes wrecked. Hermouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. Hershoulders shook as she squeezed her lips together. She seemed towant to say something but was unable.
The moment of truth was upon them. Kaden slidhis hands down to her shoulders, encompassing them easily. Itstruck him then how small she was, how completely vulnerable. Athis mercy.
Azita lifted her chin and blinked away hertears, leaving her eyes dull and lifeless. Irrational fear grippedhim and the scar on his chest burned. He wanted to cover her mouth,to beg her not to talk, not to tell him anything. But he didn’t,and she didn’t stay quiet.
“I am the reason you were shot. I am thereason your teammate is dead.”
And her words killed him just as surely asany bullet.
Chapter 19
Horror filled Kaden’s eyes as her words sankin. Azita wanted to hide her face, to disappear into the soil belowher feet. She’d never been so ashamed. Straightening, he shoved heroff her perch on his thigh. She’d have tumbled onto the dustyground if he hadn’t caught her arm. On reflex, she looked up tothank him, and instantly regretted it. The hurt and disappointmentetched in his features made her feel like the scum that choked thestream’s banks.
