Page 99 of Critical Mass
“I wish it was that simple.” His words came faster now, intensity building with each sentence. “I wish I could compartmentalize you the way I’m supposed to. But I can’t, Natalie. I care about you. I care about what happens to you.And I’m terrified that if you get on that plane today, something terrible is going to happen and I won’t be there to protect you.”
“Does this mean you’re not coming?” Her voice was small, and Hudson hated that he’d made her sound that way.
He rubbed his jaw, the stubble rough against his palm. “I can’t. I have a terrorist attack to stop.”
She nodded slowly, like she’d expected that answer. “I figured as much.”
“I want you far away and safe, but . . .” Hudson paused, trying to find the right words. “I fear for whatever situation that might put you in. If your father is responsible for this, law enforcement all over the world will be tracking him down. His enemies could be tracking him. I don’t want you to be harmed in the process. I care about you too much for that.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Natalie demanded, and Hudson heard both anger and hurt warring in her voice.
His jaw tightened, tension coiling in his shoulders. This was it—the moment where he laid everything bare and hoped it would be enough.
“Because if you get on that plane to Italy I may never see you again. And I couldn’t live with myself if I let you leave thinking everything between us was a lie.”
The words hung in the air between them, raw and honest in a way Hudson hadn’t been since this whole operation started.
He watched Natalie’s face, searching for any sign that she believed him, that somewhere beneath the hurt and betrayal she still felt what he felt.
But her expression remained guarded, walls still firmly in place.
And Hudson realized that no matter what he said, no matter how much truth he spoke, he might have already destroyed any chance they had.
Some wounds cut too deep to heal with words alone.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-FIVE
A knot formedin Natalie’s throat. “I can’t, Hudson. It’s too late. Too much has happened between us. Even if you mean those words, I don’t know that I can ever move past this betrayal—even if I’m very tempted.”
He stared at her a moment, and the pain in his gaze nearly broke her. “I understand.”
Then without saying anything else, he turned and left.
She heard Hudson’s footsteps fade down the hallway.
Only then did she let herself sink onto the bed, her carefully maintained composure crumbling.
She’d done it. She’d stood up for herself, drawn a line, refused to be manipulated anymore.
So why did it feel like she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life?
Natalie pressed her hands to her face, feeling the tears she’d been holding back finally spill over.
She’d wanted Hudson to be different. Had wanted to believe that what they’d had was special, that he saw her as more than just Richard Ravenscroft’s daughter or a useful intelligence asset.
But in the end, he’d been just like all the others her father had tried to set her up with. Just like Matthew and Jonathan and David. Men with agendas. Men who saw her as a tool to be used.
The only difference was that she’d actually fallen for Hudson.
And that made the betrayal cut so much deeper.
Natalie wiped her eyes and forced herself to stand, to finish packing, to prepare for whatever came next.
She’d made her choice. She’d chosen herself, her autonomy, her self-respect.
Even if it meant losing the man she loved.
