Page 78 of Wicked Duty
Lucy’s hair falls in loose waves around her face as she fusses over my shoulder. Her dark eyes hold me captive.
After a few minutes, I huff a laugh. “Why model? You’d make such a great action hero. Perfectly able to do your own stunts and clean yourself up after.”
Lucy smiles, shaking her head a little. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wanted to escape my own head. You know, go big or go home.” She swipes my shoulder with alcohol wipes.
I swallow a curse as a burning pain travels through my skin-deep wound. “So you did it for the publicity.”
“Sort of.” She exhales thoughtfully. “I didn’t really have a goal, but you’re not wrong.”
“Gorgeousanda shrewd businessperson.”
She stays quiet, refocusing on bandaging my shoulder.
But even as her brow furrows, her cheeks flush pink. The way her tongue pokes out from between her lips may be the cutest thing I’ve ever witnessed.
A new realization smacks me in the face.
Lucy Marlow matters more to me than the money I earn protecting her. More than the loyalty I feel toward the men who hired me.
At this point, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the crypto wallet. If she has it, she damn well deserves it.
The only thing that worries me is her safety.
Roguilin’s people obviously suspect she has the wallet. And while Shane Gallagher’s more decent than Viktor and his ilk, Istill can’t be sure what the head of the Irish Kings might do if thwarted in his efforts to claim it.
I’ll need to contend with that at some point. But for now, I want to revel in the sight of Lucy standing before me.
I’ve never relaxed with anyone the way I have with her. As a result, I’m sorely tempted to confess the covert objective I was given along with the mission of guarding her. If I tell her the truth, and she just gives me the wallet, everything will be so much easier.
“Lucy—”
“Thank you for saving me today.” The sincerity in her voice shuts me the hell up. “But I wish you wouldn’t do that in the future. Put yourself at risk like that.”
My face pulls in what I’m sure is a hideous scowl. “What are you talking about? My job is to keep you safe, even if it costs me my life.”
“I know, but…” She swallows, her eyes flicking around the room before returning to me. “I don’t want to see you hurt. Ever again. Not because of me.”
Oh, god. She suckers me right in the heart.
She doesn’t want to see me hurt?
What happened to the woman who was willing to mace me from three inches away? Who forced me to sleep on her living room floor in the hopes that I’d quit my assignment from pure frustration and physical discomfort?
The change is night and day. I can’t deny that I appreciate this new, sweeter hellcat.
“Lucy, you know I can’t promise you that. If you’re in danger, I’ll?—”
“And please don’t…monitor me behind my back.” Her eyes brim with tears. She swipes her arm over them quickly.
Oh, hell.
Guilt pulverizes me.
She continues, oblivious to my regret. “I hate it. It’s invasive. Makes me feel violated. Having my privacy pried into like that reminds me of my worst moments growing up in foster care. And it reminds me of my abduction. Every time someone has controlled my movements or decided what information I should have access to, it’s always been for their benefit, not mine.”
Damn. Once again, no words exist in the universe to convey the depth of my guilt.
She sniffs, grabbing a tissue off the bathroom counter. “I know that’s not the case with you, Callum, but…just be up-front with me next time. And I’ll do my best not to keep things from you either.”
