A Harmless Little Ruse (Harmless #2)(47)

“No. They failed me. They failed humanity. You’re human, Drew. You couldn’t stop them. I spent all those years thinking you wouldn’t stop them, but you couldn’t.”

“I can now. I will now.”

“Yes. We can now. We. Us. Together. We’re stronger together than we ever were apart. That’s the secret, Drew. This is who we are now.” Her hand reaches for my heart, pressing. “They thought they were isolating us, taking away our power. But we’re more than that. And I’m not alone.”

I grab her hand and hold it like it’s the key to every mystery in the world. “You were never alone. Not in here.” I push her hand against my chest.

“I wanted to believe that. Even when every piece of evidence showed the opposite, I couldn’t let go of loving you.”

“Thank you.” My stomach unclenches. She slides her hands to my waist and pulls in for an embrace.

“You’re shaking,” she mutters into my shirt.

I ignore the comment. She’s not wrong. “When did you become so wise?” I ask.

“Not wise.”

“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to hide what they did to me? Especially from you?” I expect her to look at me, but she stays in my arms.

Thank God.

“You never had to. You never have to hide who you are from me, Drew.”

“What they did to us isn’t who we are, Lindsay.”

She nods, the movement warm and sweet.

“Suddenly, revenge feels more immediate,” she mutters into my chest. “More possible. But for different reasons and with different goals.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, pretty sure I know the answer. My body is still on edge from this entire, surreal conversation. Lindsay knows the whole truth now. All of it.

And she’s relieved? She feels closer to me? I’m not rejected?

I don’t know what to feel. So much of the last four years has been about preparing myself for the chance at redemption. Too much energy has been focused on hiding what happened to me. My biggest fears haven’t come true.

Aside from being set up by Stellan, Blaine and John in the media, getting fired by Harry, and having them use hackers to make it look like I’m a deranged stalker, the day’s going damn well.

“I trust you completely. Wholly. And that means we can work together,” she says. Her grip on me tightens. Her heart skitters against my ribs, and one hand slides down my back, resting at the base of my spine. She’s warm and soft, and the way she sinks into me is comforting.

The body cannot lie.

“You said you had a plan for revenge,” I venture, rubbing her back, breathing slowly against her. All the adrenaline that coursed through me minutes ago like rain in a drought starts to recede, replaced by a protective streak that’s bigger than before, if that’s possible.

She loves me.

In spite of what she knows, she trusts me.

No. Scratch that.

Because she knows the truth, she trusts me even more.

“I do.” She chuckles. “It involves video.”

I tense. “More video...of me?”

“No. Me.”

I frown and pull back, holding her at arm’s length. “Explain. I don’t want more video of you anywhere, Lindsay.”

“What if I told you my darknet hacker friend got their hands on a video of that night, where they – where Stellan and – where...” She clears her throat and squares her shoulders. “Where they aren’t wearing masks?”

“That video exists?” I’m skeptical. “You’ve seen it?”

“Yes.” The evil grin that spreads across her face makes my insides ripple. It’s not a smile.

It’s a vow.

“I don’t want another video of them attacking you to become public. Not even if it means taking them down.”

“You will when you see this one.”

“Damn it, Lindsay, I don’t want to see it, and I don’t want anyone else to, either!” I shout, ready to explode.

“It’s proof, Drew.” As her voice drops, she sounds exactly like her mother. Cunning, sharp, and in for the kill. “Proof. We’ll destroy them. It’s what I’ve wanted.”

“What we’ve wanted,” I say reluctantly. Although it’s true, I hate the idea that she has to face media scrutiny again.

Has to be exposed like that.

“There’s something else,” she says, watching me. Her eyes narrow. “What is it? What are you worried about?”

“If you spread that video, they’ll spread mine.” The truth makes my stomach roil.

“Who says they haven’t already?”

I close my eyes, the truth of her question turning my mind into a blank wall, a white canvas, a black hole.

A rustling sound, louder than the wind on leaves, catches my attention. Instinct draws my hand to my weapon, which I’m not wearing. Lindsay halts. I press one finger to my lips and urge her with my hands, carefully guiding us both into a crouch, shoulders hunched. Who’s out there? Gentian? One of Harry’s Secret Service guys?

“Harry, I don’t understand why we need to be on the beach. This godforsaken wind does so much damage to my skin. You know that!”

Monica.