Mission: Her Protection (Team 52 #1)(22)

“The director asked me to organize a flight to Las Vegas for you this evening,” Brooks said. “Then you’ll have a flight back to New York in the morning.”

“Oh…okay.” She looked bemused and slightly befuddled.

“I’ll get you a room at one of the casinos,” Brooks said. “A new one just opened up and I hear it’s awesome. You can have a great rest tonight for your flight back east tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

“Take care.” With a nod, Brooks swiveled and left.

Rowan looked up at Lachlan. “Lachlan—”

“It was good to see you, Rowan.” He stood. “I always knew you’d make something of yourself. You were always so smart. Don’t let this ordeal slow you down.”

She stared at him, something working in her gaze. Finally, she folded her arms. “Were you not here when we kissed?”

Shit. “Yes.”

“I’d like to kiss you again.”

Lachlan didn’t remember Rowan being so direct and straight to the point. “Rowan, you’ve been through a lot—”

Her russet eyebrows rose. “You think I’m not thinking straight?”

“I think you’re vulnerable right now.”

She stood, her chin lifted. “Never pegged you for a coward, Lachlan.”

He leaned closer. “I’m not the boy you knew.”

She shifted closer, their faces close together. “I’m not the girl you knew, either.”

No, she was an attractive woman who clearly played no games.

He stayed silent and she made an annoyed sound. Finally, she shoved past him and even though Lachlan told himself to let her go, he found himself grabbing her arm.

“I have nothing to offer you, Rowan. My work, what I did before—”

“I wasn’t asking for a lifetime commitment, Lachlan,” she bit out. “Besides, how do you know if you don’t try?”

“I know,” he said darkly.

“Bullshit. If you don’t want me, just say so. I’m used to not being wanted.”

His anger flared and he yanked her against his chest. Her mouth opened to spit something at him, but he kissed her. It was an angry, fierce kiss. Her hands twisted in his shirt.

Finally, he lifted his mouth. “This isn’t about want.” His gut was churning. “I don’t have time for you, and—”

She flinched like he’d hit her and stepped back. He almost reached for her again, but she stiffened her spine. “Nothing I haven’t heard before. I’ll get my things.”

As she walked away, Lachlan’s fingers curled into fists. Damn, he remembered all those times he’d found her in her treehouse, crying. Telling him that her parents just didn’t care, didn’t have time for her, didn’t want her.

Fuck.

This was for the best. In the weeks to come, she’d forget about him and move on.

He forced himself to walk away to get the jet-copter ready.





Chapter Seven





Rowan flopped back on the huge bed in her room at the brand-new Aurora Casino. A stunning chandelier was the centerpiece of the room, light refracting off the hundreds of crystals. She’d seen more of the huge chandeliers as she’d walked through the lobby and casino area.

She stared at the glittering light above her and felt hollow. It was almost like the events of the last few days had happened to somebody else—finding the artifact, the attack, the rescue, meeting Lachlan again.

As soon as she’d checked in, she’d called her parents again. She’d gotten her father’s voicemail and left another message. Then, she’d gotten her mother’s voicemail and left a message letting her mother know she’d be back in New York tomorrow. It wasn’t every day your daughter survived a terrible situation that had killed her research team, so maybe her father would call her for once, and maybe her mother would pick her up from the airport. Rowan closed her eyes, knowing the truth.

She had never felt more alone than she did now.

The bright lights glinting outside drew her, and she stood up, moving over to the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. Her room wasn’t too high up, but she still had a good view of the Strip spread out before her. Below, lay the amazing glass roof of the Aurora’s main casino floor. She could see the hundreds of people at the gaming tables and slot machines. Beyond that were the colored, blinking lights and bustle of the rest of Las Vegas.

People laughing and having fun, oblivious to her life imploding. Oblivious to the fact that artifacts—incredible pieces of powerful tech—could turn up any time and wreak havoc.

She had a flight out in the morning back to New York. She wasn’t tired, because she’d dozed most of the day on the aircraft. Her thoughts turned to Lachlan and she sighed. She immediately closed that train of thought down. Nope, she wasn’t going there. That was done. He’d made that very clear.

Maybe alone was best. Have no one to care about, to hurt you, to let you down. She made a choked sound. She’d almost died in northern Canada. She realized now that if that had happened, her parents would barely mourn her, her friends and colleagues would be sad…for a little while.

She could have died and not a single soul on the planet would really care.