Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(10)

She shouldn’t be here. How long had she worked for the company? How deep in was she?

He stood and stalked across the room to the window.

They’d lost the MSS agents tracking her once the chip was out, which only confirmed his suspicion that someone had sold her out. Had the same person turned him over as well? Or were they ignorant about his role in this? Did the MSS know?

Part of him wanted to kidnap Sarah, take her to Africa or maybe somewhere in Europe. Lose themselves for a while until the company, the mole, and the fucking Koreans found someone else to haunt. But if he did that, a family would die. Children. And he already had so much death weighing on him. But Sarah… After what he’d taken from their family once, he couldn’t risk her, too.

He still wasn’t sure what to make of seeing her again. Courier Girl, the same person he’d traded so many innocuous notes with, was Sarah.

She’d known it was him.

He could hear her voice reading all those lines, the teasing tones. She’d been communicating with him all this time. How did she not hate him?

The bathroom door opened, and he listened to her light footsteps crossing the tile.

“Do we have any of those painkillers? Something light.”

“In my bag.” He turned, and a lump lodged in his throat.

Even exhausted and travel-worn, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Dark hair, pale skin, green eyes, short and curvy. He’d always wondered what she’d grow up like.

“How long have you been working for the company?” He fished the bottle of pills out of his bag and handed her one.

“Since I was…twenty-three? It was the year we were in Thailand, so yeah, that’s right.”

“What is it you do?” And how much danger was she in?

“Clean water initiative.”

“I remember that. I meant for the company.” Sarah had always been a crusader type. Thinking about others. Never about herself.

“Oh. Right. I, um, I mostly transport things. I’m not a real spy. More like a courier. I don’t think I can say more than that.”

“I get it.”

They stared at each other. She seemed a bit wary, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d abandoned them, so why should she trust that he wouldn’t do the same thing now? He thought he’d been doing the right thing then. He wasn’t so sure now.

“How have you been?” he asked.

“Good.” She rubbed her palms on her jeans and sat down again. “My life is actually a lot more boring than you’d imagine.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“No, really. I make these deliveries on my way back and forth from where I’m stationed. Otherwise, I work with local water companies and help facilitate new treatment plants for remote areas in China.”

China. Shit. Talk about jumping from frying pan into the fire. Thailand was a pretty small fry in the Asia game, but China? No wonder the company had recruited her if that was where she was now.

“How’d this happen?” he asked.

“We got home after Thailand. These people came to ask me questions. They had a job offer for Emily and me.” Sarah pushed the rice in her bowl around. “I think…I’m pretty sure they just wanted me. Or maybe one of us. But they said they wanted to recruit Emily and me. Emily and Matt’s relationship was so new. He needed her in a way no one else could be there for him. I couldn’t let her be put in any more danger. So I told them I’d take the job so long as they left her out of it. Here I am.”

Christ. That was Sarah. Everyone else before her. “Your brother know?”

“Oh my God, no.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that look.”

“What?”

“You’re giving me the look.”

“What look?”

“That one.” She pointed at his face. “You don’t like my choices and you want to tell me not to do it.”

“You’re right. This is dangerous, and I don’t like the idea of you being hurt. Did I say anything, though? No. Because I’m willing to bet that arguing with you has gotten even more frustrating with age.”

“You never seemed to mind arguing as kids.”

“I’d like to get us out of here in one piece.”

Her lips thinned. Was she thinking about Matt?

He was.

Rand hadn’t been able to do right by her brother, which meant this was his chance to make up for that mistake at least. If he could keep Sarah safe, get her home—maybe he could forgive himself.

“I’ve missed you,” she said.

He nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak yet.

Sarah put her bowl down on the floor and scooted over to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

She’d be justified in hating him. If Matt wanted to kick his ass, he wouldn’t even put up a fight. Rand had earned that.

He looped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

He’d missed Sarah, Matt, their families. Everything had changed, and if he were honest, he’d never moved on from the accident.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he finally got out.

“You could have called. Emailed. Come back.” She squeezed him a bit tighter.