No Place to Run (KGI #2)(57)

“Christ,” Sam swore. “He keeps that shit in a vault? It’s insane.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How so? He deals in gold. Gems. Untraceable wealth. He doesn’t trust banks. He never leaves records of his transactions. Everyone else? He keeps meticulous accounts of everyone he’s ever had dealings with. In his books he has the names of countless world leaders, many from the West who would die were their crimes to come to light. Many would kill for this key. I never plan to give it up.”

Garrett blew out his breath and looked over at Sam. “Hoo boy, this just got a hell of a lot more complicated.”

“Can you drive for a while, Garrett? We can’t afford to get held up. We’ve got to get to Dad.”

In response Garrett got out and walked around to the driver’s door. He waited for Sam to slide out before he settled into the driver’s seat. Instead of going around to where Garrett had been sitting as Sophie had expected, Sam opened the door next to her and slid in beside her.

Garrett pulled back onto the road, and Sophie sat staring at Sam, dreading his scrutiny. Dreading the inevitable questions. And the change in the way he’d look at her from now on.

She slowly bowed her head and stared down at her fingers curled so tightly together in her lap.

“What did he do to you, Sophie?”

Her head came up in surprise. That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say or ask.

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you shoot him?”

“Because he needed killing.”

“I believe you killed him,” Sam said softly. “But I don’t believe for a moment that you killed him to rid humanity of a first-rate bastard.”

“Then you don’t know me very well,” she taunted. “I killed him for just that reason. He’s a bastard. He’s a cold, calculating sociopath. Life means nothing to him. Everyone’s but his. I took from him the one thing he valued. His own life. It was the only thing he was passionate about.”

She hadn’t realized that Sam’s hand had slid up her arm until he rested his palm against the curve of her neck, waiting until she hushed her tirade. Suddenly he was caressing her skin, soothing some of the horrible tension emanating from her.

“And I took the key because it meant no one could take over his legacy.”

“That was a pretty damn stupid . . . brave . . . thing to do,” Garrett said grudgingly. “More stupid, mind you, but still amazingly brave.”

“Where is the key now?” Sam asked.

He kept his voice as even as the light caresses he feathered over her skin. But she didn’t want to talk about the key. She wanted to know why he’d set her up with Resnick. If his father hadn’t had a heart attack and his mother hadn’t been abducted, would Sophie even now be on her way to some dark hole the U.S. government would put her in, where she’d never be seen or heard from again?

It was obvious Sam was going to need her now. Now that circumstances had changed so drastically and it was likely he was going to need to trade Sophie for the one thing that mattered the most to him.

She tried not to think about how much that hurt. It seemed everywhere she ended up, she was expendable.

“Why Resnick?” she asked hoarsely. “Why did you lie?”

“I didn’t lie.”

“You withheld information. Same thing.”

His mouth curled into a snarl. “Let’s not get into withholding information, Sophie. You’ve been holding out on me from the start.”

She bared her teeth and pushed forward into his space. “Exactly what was I supposed to do, Sam? Show up on your doorstep, say hey I’m pregnant, and oh by the way, you’re the father, and since I know how much you hate your potential father-in-law, I shot him down in cold blood and then ran like hell?

“I’m thinking you wouldn’t have been very receptive. I think you would have packed me off to Resnick even faster than you ended up doing. I think you would have backed off me so quick that you would have broken a leg doing so.”

She sighed and fought the exhaustion that beat at her so relentlessly.

“Just tell me why, Sam. Don’t answer my questions with accusations. I’m sure we have plenty to accuse each other of.”

“Goddamn,” Sam bit out. “Sophie, I had to agree to let Resnick question you. He wields a lot of power. I couldn’t say no. It was obvious you were holding something back. Something that scared the bejesus out of you, and Resnick was convinced you could give him information that would help him. Now I see why he thought that.”

He paused and slid both hands under her neck and delved into the thickness of her hair with his fingers.

“But honey, listen to me. Never. Never was there even a remote chance that I’d let him take you away from me. He was there to ask you a few questions. I was there to pacify him by cooperating. I didn’t lie to you when I said I’d protect you.”

His voice lowered until it was barely above a whisper and no one but the two of them could hear.

“I didn’t lie to you when I said I needed you.”

He leaned in until his forehead pressed to hers. Then he kissed the tip of her nose.

“You and I both know we have a lot to work out. But we can’t do it if we aren’t together, Sophie. We can’t do it if I can’t be with you to make sure you’re safe and that our child is protected from your bastard uncle. I need you to trust me and I know that’s asking a lot.”