Without Regret (Pyte/Sentinel #2)(83)

“Well, this isn’t talking. This is more along the lines of kidnapping I guess you could say,” he said as he reached over the back seat and tossed their bags in the back.

“Could say? What the hell else would you call tying my up and throwing me in the back of a car?”

“Foreplay?” he suggested, immediately regretting his choice of words. Not because of the cute little murderous glare that promised all kinds of violence to his balls, but because just the thought of foreplay or just touching her in general had his poor dick twitching.

He still couldn’t believe she’d tricked him by teasing him. He’d been so f**king hard for her and ready to f**k her until neither one of them could move and all she’d cared about was getting him to do what she wanted so that she could ditch his ass. It was a nice little reminder of who he was dealing with and only confirmed his earlier suspicions that she’d f**ked those men before him because she needed something. It disgusted and appalled him that he’d so readily fell for her bullshit.

Well, he’d learned his lesson where she was concerned.

Not only was she weak, but she couldn’t be trusted and trust was a big f**king deal to him. There was only a handful of people that he trusted completely and she was not one of them and never would be. He needed to end this bullshit assignment and get back to protecting his family. The shit was hitting the fan and he didn’t want to leave them vulnerable.

“You’re an ass**le,” she bit out.

He simply shrugged and shut the door. If she wanted to think he was the bad guy then that was more than fine with him. It would help the two of them keep their distance and make it easier for her to part from him in a couple of hours. Then he’d go back to his life and his family and everything would be great.

Fucking perfect, he thought bitterly. Just what he wanted. After all these f**king years and he had a f**king depressing future to look forward to. He was going to be alone forever, but this time it was by his choice.

There were two futures he could choose from. A life with his family, the people he loved and who had taken him in when he was at the lowest point in his life or with a woman he didn’t trust, didn’t particularly like at the moment and brought all of this bullshit down on them.

It wasn’t exactly a hard decision to make.

At least he shouldn’t be. Every time he thought about leaving her at the Boston compound he had to fight back the panic that threatened to take over. He didn’t want to care or need her, but he did and he was afraid if he didn’t get the hell away from her soon he never would be able to. She needed to live a safe life and the only way that was going to happen was under strict protection, protection he couldn’t give her.

“Where are we going?” she demanded as he slid in the driver’s side seat.

“Don’t worry about it,” he murmured as he ripped the plastic cover beneath the steering wheel aside and proceeded to hotwire the car.

“Did you seriously just tell me not to worry about it?”

she demanded, sounding pissed off again.

“Yup.”

“Look, I understand there’s a lot out there that I don’t know about, but I’m willing to learn and while I learn, I promise that I’ll be really careful. You also don’t have to worry about me telling anyone about your family so if you can let me go and I promise-“

“I wouldn’t bother making promises that you can’t keep, Munchkin,” he said, cutting her off and whishing that she’d just give into exhaustion and to go to sleep so that he could pretend that he wasn’t going to f**k both their lives up in a matter of hours.

“But I can, Chris. Even if someone gets their hands on me I want you to know that I won’t talk. I promise!”

“There’s no way you’d be able to keep that promise, Munchkin,” he said gently as he turned onto the highway.

“You don’t know that!” You don’t a damn thing about me except for the bullshit you’ve convinced yourself of!

I didn’t do anything wrong and I don’t deserve to be put away like some prisoner, Chris. Don’t do this!” she said, sounding close to tears.

His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he forced himself to keep his eyes on the road and not look back, because he knew that if he did she just might break him and he couldn’t handle that.

*********

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Logan bit out.

Kale didn’t take his eyes away from the house far below him as he pulled the phone a few inches away from his sensitive ear.

“Why the hell are you hiding when I hired you for a job?”

“I’m doing it now,” Kale answered, glad the man hadn’t been able to follow him out of town since the last thing he needed was for Logan to get curious about this family.

Logan was a Master and like most Masters he craved more power and control and they both knew that having a Pyte among his ranks would make him almost unstoppable. The moment the boy came into his true immortality he would be forced to turn as many humans as Logan could get his hands on so that he could create a deadly vampire army. Kale would never allow that to happen.

Not again.

He’d been foolish the first time he allowed a Pyte child to live. He would not make that mistake again. As much as he detested his duty, he would do it. But it would have to wait, he decided as he watched Logan out of the corner of his eye.