Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(24)

“Seriously, Jazz, lower your voice!” He threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Luckily, Drake still had Zoe somewhere in the back of that suite.

“In return for your help, what will you get? You think you’ll get her to talk to her dad? Get some kind of family moment going so Luther Bates—Luther Fucking Killer Bates—will start playing friendly with the FBI?”

“He’s already talking to us.”

Her gaze widened. “Because you’re protecting her.”

Yeah. “He was supposed to keep cooperating. Supposed to turn on the other SOBs he’d worked with, but recently, he’s started pulling back. There’s some rumbles that he’s working to get a new trial. The guy thinks he’s going to get out.”

Her breath expelled in a quick rush. “You suspect he’s been stringing you along, huh? Just feeding you small fish as he bided his time.”

That was the fear, yeah. “So we need something big on the guy. We need to get the power and make him cooperate.”

Her attention shifted toward the suite. “I didn’t think Zoe was supposed to be involved in her father’s work.”

“She isn’t.” His immediate denial. And, yeah, maybe it was a hot denial.

Jasmine’s brows shot up at his response.

“Zoe isn’t a criminal. The FBI is not looking to bust her for anything.” Hell, no. “But…but we believe she may know a bit more about his activities.”

“Using her.” She nodded, looking sad. “How many lies have you already told that poor woman?”

“You don’t understand us.”

“There is no ‘us’ here. There’s you, doing your job, and then there’s Zoe…falling for you.”

His heartbeat quickened.

“Don’t act as if you don’t see it happening. It’s in her eyes. In the way she watches you. Touches you. Zoe doesn’t realize that it’s all just business for you, though. She doesn’t understand that when you have what you want, you’ll walk away.”

Walk away…from Zoe?

“God, Vic, how can you be so cruel? How can you hurt her like that?”

He took a step back. “Hurting Zoe isn’t part of my plan.”

“That’s the only way this ends. You get so caught up in the mission. In bringing down the bad guy. You don’t see the collateral damage that you leave in your wake.”

“I’m not hurting Zoe.” He wasn’t. He…didn’t want to hurt her. He…Zoe can’t be hurt. I can make sure she’s okay. I can—

“Victor, I love you, but you are playing with too much fire on this one.”

He glanced over his shoulder once more. Only Zoe was there now. Staring at him with—f*ck me, with hurt in her eyes. Her gaze slid from him to Jasmine, then back.

No, no, no. Victor immediately hurried to Zoe’s side. “I can explain.”

But she backed up a step.

“It’s okay.” The words came from Drake. “She’s his sister, just not one by blood.” A mocking laugh slipped from him. “You think I’d let my wife’s ex-lover borrow my jet? Hell, no.” He strode toward a watchful Jasmine. “He’s her family, and we all know…family can be a pain in the ass.”

Zoe’s lips curled in a weak smile. “You have no idea.”

Yeah, she’d rather dominate in any My-Family-Is-The-Worst game.

“You two get some rest,” Drake said, inclining his head toward them. “As soon as my team makes progress, I’ll contact you right away.” Then he and Jasmine were walking away. Their damn steps were even in perfect sync.

Victor glanced away from the couple and back at Zoe. Her gaze was shadowed. Before he could speak, she turned around and headed back into the suite. Victor hurriedly followed her. He locked the door and ditched his coat. Then he took a moment to take off his holster and put the gun on the entrance table. “Zoe…”

She stilled. She was near the big windows that looked out over the bright Vegas lights.

“I want you to be clear on this. If you…if you heard Jasmine saying she loves me—”

“I caught that part.”

Okay. “She’s like a sister to me. I don’t have a real family. I mean, a blood family. Jasmine is real. She and Saxon Black—they are the only family I have.”

She turned toward him. “I remember Saxon.”

He sucked in a deep breath and knew that he had to tread very, very carefully here.

“Saxon,” she repeated the name, as if tasting it. “He was the other man who came to my rescue when that damn bomb was strapped to me. The two of you were quite a team. Rushing to the rescue.” She looked down at her hands. “Until he got shot.”

Then he remembered that she’d put her hands on Saxon’s chest, tried to stop that blood flow, tried to save him.

But Saxon had been rushed away from the scene. The guy had started a new life, with a new name.

“Did he make it? He…he did, right? Because the way you talk about him—”

“He’s okay.” Careful words.

“And…the woman who was with him?”

Shit. This was the part that was the hardest for him.

“The woman…Elizabeth. I-I knew who she was the minute I saw her. Or rather, the minute I learned her name.”