Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(32)

Pity.

“No,” Zoe whispered. But the truth was right there. All around her. All freaking around her.

“You weren’t supposed to come back here,” Roy said, shaking his head sadly. Then his gaze jumped to Victor. “Isn’t it your job to keep her in protective custody?”

Her hands had fisted. Her nails bit into her palms. “Michelle was working undercover.” No, no, no.

“Michelle was doing her job.” Roy’s lips thinned. “That’s all I’ll say about that.”

She jumped at him, more than ready to swing hard because the pain was so strong inside of her. Lie, lie, lie. It was all a lie.

“Zoe!” Victor locked his arms around her and yanked her back against his chest. “Look, baby, I get it’s tempting as hell, but I can’t let you attack a cop.”

Why not? It seemed like a pretty good idea.

“She vanished because she’s on a new assignment,” Victor said, his breath brushing near her ear. “That’s why there’s been no contact from her. Not because she was taken…”

Tears stung Zoe’s eyes. I thought...She jerked free of Victor’s hold and spun to confront him. “You knew, didn’t you?”

A muscle flexed in his jaw.

“When we were in her apartment. When you saw her clothes were still there but the food wasn’t…I-I saw your expression change, but I didn’t realize…”

He swiped his hand over his jaw. “I worked undercover plenty of times, so I’d been to scenes like that before, yes. They were keeping the place ready, in case she had to resume the role again. But the food was ditched because—”

“Stop.” She hated this little room. Hated the eyes on her. Hated the pity—pity that was even coming from Victor now. “Just stop.” She didn’t want to hear anymore.

Didn’t want to hear…

Michelle wasn’t my friend. She was using me, too. The way everyone does.

“She had a job to do.” Cain’s words were gruff. “We got word that a new player was moving into Vegas about a year ago and trying to take over. A guy with some powerful connections back East, connections tied to Luther Bates.”

And there it was. Every road to hell leads back to my father. Her eyes were stinging. “And I’m supposed to know who the new bad guy is? I was never involved in Luther’s world.” How many times could she say that? Scream that? Why wouldn’t anyone ever listen?

“Getting close to you put Michelle in a prime position,” Roy said. “She was able to…” His words trailed away.

“Able to do—what, exactly?” Zoe threw up her hands. “I had nothing to give her! I wasn’t involved!”

“No, Zoe,” Victor’s voice was soft. “You were her ticket. Her in.”

She shook her head.

“These guys…” He waved to the cops. “They aren’t after Luther Bates. They’re after the guy here in Vegas. A guy Michelle needed to get close to. And in order to get close to him, she got close to you.”

“That’s not true.”

But Victor kept talking. “If the man had ties with Luther, doesn’t it stand to reason he wanted eyes on you? And Michelle was those eyes. She got close to you. Learned your secrets. And then she used them to gain this sonofabitch’s confidence.”

She played me. Zoe’s gaze jerked back to Roy. Red stained his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding stilted and uncomfortable as hell. “You weren’t supposed to find out.”

“Because I wasn’t supposed to come back?” Goosebumps were all over her. “I’ve been trying to contact her…again and again and…OhmyGod.” Her hand covered her mouth. I did this. Horrified, she backed up, hitting the table with her hip. “There was no new leak at the FBI. I’m the leak.”

Victor’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Back when you first pulled me out of that bus station in Kansas…you’d said that word had spread that I wasn’t dead.”

He nodded grimly. “I was trying to keep you safe.”

Wasn’t he always? “You’d spread the word that I was dead. You were trying to take all the targets off my back, but I kept trying to find Michelle. I made the calls—I let her know I was alive. She didn’t answer me, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t get the messages. And she used them.” Her head hurt. “She turned the information over to this guy—whoever the hell he is—she turned me over to him, and that’s why the hitmen keep coming after me. She offered me up as her ticket inside…”

“I’m sorry,” Roy said again, miserably. Uselessly.

“Fuck sorry.” She stalked for the door.

“You weren’t supposed to come back!” Roy called after her. “I mean, hell, why come to Vegas? You knew this place was trouble! You—”

“Because I thought she needed me.” Zoe stopped at the door and looked back at him, disgusted. “I thought that was what a real friend would do.”

Cain swore.

“But I get the picture now.” She yanked open the door. They were on the second floor, so Zoe hurried down the stairs, her steps echoing in the building.