Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(38)

Victor grunted.

“Going to lower the gun anytime soon?” Drake asked.

Zoe’s fingers feathered over his back. “Victor, you know he’s not a threat.”

No, not a threat. But a serious *. Victor lowered his gun. Zoe slipped around him.

The mocking smile that had been on Drake’s face vanished when he got a look at Zoe. “What in the hell happened?”

“That bad, huh?” Zoe muttered.

Victor put the gun back in its holster. “Drake, it’s really been one pisser of a night.”

Drake rose to his feet. “I’m getting that.” His head cocked as he studied Zoe with concern. “What I don’t get…is where did you two go? I thought you were planning to wait for my team to find Michelle—”

“Cancel that plan,” Victor directed. “Just forget about her.”

But Zoe stiffened. “No, no, we can’t do that.”

“Zoe.” What now? “The woman is an undercover cop. She went off the radar for a reason. She wasn’t who you thought. She was just—”

“Using me?” Zoe cut in with a sad smile. “I got that. Trust me, I got it. But Roy took me for a reason.”

“Who the hell is Roy?” Drake asked, looking confused.

For the moment, Victor ignored him. “Roy took you for a lot of reasons. Two million of them.”

Her cheeks reddened. “He said it wasn’t just about the money. He said he had a chance to get Michelle back. You heard him—he was going to trade me for her!”

Victor wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “He’s a cop who went bad. The guy got greedy, desperate for a big pay day. He isn’t some hero trying to save the woman he loves. He’s scum and you shouldn’t believe his lies.”

Her gaze searched his. “What if she is being held? What if her cover was blown?”

“No.” He tightened his hold on her. “Just stop, right there. We are done, got it? You’re done. You almost died.”

Drake whistled. “Heavy night.”

“You have no clue,” Victor snapped back. Then his voice softened as he told Zoe, “We came to Vegas. We looked for her. Now we have to do some serious damage control—and focus on you.”

Her lashes lowered.

“You should go…go take a hot bath and relax.” That would be good, right? She’d been through hell, so she’d want to relax. Get the blood and ash off her. She’d—

Her lashes lifted, and the rage he saw in her stare froze him.

“Is that what you think of me?” Her voice was soft. Tight. “That I’ll go all tra-la-la off and forget that Michelle exists? That she could be in danger right now?”

“She isn’t the friend you thought—”

“No, she’s not. She’s a cop who was working an angle.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Just like you’re an agent who’s working one.”

Shock rolled through him.

“What? You think I didn’t know?” Bitterness was there, in her voice, on her face. “Come on, Victor, you have to be working an angle with me. No way you’ve been helping me out of the kindness of your heart. If I go by what the other agents have said, you don’t exactly have any kindness to offer.”

He should stop touching her. He should pull back. He should say…something.

“You aren’t denying it. But then, you don’t have to deny it. I knew all along that you were holding back. Using me. When we were in that plane, and you started talking to me about Luther, I realized you were holding back even then. It’s not just about getting him to cooperate, is it? It’s about getting me to work with you. With the FBI.”

“It…it isn’t like that.” Fuck, no, it wasn’t like that. So why couldn’t he explain it to her?

“Really?” But there wasn’t any hope in her eyes as she continued. “Here’s the thing…I knew you were working an angle. I still wanted you, though. I still fell for you. Got so caught up in you that I can barely think of my life without you.”

She’d done what?

“I am not Luther Bates. I get punished for his sins all the time, but I’m not him.” Her eyes gleamed at him. “So I can’t walk away when someone’s life is in danger. I can’t just turn my back on Michelle, no matter what she’s done. I will find a way to help her. And either I’ll do it with you at my side…” Her lips twisted as she shrugged. “Or I’ll do it on my own.”

She stepped back, pulling away from him. “Now, I’m going to take a shower because I’ve been in a fire, I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been held hostage in some really smelly motel room. I want to get clean, and I want to figure out what move I’ll be making next. Be sure of one thing though, I’m not just going to relax. So don’t say that crap to me again.”

Then she turned on her heel, kept her head up, and very gracefully walked out of the room. No storming. No stomping.

Pure f*cking class.

The bathroom door shut behind her a few moments later. Victor was still standing there, staring after her, feeling as if he’d just been punched about a dozen times in the stomach—and by one fine fighter.

“That’s…one hell of a woman.” Drake’s admiration was more than obvious.