Mine To Protect (Mine #6)(50)

“No.” Her voice wasn’t so soft any longer. “He hasn’t. What he’s done…Victor has saved my ass—over and over—since the first moment he walked into my life.”

Tom’s cheeks flushed. “He’s worse than I am.”

“No!” Now she was almost yelling. “Victor is nothing like you! Victor is good. He’s a decent man who wants to help the world. He wants—”

“To use you.” Tom spoke with devastating finality. “That’s what he wanted from the moment he met you. Hell, even before you actually met. He’d been having secret meetings with your father for weeks. Did you know that? Did you know that Victor is the agent who has met privately with your father the most? He’s the person who has visited Luther in prison the most since your father’s incarceration.”

Victor risked a quick glance at Zoe. She was shaking her head.

“Yes,” Tom said. “It’s true. An easy enough fact to check out—his visits are in the prison records. If you’d bothered to visit your father, you could have seen those records for yourself. But…” Now he walked toward the desk that waited on the right. He put the jammer down when he opened the desk. Pulled out a manila file. “I took the liberty of making copies for you during my last visit. Take a peek. Victor is Luther’s most regular visitor.”

She lurched toward the desk. Victor stood there, frozen, wondering just how much Tom could know—and how much damage the guy was about to do.

To Victor.

To Zoe.

To the trust that he’d worked so hard to build.

Zoe’s hands were shaking when she reached for the file. But she didn’t open it. Instead, she shoved it back across the table at Tom. “I don’t need to see the records. Victor is an FBI agent. Of course, he visited Luther. He was working Luther’s case when he first met me. He was—”

“Using you,” Tom cut in sadly. “All along. He was using you, and you didn’t see it.”

She flinched.

“Shut the f*ck up,” Victor said, his voice low and deadly quiet.

“No.” Tom didn’t even glance his way. His focus was on Zoe. “I’m sorry this has happened to you—again—but you can’t trust Victor. You don’t know him. Not really. He’s just some street kid who still belongs in the gutter. A punk who will use anyone and anything to get what he wants—”

Victor lunged for the guy. He shoved Tom back against the desk and drew back his fist, ready to strike.

But Tom laughed. “See what I mean?” he asked Zoe. “Is this what an FBI agent is really supposed to do? Or is this what a street fighter would do? A man who would fight anyone, anytime, if the price was right. A man who nearly killed one of his opponents.” His gaze drifted to Victor’s poised fist. “With his bare hands.”

Zoe hurried toward them. Her fingers curled around Victor’s arm. “Don’t. I get that it’s tempting. Trust me, I get it, but don’t. I think the guy wants you to hit him.”

Yeah, Victor suspected that. The problem was that he wanted to punch Tom, too. And if they both wanted it…

“I didn’t fake how I felt,” Tom suddenly burst out. “I never faked that. When I said I loved you, Zoe, that emotion was real.”

Her fingers tightened on Victor’s arm. “Let him go.”

“I wanted to marry you,” Tom continued, a bit of spittle flying from his mouth. Not so controlled now. “I didn’t think you’d actually walk. I mean…who walks from that much power?”

“I do.” Her simple reply.

Victor lowered his hand. He also let go of Tom and took a step back. The better to remove himself from temptation.

Zoe’s chin lifted as she faced off against her ex-lover. “You see? Victor is the better man here. He’s decent and kind and he wants to put the criminals away, not help them. He is nothing like you.” She looked up at Victor, giving him that look that made him think…Shit, she does trust me. She stares at me like I’m a good man.

He felt like hell.

“Let’s get out of here. He doesn’t know anything about Michelle. Like you said, he’s the middle man. He’s not worth our time.” She tugged on his hand and they headed toward the door.

They’d taken about five steps when…

“Elizabeth Ward.” Tom said the name with relish.

Victor’s spine stiffened.

“Does that name ring a bell for you, Zoe?” Tom pushed.

She glanced over her shoulder. “You know it does. When I was taken…the first damn time…she was there. Luther put a hit on Elizabeth. Her mother—she was his lawyer once, too. Only he had her killed.” Her voice hardened as she warned, “Better watch yourself, Tom, because Luther doesn’t have a good track record with attorneys.”

And, once more, she started for the door.

“Elizabeth’s mother was Luther’s lover, too,” Tom said.

She stumbled.

“You didn’t know that, but your FBI agent, he did. He knew a lot. So many secrets…and he’s been keeping them all from you.”

She cast a quick, worried glance Victor’s way.

He reached for the door. “Screw him, baby. It’s time to go.” Because this was not going down the way he needed. He strode into the hallway, pulling her with him. If they got a little farther away, that jammer wouldn’t work any longer and his team would be able to pick up on the conversation again. Provided, of course, that the jammer had the short transmission distance he hoped…