Wilde at Heart (Wilde Security, #3)(72)

The agent stood. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Wilde.”

Yeah, he had no doubt.

“You did good, Shelby,” Mallory added, squeezing her shoulder.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Just…go.”

Mallory’s features tightened as his eyes tracked back and forth between the two of them. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something more, but then must have thought better of it because he closed it again without making a sound and left.

For a long moment after the door closed, neither of them spoke. Reece didn’t think he could with the hard lump lodged in his throat.

“I’m sorry,” Shelby finally whispered.

“Yeah, that’s not going to cut it.”

“I didn’t want any of this. They’ve had me under their thumb since I was twenty-three years old and—I just wanted out. Buying The Bean Gallery was an attempt to escape that world, but then it burned down and—and I realized I’d never escape. Not really. Not until ATF lets me go. Jason promised this was the last thing I had to do for them, then they’d erase all of my records, and that would be it. I’d be free.”

“And you believed him?”

She swallowed. “I wanted to. I don’t want that life anymore. All I want is to make my sister proud of me. And to make you happy. I love seeing you happy and the sex is amazing and I love living with you and having you write me a note every day and…” She paused to take a breath and stayed silent for so long he turned to face her again. Tears poured down her cheeks.

His throat was tight and he could barely squeeze any words out. “And what?”

When she said nothing more, he asked, “How long have you been spying on me? Since we first met?”

“No!”

“That night at The Bean Gallery?”

She shook her head. “It was that night, but Jason approached me after you left.”

“He was there?”

“I had no idea. I swear. They already had surveillance on you, and when they saw us together…” She trailed off. “I thought they were done with me until then because I’d cut ties with The Headhunters after my father went to prison. But Jason just keeps finding ways to drag me back.”

He grunted. “So everything in Vegas was staged?”

“Not everything. I just…wasn’t ever in any danger.”

Rage boiled in the center of his chest. He honestly couldn’t remember a time he was this pissed off. “You’re an excellent actress, I’ll give you that much.”

Her gaze dropped to her hands knotted in her lap. “I’ve had to be to survive.”

He pressed his lips together to keep from saying something he’d regret. He wished he had Vaughn’s ability to freeze out all emotion, because he didn’t want to feel for her, couldn’t let himself feel for her anymore. She’d brought this on herself, just as Eva had warned him she would. Should have listened, should have used the head on his shoulders rather than the one between his legs.

He stalked toward the door. “I’m staying with Dylan tonight.” He couldn’t face his brothers yet. “Tomorrow, I have to leave town for a few days, but first thing Monday morning, I will be at the courthouse applying to have this marriage annulled.”

That lit a fire under her ass and she sprang to her feet, capturing his arm before he reached the door. “You said you wanted to see if we can make it work.”

“That was before I knew you were lying about everything.”

“Not everything! I love you, Reece.”

“You don’t know the first thing about love.” He expected her to flinch, had calculated the barb to sting. And by the way she momentarily squeezed her eyes shut, he guessed he’d hit his mark. But there was no satisfaction in it. Only more hurt, for both of them.

Shelby didn’t stay hurt, though. Color infused her pale cheeks and she let go of his arm, shoved him. “And you know all about love, is that right? You don’t even know who you are! You can’t love somebody until you love yourself.”

“Then it’s a good thing I was wrong about loving you.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and backed up a step. If he had gutted her, he thought he’d see less pain in her expression than he saw now and, despite his anger, part of him wanted to go to her, soothe away the hurt he’d just caused. Because of that, he continued to the door.

“That’s not true. I know that’s not true,” she said behind him. “You’ve spent your entire adult life pretending to be this unfeeling, uptight *, and you’re not. You’re not that guy. Why can’t you let the real Reece out? Why not do something wild and crazy and illogical for once and take a chance?”

He glanced back over his shoulder. “On you?”

“Yes! On us.”

“Because that’s worked out so well for your sister all these years. Every time she’s taken a chance on you, it’s blown up in her face.”

She flinched. “It’s not the same.”

“Yeah. It is.” Rubbing at the ache blooming right where his heart should be, he opened the door. “When I come home Saturday, I want you gone.”

“Reece.” Her voice broke. “Please don’t do this to us.”