Page 40 (1/2)

But he couldn’t do any of those things Al he could do was let her walk away and pray that someday she’d find a man she could love--aherself that over and over as she hid in the bathroo not to cry

He was just infatuated It was just the sex talking Or the adrenaline rush It was just pilow talk that al ave women to keep them interested in sex

It had to be, because the possibility of anything else was just too frightening

Caleb didn’t love her He felt guilty over being powerless to protect her in Armenia He felt protective of her now because it was his job He was just confused

It would pass He’d realize he rong, and things would be fine again No hare was already done He’d said the words, and they couldn’t be taken back He couldn’t unring the bel

"Damn it!" she cursed at the stainless-steel door This couldn’t be happening Hoas she going to protect herself froave her?

Hoas she going to resist letting herself daydrea bleak?

As long as he didn’t love her, there was no way she’d let herself love hi it safely locked up in the cage that pain of loss and rejection had constructed Nothing could get to her as long as she protected her heart She wouldn’t be vulnerable She’d be safe She’d be in control

She had to keep hold of what little control she had left in her life, protect it ferociously She couldn’t let Caleb, or any s she wasn’t strong enough to feel Like love

As long as he didn’t love her, she didn’t have to fear loving hi herself

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

D id you do what I told you?" asked the modulated voice of Denny’s boss

Denny wiped the acid taste froain "Yeah," he said in a voiceinto the toilet for the past twenty minutes The combination of too much alcohol and his boss’s bizarre instructions had turned his stoet the sloppy crayon drawings out of his head Flowers and dogs and race cars, al scribbled in with garish colors The building he’d broken into--First Light Foundation--was plastered with thes that made no sense and crooked clay sculptures formed by clu I need you to do"

A sickening wave roled over hiain He eating and shaking and could barely hold the phone to his ear

"What?"

The voice gave aI just need you to go pick up your last pay to hear the catch The h to pay off Bruce, which er With the threat of broken legs gone, there was nothing that freaky robot could do to convince Denny to keep working for hi’s Diner Be there in five est you get , then If you’re late, the nored his twisting storabbed his keys and flew out the door He ran six stoplights getting there, but hein a little paper sack behind the toilet Denny opened it with trehtmare was over Bruce would be paid off, he’d never work for Mr Robot again, and he was going to pick up and move the hel out of this place--so far away no one could find hi air was stil hot, but at least the sun was no longer overhead

"Any word on the sniper?" asked Caleb

Grant sed a bite of one of the sandwiches that the foundation’s cook, Sharon, had provided to al the workers who had stayed to finish setting up for tohtfal, but they were on schedule "CIA’s working on hiotten hi"

"Gee That’s helpful"

Grant shrugged "The job is the same either way Keep her safe"

"Nice and simple," said Caleb with more sarcas h alert"

"Which is why I’m surprised you’re not at her side"

"I don’t want to ain" God, he sounded pitiful

"What happened?"

Caleb hesitated He wasn’t one to talk about things like this, but if anyone kneas going through a woman’s head, it would be Grant

"What does it mean when you tel a woman you love her and she acts like you just threatened toto soundwith a ret that he couldn’t shake

Grant raised an amused brow "Are you sure you didn’t accidentaly say you have herpes?"

Caleb roled his eyes at the lame joke "Pretty sure"

This tiliolden eyes "She’s not ready for that kind of pressure, "

"Maybe to a woman who hasn’t had her life turned upside down, but not for Lana The woh hel, and she’s not out yet She’s too scared to even tel you what she’s scared of, she’s got this fundraiser riding her ass, her friend was shot, her parents’ house burned down, a sniper on the roof, and you go du confessions of love on top of that pile How do you expect her to react?"

"So other than that look of horror would have been nice," said Caleb Truth was, he hadn’t realy thought about it like that He felt it, so he said it Sis to himself, but it was a little late for that