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“Alec’s sister” She glanced at Liam “Your sister Yes, I’ve met her, too She was very kind to elina

“That pretty ot deaths onthem But I’ve never lost a witness I was responsible for,” he told her “I don’t want you to be the first”

Cate glanced froain “So what is this new plan?”

“Callahan,” D’Arcy said “Nobody knows of his connection to the agency, which is ht now And he has more lives than a cat He should have been killed at least a half dozen times I know about—and probably a few I don’t—but soain That’s why I want to put you in his hands, Ms Mateja—Cate If anyone can figure out a way to keep you safe until the trial begins, it’s Ryan Callahan”

A cold, sinking feeling washed through Cate And she knew the face she turned to Liam was ashen, her eyes stricken, unable to hide how betrayed she felt—a betrayal she had no business feeling She knew logically Lia He’d kept her safe thus far, but only to help his brother To help salvage the case against Vishenko and the rest of the defendants Not because he cared what happened to her—twenty-four hours ago he hadn’t even met her

Twenty-four hours? she asked herself, shocked at the answer Dismayed Because it seemed as if she’d always known him Always trusted him to keep her safe

The idea of losing Lia ined if she looked down she’d see herself bleeding somewhere Then she carefully wiped all expression fro back within her internal borders She was aloneas she’d always been nearly her entire adult life As she alould be No one but herself to count on Liam wasn’t hers, not in any way Not even in this And you’d better accept it, she told herself harshly Savagely You’re on your own Again Still

If Cate had stabbed Liam she couldn’t have wounded him more than she had with that one stricken expressionfollowed by that deliberate blankness As if she thought he was abandoning her As if she expected it

His anger built quickly What had he done to give her that impression? What kind of ahim Cate’s story had literally made him sick, that she’d been Vishenko’s prisoner for two years Two hellish years Helpless At the mercy of a man like Vishenko, who had no mercy in him Those scars on her wrists told their own story She’d eventually escapedon her own No one had helped her back then Or all the years since then, except for much of this past year She’d been on her own and on the run for six years until Alec found her So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to Liam she expected the worst from the men in her life Except maybe Alec

Stillit hurt Just as it had hurt when she’d shied away froesture yesterday He wanted—perhaps unreasonably—for Cate to trust him, the same way she trusted Alec And where did that come from? he asked himself He wasn’t sure he was ready for the answer, but he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t there Couldn’t ignore how he felt

“I’entleness despite his anger and hurt “Earlier thisout his plan to stash you with Callahan But that doesn’tshot”

“I don’t understand” She strove to shield her eht he saw soray—a trick of the light, he knew—and eventually she lost her internal struggle, her eyes beseeching him to explain

His drea Cate, rescuing her froer that threatened And all at once he kneasn’t just in his dreams he felt that way He wanted to keep her safe Needed to keep her safe No matter what he had to do

He’d already killed once for her—his protective instincts kicking in even before he knew her, because he couldn’t let anyone be murdered in front of his eyes, not if he could prevent it But this wasn’t the sa at all Now he knew her Noas personal Now he knew just how ht she didn’t Even though she didn’t believe she could count on his protection