page62 (1/1)
And she looked at hi them into stars She never said the words, but he could live without them They were just words That didn’t mean he didn’t say the words to her—he did Every chance he had Knowing in some deep recess of his brain Cate desperately needed to hear the words she couldn’t say Someday, when he’d convinced her she was loved—that she orthy of being loved—she’d trust hih to say the words to him He knew it
Cate was constantly on hison hishim, too
He’d never killed a h he hadn’t felt exactly the sahts about Aleksandrov Vishenko the other night He wanted to believe he was a betterCody’s voice in his head as he confessed what he’d done when Keira was shot And he heard hi Cate, “we’re only humanwhen someone we love is hurt, ant to hurt back”
All he could do was pray he’d never be put to the test Pray he’d never corievously Because he didn’t knohat he’d do
Cate sat on the cabin’s front porch steps, watching as Lia’s perione with them—neither man would have objected—but she wouldn’t have knohat she was looking for the way the two men did, and she would probably have slowed them down
Nick D’Arcy was right, she thought now Ryan Callahan’s the best at this sort of thing Liaed, admiration evident in his voice and on his face as he explained what each item was for But Liam’s the best, too No one could be more protective No one could keep me safe the way he can
She sighed softly More than a as gone Liah he’d repeatedly assured her he wasn’t leaving, they couldn’t stay here forever, even if he didn’t have a job to go back to She’d already heard from D’Arcy via Callahan that the new trial date had been set In a little less than three weeks she would be in a courtrooton, DC Face-to-face with Aleksandrov Vishenko and the other conspirators And the new prosecutors wanted to meet with her ahead of ti back to DC teeks from now
She was terrified of testifying Not because of Vishenko, but because Liam would know—as the whole world would know—the kind of woelina had warned her—Alec, too—that the defense attorneys would do everything they could to discredit her That they would rip her character to shreds if they could So of course they’d try toout of the fact she hadn’t literally been a prisoner the entire two years she’d been with Vishenko They’d do their best to convince the jury she’d been Vishenko’s willing et revenge on hi in court
She rested her head against her knees You have to tell Liam, her conscience told her sternly You can’t let him find out when everyone else does
Two ed her conscience Just two more weeks Is that too much to ask? Teeks to be happy for once Teeks with the man I—
Even in her thoughts she couldn’t use the word But it was there And it hurt Because even though she’d sworn she wouldn’t risk oneshe had left to lose And when she told Liam the truth, when he walked away, he’d take her heart with hi
Nick D’Arcy leaned back in his leather seat in the cabin of Vishenko’s Learjet and shook his head “No I don’t think so It’s not foolproof”
Vishenko cursed in Russian, then said in English, “It is not your call to make”
D’Arcy smiled coldly “It is when I haven’t told you where she is”
Vishenko clenched his jaw “You will tell me I will pay you the ten million you want, and you will tell me where she is My men will take it from there”
“Not a chance You want Caterina Mateja dead—and I don’t blame you If you don’t kill her, if she lives to testify, you’re going down For life But she’s guarded There’s no way your et past her protectors—I know theseyou, no way The only way for this to work is for e it For the ten et her alone After that, it’s up to you”