She winced at his harsh tone.
“Got your note.”
“Oh. Then why did you ask to meet with me?” She waved at her robe, at the hotel room. “Why do this? You could tip them off. Oh God, if they find out that I warned you, they’ll…”
“What? They’ll what? And who is ‘they’?”
She looked ill. “I shouldn’t tell you. I told you too much. If they find out…” She wrapped her arms over her stomach. Gone was the ice queen.
In her place was a scared little girl.
And it tore at him.
He
heard Duke grunt behind him, and knew he wasn’t the only one affected.
“Fuck, if she’s acting, she’s damn good at it,” Duke muttered.
“A-acting? You think I’m lying? Is that why you did this? Because you think the note was a lie!” Her voice raised. Fury pushed aside the fear and it shocked him into silence. He couldn’t remember her ever being angry.
Well, except at Zac when she thought he was going to hurt Lara.
That hadn’t been an act. He could tell. She’d been running on gut instinct.
To save a friend.
It settled more firmly inside him, the idea that she was trying to warn him.
But why?
“Who is doing this? Who is trying to set me up? And why are you working with them? Are they threatening you?” The last question was a growl.
“Ink,” Duke warned.
He knew the other man didn’t want him saying much. Wanted to hear what she had to say.
“Me? You think I care about me?” She let out a chilling bark of laughter. “I long since gave up caring what happened to me. I’m just a pawn to be used, dragged out when I’m useful. My expiration date is coming. I know that. I don’t care what they do to me.”
Her voice was bitter. Frail.
He frowned. “Then why? What do they have over you?”
Her gaze narrowed. “What makes you think they’re forcing me to do anything?”
Ink moved closer, then crouched down and grabbed her chin. “Don’t think that just because we have an audience that I will not put you over my knee and spank you for lying.”
He wouldn’t. Not because of the audience. That wasn’t an issue. But he could almost taste her fear. The bravado was an act to hide something.
But he wasn’t certain if she was protecting herself or him.
Him.
Because as she’d said, she’d long since stopped caring what happened to her. That was so wrong. He wanted to change that. She should fucking care. Because he did.
She should care because he needed her.
“Why did you basically disappear after your mother died? How did you get here? Where have you been living? How have you never had a job? Got no bank account?”