Chapter 17
Alysa
It might have thwarted the mission, but after Jasper dropped the bomb that he was sending me away as soon as he could, He hadn’t even given me a chance to really do the job he hired me for. Something kept getting us sidetracked. I shouldn’t complain about that since I still had no idea how to be a financial advisor.
But a week had passed and I kept all conversations very businesslike. Even when he tried to lighten the mood and joke with me, I refused to give in. It was difficult, because I had been enjoying how close we had been getting. And now…nothing.
Had Jasper been counting the days until I was well enough to travel? I knew I felt fine, and it was going to be hard to come up with another excuse for me to stay longer. Not saying this past week had been a total bust, but I’d learned zip. I needed to change my plan of action. Which means coming out of my room and being…nice.
I knocked on Jasper’s office door. “Enter.”
When I went inside, I was carrying a tray with some sandwiches and a drink. “You’ve been working in here all day, I thought you might be hungry.” I placed the tray on his desk.
He nodded and said, “Thank you.” Not once did he look up at me. Why was he angry? I’m the one who should be pissed. Well, kind of. If he knew what I was really doing in Tabiq, then I guess he had more of a right than I did.
Damn, this is getting hard to follow even for me.
Since he wasn’t about to ask me to sit, I took it upon myself. Plopping down in the chair across from his I waited until he acknowledged me. This had gone on long enough. We needed to clear the air. I even made sure to leave my earpiece in my room so Burke didn’t need to hear us if it got…loud.
Finally, he closed his laptop and looked in my direction. “Is there something on your mind?”
I had rehearsed what I wanted to say several times before leaving my room. Now I blurted something totally different.
“Are you angry at me?” I asked. He shook his head. “Then why aren’t you speaking to me?”
“We have spoken each day,” he stated.
“Sure. About business. I’m talking about like we had been before.”
“I thought it best to keep things…professional. Maybe this way you won’t be so upset that you are leaving,” he stated.
“I’m not upset. Just…confused. I thought you and I were getting along.”
“We are. Were,” he replied.
“Then why didn’t we discuss sending me back home before you made the arrangements?” I asked.
“You’re not going to like the answer,” he said.
I don’t like not knowing it.“Try me.”
“I like you, Alysa. And it was a mistake to bring you to my home. Remember why Reesa and I do not tell anyone we are related?” I nodded, but couldn’t get over him saying he liked me.
“Ocalla would use you in the same way. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you,” he said sincerely.
Sweet, but misguided. “I’m a lot tougher than I look,” I responded. Marine tough.
He shook his head. “No, Alysa. You just want to believe you are. But you have no idea what these men are capable of. It’s not like they would blindfold you and hold you for ransom. They would torture you, rape you, and maybe kill you.”
None of that was something I wanted, but I’d faced it all before. I knew the risk when I was serving overseas. The hate some of men we hunted had for women never left my mind. They were evil right to their core. If I had gotten captured, the odds of a rescue making it to me before any or all of that happened to me was slim. Yet I still went. I still fought. Jasper probably thought the worst thing that ever happened to me was getting a paper cut at the fake desk job on my résumé.
“Jasper, I knew the risk when I agreed to come to Tabiq. Yes, I’m afraid, but I can’t allow fear to rule my life. If I did, I would miss out on the joys that Tabiq has to offer.”
“What joys?” he asked.
Holding his gaze I said, “Meeting you.”
I could tell that he hadn’t expected that and hearing it made him uncomfortable. But bringing him out of his comfort zone might be just what he needed. God knows it’s what I need.