Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She plucked at the comforter with nervous fingers. “I had to make certain Raine was able to be put on the helicopter. That meant keeping pressure on him so he couldn’t lie up in a tree somewhere and shoot anyone trying to help her.”
“I’m going to admit I admire you for your choice, but I didn’t like it. And I want you to agree with me that from this time forward, you’ll leave going after killers to me.”
She studied his tough features from under her lashes. A few clouds drifted in front of the moon, throwing shadows across his face. “I can safely say chasing after Larsen terrified me. I don’t see that I’ll be taking that up as a career. I’ve crossed it off my list.”
“This gambling in tournaments seems a risky business as well,” he added.
“I prefer to play online. Having my picture plastered everywhere was disconcerting.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Snowflake. Really? Having people see your picture was the one thing you didn’t like about playing in that tournament? How about Wallin deliberately inviting you to set you up to be murdered? That might be a reason to stay away from those tournaments.”
She pretended to contemplate. “I doubt anyone else wants to kill me because I’m Blom’s daughter, although Blom might. He didn’t seem too excited that I might find out. In any case, Wallin really wanted to play against me. I think in some way he felt if he won, it would vindicate his loss against Liam Gram.”
“Blom doesn’t want you dead, Vienna. I’m sorry he’s not the ideal father.”
She shrugged. “I’ve gone all these years without a father, Zale. I know there are some people who really want and need to know their birth father and mother, but I feel as if I had a wonderful childhood with Mitzi. She’s my mother and she’ll always be my mother. She was my father when I needed it as well. I’m old enough now that I understand some people just aren’t born to be parents. He’s got his life and I have mine. I don’t need anyone to make me happy. I am happy.”
His dark eyes moved over her face. “I don’t have anyone in my life and haven’t for a long time, not since Sophia Vizzini took me in. We may have had a strange relationship, but she was all I had—until I found you. I want you in my life, Vienna. I might not need you in it in order to live, but I’d end up like Rainier—waiting for a bullet to end my misery.”
Her heart clenched hard at the image he created. The idea of Zale staying in his current job endlessly, just waiting for death, was too much for her. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be blackmailed emotionally into an unhealthy relationship.
“Zale, only you can be responsible for your life choices and your own happiness. Another person can’t provide that for you.”
Those dark eyes of his seemed to pierce right through her soul. “I’m not making you responsible, Vienna, although I can see where it sounds like that. I was coming back for you on my own. You don’t have to believe that, but it’s true. I thought about you day and night and the problems we’d face together. I thought about the risks to your life because of enemies I may have made along the way. I still had another year on my contract. Through all of it, I knew I was going back to you because there was no staying away.”
The sincerity in his voice, in his eyes, convinced her he was speaking the truth. What reason did he have to lie to her anymore? She already knew about Blom. Zale was never going to be hard up when it came to finding a woman who would want to have sex with him. The things he said lightened some of the terrible heartache she had been feeling since she found out his assignment had been to guard her.
“I kept tabs on you through Sam. Maybe if you’d found another man I would have stayed away, but most likely I would have come immediately.”
“How could you do that if you were on an assignment?” There was more curiosity than challenge.
His strong fingers began to massage her calf. It felt like heaven when her ankle was still throbbing with pain if she moved it too much.
“All of us have favors owed to us. I would have called in as many as I needed to. I want you to know I was already completely gone on you. I knew you had to be in my life. I just didn’t know how to safely get you there.”
“Did you tell Blom about us when he gave you the assignment to protect me?”
“The original assignment was to back up our other agents in the hotel. We had three placed in various positions. Wilder managed to get onto the security team assigned to Wallin, and there was never any suspicion falling on him. We have two other agents placed on hotel staff, not quite as effective, but they’re backup. I was telling you the truth when I said we were trying to find out who was killing our agents. I just didn’t give you the entire story.”