“He’s nice like that.”
The mockery left her voice when she asked, “But you like him?”
“If by like you mean I trust him with my life and I’d lay down mine for his, then yes. If you mean like as in most of the time I want to shove a sock in his mouth to make him stop speaking then yes again.”
“What does he want you to ask me?”
“Go back to bed, baby. We’ll talk later.”
Delilah didn’t go back to bed. She walked farther into the living area and didn’t stop until she was at the couch. Then she unceremoniously plopped herself next to me.
“I’m wide awake. And besides, if you think I can go back to sleep knowing you’re out here brooding, you’re crazy.”
“I’m not brooding,” I denied.
Delilah bumped her shoulder against mine and asked, “Then what do you call sitting in the dark scowling?”
“Thinking.”
Her soft, husky laugh filled the room. I was powerless to stop my pulse from picking up. Totally incapable of stopping the arousal that coursed through my veins.
Just from a laugh, a smile, a soft look.
The more relaxed Delilah became around me the more she opened up. The more comfortable she became the more she nudged, touched, brushed by me, and right then she was sitting damn close.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about?”
What I was thinking was the sooner this ended the sooner Delilah would be safe, and once she was free and clear of Abrams I could make my move. And since it had only been two days and it was becoming increasingly harder by the hour to keep my hands to myself, I needed to stash her somewhere so I could get on the hunt.
“Zane wants me to talk to you about getting you to a safehouse.”
Delilah shifted next to me and pulled her heels up to the edge of the couch, then wrapped her arms around her shins.
Balled up in an effort to protect herself.
“You want to get rid of me,” she whispered.
“Fuck no!”
Without thought, my hand went to the side of her neck and my thumb stroked the underside of her jaw, something I’d been wanting to do for days. Each time she’d turned one of her brilliant smiles in my direction I wanted to hold her just like this. I wanted to know if her skin was as soft as it looked and the only parts of her body I’d allow myself to think about were her neck, the line of her jaw, the shell of her ear, her cheeks, her lips. Thinking about all the places below her shoulders I’d like to explore would be too dangerous.
“I want you safe. I want you someplace where I know no one can get to you. Zane offered to send some men down to watch over us but, baby, they just spent weeks away from their families for me—knowing I wasn’t going to give up finding you, they stayed. I can’t ask them to do it again not knowing how long this is going to take.”
“How did you find me?”
“Tamir contacted a man called Tex and told him your location. Before that, Tamir was leaving us breadcrumbs. Sometimes he’d make sure his face was visible on a camera, or he’d use his credit card, he’d send an email, things he knew we’d be tracking and would easily give away his location. But that stopped when you left Los Mochis. It was radio silence until he called Tex. Tamir gave Tex a warning to keep you off radar as long as possible. The note he left said the same thing, to keep you hidden and we’d know when it was safe for you to go home. Tamir obviously has something planned and I don’t want you getting caught up in whatever he’s doing but we can’t hide in this hotel indefinitely. And Zane has a point, you and Evette are still swinging until Abrams is brought down.”
Even in the dim light, I could see Delilah’s eyes widen. “I thought you said Evette was okay.”
“I told you she’s alive, she’s happy, and she’s protected. But the deal Zane made with Aviv only keeps Evette safe if we don’t interfere with his business. We’ve interfered in a big way by taking you—”
I got no more out before Delilah was struggling to pull away.
“Let me go, Myles.”
“No.”
“You have to.”
“No.”
And to underline my denial I dug my fingers into the back of her neck and pulled her closer while at the same time I leaned in, bringing us face-to-face.
“Myles.”
“Listen to me carefully, Delilah. There is no scenario where I let you go. There’s nothing you can say or do that’s going to change my mind about this. We stay here and wait this out or I take you to a safehouse. If you choose the safehouse, I’ll take you there, but I won’t be letting you go.”
“Why?”
“Why won’t I let you go?”
“You should let me go. Aviv won’t stop until he kills me. I don’t know why Tamir didn’t do it, but Aviv’s not going to be happy. He’ll send someone else or come after me and do it himself. He can’t let me live. You need to leave me here and forget you found me. Forget you know me. If not for your safety then for Evette’s. I never should’ve dragged her into this mess. It was selfish and mean and now she’s still in danger because of me.”
I had my suspicions why Tamir didn’t kill Delilah, but they were just that—suspicions. Though they were good ones considering the Cohens were known in Israel, respected, a family that was bound by honor and service. It was a stark contradiction to the Tamir Cohen who worked for Aviv Abrams. It was true; war changed a man, daily doses of death and destruction changed your DNA—sometimes for the worse. But something felt way off. If Tamir had turned he would’ve slit Delilah’s throat and left her dead body in Riverton. He wouldn’t have batted an eye taking her life. If he’d turned he wouldn’t have shown even the sliver of decency he’d shown Delilah. He would’ve tortured her endlessly until she told him what she knew then killed her. Not to mention if the man didn’t want me to find Delilah he wouldn’t have on two separate occasions tipped his face toward a camera on the street and do it for a good long while making sure facial rec would ping.
“Evette’s safe, my team’s watching out for her. Another reason I don’t want Zane shuffling men. Red Team was deployed because Gold Team has a case they’re working on and my team’s tied up with Evette. Zane needs all the men working on shit that pays our salaries.”
Delilah stiffened and I knew I fucked up.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Before I could get any more out Delilah interrupted, “I heard you tell Zane to bill you for the room and put you on unpaid leave.”
“Listen to me.” I raised my other hand and captured her face, guaranteeing I had her attention. The problem was, that meant I had her attention, all of it—all of her—so close. And when she sucked in a breath it felt like she pulled it from my lungs.
“Myles.”
A whisper of a sound.
The breaking of my resolve.
Fucking hell.
“I’m not leaving you unprotected. I will keep you safe and I need you to believe in that.”
“Okay.”
Christ. That was too easy.
“Okay?”
“I believe you. But I want you to tell me what you’re hiding from me.”