Never Gonna Happen - Cynthia Eden Page 0,59

“I don’t know. You’re the one doing all the talking.”

“Because you’re the one doing all the bullshitting.” She stopped in front of him. Tilted back her head and stared into his eyes. “You think someone is trying to use me against them.”

His eyelashes flickered. “Do I?”

“It’s obvious that Sebastian was sent after me.”

“And he went running, didn’t he? Tore you away from your date and whisked you to his home.”

“Then my brother appeared at my side, and someone immediately took a shot at him.”

“I did notice that shot at Shark Gaming and Design.”

She swallowed. “I’m the bait, right?”

His brow furrowed. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

He was such a jerk. “Do you lie all the time? Or only when you’re risking someone’s life?”

What could have been appreciation flashed in his eyes. “I took you into custody in order to protect you and the two men you care so much about. Because, yes, it does seem that a particularly dark brand of trouble is following you. People close to you appear to be in danger.”

Now they were getting somewhere, but all the cards still weren’t on the table. Time to expose his hand. “You took me because you want to draw the attention of the man who is after me. You’re pretending to keep me safe, but, really, you’ll leak my location. Then you and your guards will stay in the shadows while he closes in on me. You want to find out who is threatening your agents because, after all, you handle them, so I’m sure this compromise in security reflects badly on you.”

“It could.”

“This isn’t a safe house.” She looked around. Sighed. “It’s a trap. One that you’ll be springing at any time. So let’s not insult each other by pretending this setup is anything other than what it truly is.” Her gaze slid back to him.

Now he cocked his head and studied her. “If you knew that, why come with me?”

Her lips pressed together.

“Why?”

“Because you’re right. Danger is following me. And I didn’t want to put Antony and Sebastian in jeopardy.”

He laughed. “They’re spies. Don’t you think they are far more equipped to handle this situation than you are?”

He was deliberately taunting her. “You keep pissing me off. You need to stop.”

His laughter died away.

“Yes, they are spies.” She’d accepted that. “But you obviously think my presence puts them in danger. You think they’re at greater risk when I’m with them. And if you have that worry, seeing as how you’ve worked with them for so long, then so do I.” Tension tightened her muscles. “You were also threatening to have Sebastian arrested by one of his best friends. I couldn’t let Sebastian be tossed in jail, not if I could stop that crap from happening. You were obviously trying to drive a wedge between Sebastian and Winston by making Winston choose between his job and his friend, and that kind of manipulation makes me crazy.”

“Now I’m a master manipulator? I’ll consider that as a compliment.” His eyebrows lifted. “You see a whole lot more than I thought.”

“It goes with hanging in the background. When you watch others, you can see some of the things they give away.” She licked her lower lip. “Why is it that you think they’re at greater risk when I’m close?”

“Because you have Sebastian…” He reached for her left hand.

His fingers were callused, rough, but his touch was gentle.

He wiggled her pinky. “You have him wrapped around this finger. You say jump, and Sebastian does everything you ask.”

Her shoulders stiffened.

“You know why he does that?”

“Because he’s my friend.”

Laughter exploded from Dex.

She was not amused.

“And here I thought you said…” More laughter, but softer now. “I thought you said that you saw things that others gave away.” His eyes gleamed. “Or are you just blind…” His voice lowered and his head dipped toward her. “When it comes to Sebastian?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re dangerous to him because Sebastian would risk everything for you. He wouldn’t hesitate. He’d trade every secret he knows if it meant keeping you safe. So would your brother. I can’t have that. Those are my secrets. By taking you, and, yes, by planning to use you, I changed the equation for us all. If everything goes according to my plans, this will be over in a few days—hell it might be over in the next few hours—and you can get your life back.”

“You believe both Antony and Sebastian would trade government secrets for my safety?” That was