managed to say. Why did you think he was about to make some epic confession?
And a follow-up question to herself…Why are you so disappointed that he didn’t?
Dex’s brows lowered. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Lacey?” Elizabeth’s worried voice rang out. She gave a small, uncertain knock on the door. “Should I go start searching for him? And why is the bellboy watching me?”
“Just wait. Give me a minute!” She blew out a long breath. Get your focus, woman. Dex wasn’t making some big confession and saying he loves you. It’s pretend. Why can’t you keep remembering that? “Dex, go and talk to Roman. You know him far better than I do. If he’s lying, you’ll see through him. I won’t.” She backed up.
Dex followed her. “You know I want you close.”
“I know you’ve been protecting me. Doing your usual manipulation. Pawns on your chess board—”
Dex’s jaw hardened. “How many times do I have to remind you?” He brought her hand to his mouth. Pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You are the queen. Not a pawn. You never sacrifice the queen. You protect her at all costs.”
Fine. “The queen protects the other pieces on the board. That’s her job. Elizabeth and Jonathan are my friends. So I am going to protect them.” And it sure seemed that perhaps Jonathan had been taken. If he had been taken, would Elizabeth be the next target? If she’s searching the lodge for her husband, she’s vulnerable because she’s in the open. I need to get her to a secure location. “You get your agents to help in the hunt for Jonathan. I’ll go back upstairs and stay with Elizabeth. I’ll question her and find out exactly what’s been happening during her stay here in the lodge.”
His lips parted—
“You can send a guard to stand outside of our door. Or to stay in the room with us, whatever. But I’m not helpless. I can defend myself. I can protect her. You need to trust me to do that.”
“I do trust you, Lacey.”
“Really? Then tell me the truth about Charles and Roman. Right now.”
His eyes narrowed. “The truth?”
“You don’t buy that Charles turned on you, do you? I don’t think you really ever believed it, not knowing his past as you do.”
His eyelashes lowered.
“But you still had him taken into custody. You did that…” I’m starting to really figure you out, Dex. It took some time, but I see you now. “You did it to protect him, didn’t you? Because maybe even your pawns are valuable.”
“Do you know the name of his son?”
She shook her head. “No, I just saw the photo. He never told me—”
“Charles named his son Nathaniel Dexter Hatch.” His gaze held hers. “So, no, I didn’t think—even when the evidence was right in front of me—that Charles had turned on me. I believed him when he said that Heather gave him the access to that site. I also believed that he could be in danger, so I removed him from the equation.”
“Dex, you have got to stop keeping things from me! You need to tell me the truth. If this is going to work between us—”
“This?” Dex pounced. “You mean our pretend engagement? If it’s going to keep working?”
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t—ah, screw it. “I’m not talking about pretend anything. I’m talking about the way I feel about you and the way I think you might feel about me.” She pulled her hand free of his grip. “Here’s the problem, though. You’re so secretive. You won’t let anyone inside. You won’t let me know how you really feel about me. You want this to work? You want us to work? Then you tell me. You let me in.” Once she’d started talking, her words just wouldn’t stop. “You keep the rest of the world out, fine. Do it. Tell them they don’t have clearance to learn your secrets. Keep fighting the dark and keeping everyone safe from the shadows. Someone has to do that shit, after all. But when it comes to me, to us, you share with me.” She blinked quickly because her eyes had gone a wee bit blurry with what could have been tears. “You let me in those shadows with you because that’s where I want to be. I want to be right with you.”
He didn’t speak.
She hadn’t been able to stop talking, and he wasn’t saying a word.
That seemed right.
She tipped back her head and stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t hear Elizabeth.