Bad Men - Piper Stone Page 0,47
there was nowhere I could go where he wouldn’t find me. You see, he made certain I realized that he was the collector of lost souls and that if his rules weren’t followed, the punishment would be indescribable. When I heard a woman had been captured, I realized I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I walked away. Now you know, Jack. That’s my weakness. I refuse to allow innocent people to become trapped in the claws of a monster. That’s why I took this assignment.”
I admired his morals more than he knew. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t stand him.
Diego hesitated, laughing when I didn’t respond. “Such a prick, Jack. Whether or not you give a damn about that girl, she’s counting on both of us to keep her alive. That’s exactly what I intend on doing whether with your help or not. And if I have to kill you in the process, I can handle that.”
I heard the sound of his heavy boots as he stormed toward the door, cursing under his breath. Exhaling, I closed my eyes as I thought about his words. He was right on several levels. I’d been the one to fuck up the last assignment, lucky to even be alive. I’d bitched about not getting full payment, but I was lucky I hadn’t been tossed back to the wolves. I had to face the fact that a portion of the anger I felt had nothing to do with my work or the people involved. I was furious with myself for fucking up my life.
Even though I had several damn good reasons.
A lump formed in my throat, a moment of pain settling in. Where had all the time gone? How had I fallen so far into a rabbit hole of self-loathing and hatred for everything and everyone around me?
The answers were impossible to face.
The fact he’d touched her again, that he’d… made love to her was a vision I found difficult to get out of my mind. Damn it. I wanted the woman for every illogical reason in the world.
“Why don’t you like him?” Her voice was so quiet, riddled with concern.
“You should be in bed getting a very good night’s sleep, especially after…” I barked, even though I couldn’t finish my damn sentence. Gathering the same damn scent of sex was enough to keep me on edge. I was intoxicated by it, could almost taste her sweet pussy and I wanted more.
I knew damn good and well that nothing I said would make her follow the rules or my direction. Why in God’s name wouldn’t she respect me or at least under the circumstances? Oh, Christ, Jack. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Hell, what was there to respect?
“After?” she demanded, inching closer.
I dared not look at her. “After the damn day we’ve had.”
“Uh-huh. Whatever. Just answer the question, Jack. I thought you two worked together for the same organization.”
Sighing, I moved into the darkness and toward the bar. The last thing I needed was to be grilled by the woman who… I swallowed and pushed the thoughts aside as I filled my glass, not bothering to offer her anything.
Unfettered, she walked toward me, the closeness forcing me to suck in my breath. She remained quiet as she poured the same liquor.
The woman had no idea what she was doing to me. “Same organization, yes, but every operative normally works alone. And I don’t appreciate his style.”
“And he obviously doesn’t appreciate yours. From what I can tell, Diego is a decent man.”
“You know nothing about him,” I countered, my hand shaking as I brought the glass to my lips.
“You’re an asshole,” she hissed. “And yeah, he told me about the fact he was a drug dealer. That’s more than you’ve told me about yourself.”
“You’re right, you know nothing about me and that’s the way it should be.” I couldn’t believe he’d actually told her anything personal. He was breaching every rule, crossing every line.
“I know enough to realize that whatever organization you work for, which certainly isn’t government mandated, hires damaged souls. You know, the kind who could never again work for a legitimate company of any type, including saving the lives of innocent people.”
“Are you innocent, Doctor?” I challenged, instantly regretting doing so. She’d pegged both Diego and me almost perfectly and for that, I’d lashed out. What a fucking asshole I’d turned into.
A slight gasp left her lips. “What the hell does that mean?”
I walked closer until we were