Let him think it was claustrophobia; she could handle that. The truth could get her killed, could get her returned that much faster to her father, and the death that awaited her there wouldn’t be easy.
“Come here.” He knelt in front of her, lifting her, holding her close to him as he moved her to the couch. “Right here.” He sat her down, then opened the laptop he was working on. “Look at this, Scheme.”
The screen flared to life, six small windows glowing on it.
“This is the area around my cabin, several miles from here.” He pointed out four of the screens. “What do you see?”
The screens were thermoactive, showing bodies moving, weapons held ready.
“Those are Council soldiers, looking for me,” he told her. “They’ve been watching the cabin for days, hoping to find you. Reports are coming in from Sanctuary that several transmissions have left our communications base, concerning you and the assignments that have gone out from Sanctuary. Your father wants you bad enough to make his spy work overtime to find out if the Breed community is searching for you, or if they have you.”
“So why are they here?”
“Because every Breed in Sanctuary knew I was gunning for you. His spy would have known. His spy would have informed him that I’m missing from the compound. Very few people know I’m on vacation right now. If you walk out of here, he’ll find you. He’ll kill you. Trust me. I can save you.”
She stared at the computer, fighting the need, fighting the words on her lips that would reveal everything.
“He hired your ex-lover to kill you, Scheme. He murdered your child before it ever had a chance at life. Do you really want to die too?” he said gently.
She shook her head desperately. She was trying to protect herself. Oh God, she wanted to trust him. She needed to trust him, and she knew she couldn’t.
One hand flattened on her abdomen as she reminded herself why. She was empty, her life was empty. Her child had been cut out of her body and a tubal performed while she was unaware. She would never conceive again without the general’s permission. She would always remember the consequences if she did.
Jonas had warned her to trust no one but him. That even he couldn’t vouch for any one Breed until he was certain of the identity of the spy working within their ranks. He had made her promise. Made her swear it. If he couldn’t vouch for Tanner himself, how could she be certain?
Because she loved him, her heart whispered.
And she had loved before, the dark part of her soul reminded her. Remember where that led?
“Don’t…” She shook her head desperately. “I don’t have what you want, Tanner. I don’t have your answers.”
“Scheme, help me save you. For both our sakes.”
She lifted her gaze to his, his features blurry through the tears that still fell from her eyes. Why couldn’t she strike? She had killed, regardless of what he thought. A Coyote that had caught her helping another Breed escape. A soldier who had slipped into her room intending to rape her. A knife was her preferred weapon; she knew how to use it. Dammit, she knew how to kill, how to maim; why couldn’t she strike against this one man?
“There’s no saving me,” she finally whispered, accepting that fate. “For both our sakes, Tanner, stop trying.”
CHAPTER 14
Sighing wearily, Tanner pulled Scheme into his arms before lifting her gently into his lap. She lay in his arms like a babe, fighting to control her sobs, her breath hitching as tears dampened his shirt.
He had taken a risk, he knew. The chances of her sliding that knife into his side had been high. Too f**king high. He could have been bleeding out on the stone floor rather than wrapping his arms around her and holding her against his chest.
So why wasn’t he bleeding? He’d been almost certain she would attempt the blow. What bothered him was the fact that at that point, he had almost decided to let her have it.
She had to trust him. There wasn’t enough time left to gain her trust or to hope for the best. He had so little time left. Even less if Callan or Jonas became suspicious and guessed where the general’s missing daughter really was. He didn’t worry about anyone else, but Jonas was naturally paranoid, and Callan, well hell, Callan just knew him. He didn’t doubt that his pride leader had already guessed what he was up to. What Callan decided to do about it would be anyone’s guess.
“You’ve never had a problem doing what you had to before,” he murmured against her ear. “Why couldn’t you do it, Scheme?”
“I don’t want to die in these stupid caves.” She jerked at the hold he had on her.
“Stop fighting me.” He held her closer, one hand cupping her head and pressing it to his shoulder. “And stop lying to me.”
“I don’t need you to hold me,” she cried out. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need your comfort. I need you to let me go.”
His jaw clenched with the effort to hold back his frustration.
“Did you see those soldiers on the monitor, Scheme? Who the hell do you think they’re looking for?”