The One Who Got Away (Wilde Ways #12) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,29
turned them down, and you were always rushing off to meetings with her. But when I looked, I didn’t find any evidence that you were personally involved with Ella.”
“When you looked?” Outrage filled him. “Why the hell would you be digging into my private life?”
“Because agents become compromised all the time. They get involved with the wrong people.”
Tension tightened his body. “Ella isn’t wrong.”
“No, but when you’re with her, I’m worried you are.”
That made zero sense. “It’s late. I’m tired. I need to talk to Ella, so—”
“It keeps coming back to her, doesn’t it? You stayed at the crime scene because of her. Because you wanted to protect her. For the last two years, I didn’t realize it, but each time you rushed a mission, each time you hurried home as fast as you could, it was because you wanted to come back to her, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re going on about.”
“Don’t play innocent. You suck at it.”
“And how about you stop playing the bastard? You’re too good at it.”
Dex laughed, but the laughter held a hard edge. “You want her.”
Antony looked away. “I am not discussing this with—”
“Why wasn’t I told about the break-in at your condo? You know protocol dictates that you inform me of situations like that. I could have immediately moved to protect you.”
A wince. “Right. About that…” His words trailed away.
But he actually didn’t need to say more. Dex had obviously figured it out. “You tricky sonofabitch.”
“Dex—”
“There was no break-in. You just used it as an excuse to get in Ella’s pants.”
Antony lunged for Dex. Shoved him back against the seat and had his forearm jammed against Dex’s throat in a flash. “Do not ever talk about her that way.”
He felt the prick of a knife against his side. He gave a long, hard glare at Dex, and then Antony lifted his forearm, just enough for Dex to be able to speak.
Dex winked at him. “I like your reflexes. Do you like mine?”
“I could disarm you.”
“It would be fun for you to try. You forget, I trained you. I know your tricks.”
Dex was far too confident. Overly confident. “Not all of them.”
“Been picking some things up on the side, have you? Am I supposed to be impressed or worried?”
“You don’t get it.” Antony laughed. Like Dex’s laughter, it was rough. Cold. “In five minutes, I could destroy your life. I get hold of a computer, and everything you’ve built will tumble down. You do not want to make me angry. You have no clue about the tricks I can pull with my tech.”
Dex’s expression immediately went blank. “And you do not want to make threats you don’t intend to keep. We both know you wouldn’t risk exposing all of the agents who work for me.”
Damn straight, he wouldn’t. Antony pushed away from Dex.
“You have a conscience,” Dex continued smoothly. “Which is both a strength and a weakness.” His knife had vanished. “Speaking of weaknesses…she’s one.”
“Ella isn’t a threat.”
Dex sighed. “You think I don’t see the way you look at her? Don’t hear the way your voice changes when you say her name? Antony, you invented a break-in to bring the woman back into your life after she left you. If that doesn’t say obsession, what does?”
“I don’t want her hurt.” Never, ever could Ella be hurt. “Bringing her in as a bodyguard was a mistake. I was just—”
“Thinking with your dick?” he supplied.
“I hate you sometimes.”
A shrug. “And sometimes, you love me like the brother you never had.”
“I have a brother-in-law. That’s close enough. And you know I adore my sister.”
Dex snapped his fingers together. “Oh, wait. Now I remember. Maybe I love you like the brother I never had.” Dex tapped his chin. “That’s why I’m going to give you this ever-so-helpful life advice. You ready?”
He was ready to go after Ella.
“I’ve tried giving life advice before to other people. I should warn you, things get complicated, very quickly, when people don’t listen to me.”
“Because you’re the all-knowing freaking Oz and everyone should just bow down and be grateful for your god-like advice?”
“Exactly.”
Antony snorted. “Not happening.”
“You worked on that last case with Roman Valentino. You know how screwed up things got there.”
Yes, that case had been screwed to hell and back. It was also the case that had led to Ella discovering Antony’s spy work.
“I told Roman not to get emotionally involved with his partner, but did he listen? Oh, no. And look what happened.”