“I willneverregret going after you in Vanuatu. And I willneverregret giving you something that you wanted. Something that you needed. I hate that we ended up here, but I don’t want you to blame yourself. I could have stayed behind, let Trigger and the guys go after you. I could have told you no, that it wasn't safe to go for a swim. I didn't do either of those things, and it was up to me to make those decisions, because I'm the one with training and experience. I’m glad I went after you, little mouse. I'm glad that I finally realized that living isn’t being selfish, that I don’t have to turn into my family unless I want to.”
“You're not like them. You didn't leave me behind,” she reminded him, and he might need to hear those words a thousand more times before they finally sank in. A lifetime’s worth of fighting against the possibility of becoming them was hard to overcome, but hewantedto believe them.
“Won't ever leave you behind, baby. Never. I don’t know how long Griffin is going to decide it’ll take for me to pay off the debt, but he seems to believe I'm still on his side, wouldn't be letting me walk around unsupervised if he had doubts about me, so I’ll find a way to get to Falcon, figure out a plan to break you out.”
Ally’s gaze dropped, and he felt her tense. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what.
When she pushed at his shoulders, he reluctantly set her down, giving her the space she needed to tell him what was bothering her. Maybe Griffin had done something to her on the way to or from the fight, maybe even in the middle of it. Just because she’d already been abused while she was here didn't mean she was immune to it happening again. Desensitizing someone to being sexually abused might make them numb to the pain of it, but it didn't remove it altogether.
“Did he hurt you? I’ll kill him if he touched you,” he snarled, meaning every word of it. He’d love nothing more than to rip Griffin apart with his bare hands once they got the name of the man behind Azure.
Giving him a small smile, Ally chuckled. “You can't kill him, and you know it.”
“I can, just not yet.”
“He didn't hurt me, Mateo. Just tried to get a reaction out of me. Touched me a little, ripped off my panties, but he didn't assault me. I think he just wanted to annoy me, immature as that makes him sound.”
Reaching out, he took her hand, entwined their fingers, and squeezed gently. “You can tell me anything, you know that. I won't ever be angry with you.”
“He said not to tell you.” Ally chewed on her bottom lip, and it was clear she was having an internal debate about whether she should spill the beans.
“Because he wants to drive a wedge between us. That won't happen. You know the truth about me, I've never been more real with another person than I have with you. I've betrayed you, hurt you, and let you down, but I'm yours, little mouse. Forever. If you're not ready to tell me, that’s okay. You can tell me tomorrow, although … I'm not going to be able to stay here with you indefinitely. Griffin will want me training in the gym, so I’ll only be able to see you in the evenings, maybe not every … What?” The look on her face told him that something he’d just said had upset her.
“Griffin lied to you, Mateo,” she whispered, tears continuing to trickle down her cheeks in a steady stream. “He’s not planning on letting you buy me. Ever. I think he just wants an excuse to use you in the boxing fights. This way, he gets to keep stringing you along, making you think you're going to end up with me at the end, but instead, he’s only going to let you rent me for a nighteach time you win a fight. I'm sorry. He said I couldn’t tell you that, but I can't keep it a secret, you deserve to know so you can make the right decision for yourself. I don’t want you to keep fighting, putting yourself in danger, getting hurt, for something that’s never going to happen.”
Anger that Griffin was trying to play him coursed through him. Pretending to let him buy Ally for himself while never intending to honor the deal, honestly, he should have expected that, but he’d been too caught up in the idea of protecting Ally any way he had to.
The facts were, he couldn’t protect her so long as she was here.
Which didn't leave him with many options.
Prey and the Delta Force team could get her out, he didn't doubt that, but that would pretty much kill his ability to keep working here. After Nathan just ditched them all, and then he’d left and flown to the other side of the world to go after one of Azure’s victims, there was no way he could convince Griffin he was still with him if Ally suddenly disappeared.
So he had to make a choice.
Ally or this job.
When he put it like that, there was no other choice. He knew what he had to do, but there was a chance it wasn't going to work, and he might get them both killed instead of getting Ally out. But he had to try.
If things weren't going to work out, he needed one last night with his girl.
Chapter
Twenty-One
August 22nd
11:37 P.M.
“Make love to me, little mouse?”
Mateo’s question caught her by surprise. He never asked her if she wanted to sleep with him. He knew her body, knew when she was craving him, which, to be honest, was most of the time, and moved in close, kissing her slowly, giving her the opportunity to say no if she wasn't in the mood. But tonight she wasn't surprised that he was asking. She was surprised that he hadn't said anything about the revelation she’d just given him.
“Didn't you hear what I just?—”
“Shh, baby.” Mateo pressed a finger to her lips to shush her. “I heard. And I have a plan. But right now, I just want you.”
Pressing a kiss to his fingertip, she smiled. “I want you, too, but I'm scared of hurting you. Just because you're not seriously injured doesn’t mean that you're not hurting.”