27. Chapter 27 #3
Her eyes focused. She lifted the blade and crossed her legs, hiding the minor cut.
“I had to free Naomi. She didn’t deserve to suffer.
I didn’t tell you the truth because I knew Naomi took out someone close to you and you would only see her as a murderer—and if you knew the truth of why she did it, you’d blame me.
See me differently. I was a coward, and I hated lying, knowing that your friend had used you in the past. But I knew we could destroy Lucifer’s Bell, and that finding the LRAD replica required Naomi’s help.
I just…I didn’t know if you’d agree to help Naomi. ”
“You should have known I wouldn’t have stepped back.
” Tribunal help him. He would have helped Kate.
Not just because of the Bell, but because no one should have to go through what Naomi did.
And for her to blame herself for what Matsuda made Naomi do was absurd.
But he understood how she might have thought he’d see her differently.
“I couldn’t risk it. I needed you and your crew.”
“Why should I believe you won’t lie again when things get hard?”
“Because I don’t want to lose you again.
I’ve always thought I had to deceive people to get them to care for me, but you saw through me and still wanted me.
I know there was a part of you that didn’t trust me, but you chose to anyway.
Because you knew the real me. And that person is standing in front of you now.
I have no reason to lie to you, even if shit hits the fan.
If we can get through this, I know I can trust you with whatever comes next. And I will.”
He believed her. When he’d worked out his feelings with Lewis, he came to realize that Kate wasn’t Gerard.
Evil motivated Gerard’s betrayal, while loyalty and the need to right a wrong motivated Kate.
And if there was one thing he could trust in someone, it was their sense of justice.
And Kate knew what was right, and even if he hadn’t known the full plan—she was right—he trusted her, anyway.
“They’re mad at me,” he said. “The rest of the crew.”
“Why?”
“For taking my time to talk to you. It’s just hard for me to not blame myself for what happened.”
“You trusted me with your crew, and I lied to you. And with what you’ve been through, I understand.” She was silent for a moment. “I thought I had officially lost you, but Caige told me not to give up.”
“Caige?”
“I had to make sure he was okay. When I paid him a visit, he had quite a lot to say.”
Raz’s lungs tightened. The fact that she’d sneak in to see Caige spoke leaps and bounds to Raz.
This wasn’t a woman who’d saved her own skin, but someone who saw a way to save both herself and Naomi.
Even Caige seemed to know this, or he wouldn’t have given her the time of day.
The heat in the room pressed in on Raz, and his dragon raged against his skin to feel—touch—connect. But his heart was still teetering.
“Why did you turn yourself in?” he asked.
“It’s only right I serve time for the part I took in the crimes.”
“Really? You could have walked away from the entire scenario. You were a nobody.”
She tapped the dagger against her thigh. “I messed up the day I apologized at the Dusted Tuck. I didn’t wear my helmet, and I drove like an idiot. As soon as Clyde learned the police had my face, I knew they’d find out where I’d been. I wasn’t about to risk the team’s location. Your job.”
She was going to do jail time to protect his team. Him. He didn’t know what to say because her confession tipped the scales; his heart finally decided to fall.
He cleared his throat and gestured toward the sliding door to the outside. “Would you like to take a walk?” He needed a breather before he ruined their conversation with his dragon’s demanding actions.
“Sure.” She tucked her dagger into the hilt around her ankle and stood. Her jumpsuit formed over her body. Beautiful and glamorous. And not helping my case.
His dragon grumbled at the idea of more words when it just wanted to show her that he was hers.
Sliding open the door, the pine and musky scented night air wafted inside. Her shoes lay next to the door on the porch—her entry point. As Kate walked through, slipping into her shoes, he breathed in the heat of her delicious aroma. The combination swirled and beckoned him.
Something brushed against his leg. He jumped. “Damnit, Rogue.”
Kate chuckled as she bent to pet the black cat. Rogue welcomed her touch before darting off into the night.
“Will he be okay outside?” she asked.
“He’ll probably follow us around. I’ll keep my eyes on him.” The cat’s instinct and Frito spirit signature tickled at his Insight from below the porch.
“I never did peg you as a cat owner, or a plant lover.” She glided down the steps, fluid and sexy.
“Me neither. Rogue showed up one day, and Regan, my boss, has given me a plant a year as a gag gift for my birthday.”
“And you’ve kept them?”
He shrugged. “It’d be a waste not to.”
She smiled softly. The moon’s rays lit up the path he walked most nights to clear his mind between the pine trees. They strolled for a while, side by side, nothing but the rustling wind and the crunching needles beneath their shoes.