Chapter Thirteen
Cash
I SAT THERE STARING AT Sabrina, begging her with my eyes to believe me and furious at myself for having to tell her my secret. How in the hell had she found those hidden drawers? But I couldn’t let her walk away, not like this. As mad as I was at myself, part of me wanted her to know the truth so she might understand why I left her.
Sabrina stood with her mouth open, spluttering until she burst out into laughter. “Spy? Right. And I’m the tooth fairy. Good night, Cash.”
“Sabrina, I can prove it.”
She paused, tilting her head. “How?”
I stood and walked over to flip a light on before I pulled open one of the drawers she hadn’t rummaged through. Damn truth or dare game. Not to say I didn’t like the fact Sabrina had come here wanting my underwear, although I’m sure she’d done it begrudgingly. But that kiss said maybe she’d come somewhat willingly.
I accessed the hidden drawer and pulled out my encrypted tablet. I would probably get fired for this, assuming anyone at the agency ever found out. But I couldn’t let Sabrina leave thinking I was a serial killer. More importantly, I couldn’t leave her knowing what a vulnerable position she and her family were in. And the last thing I needed was for Sabrina to draw attention to me by calling the authorities. If Izan caught wind of who I was, the best-case scenario was that he would flee. I didn’t want to think about the worst-case scenario.
With tablet in hand, I cautiously approached Sabrina, whose expression bordered on disbelief and terror. I hated that any part of her feared me. “Please have a seat,” I offered as I sat on the step she stood on.
Biting her lip, she mulled it over before she sat down, clinging to the stair newel.
“I won’t hurt you. I apologize if I scared you earlier, but if my cover gets blown, you have no idea what could happen.”
A deep shudder went through her.
I placed a hand on her knee. My touch made her stiffen. There had been a time when the slightest touch from me made her melt. I longed for those days. “Sabrina, please,” I begged, wanting to ease her discomfort. “I understand this is a lot to take in, but I’m telling you the truth. I’m here because I want to protect you, not hurt you.”
“How can I believe anything you say? You lied to me and left me.”
“You would have run out the door already if part of you didn’t know I was telling the truth.”
“I’m just trying to see if you need a mental evaluation.”
I chuckled while punching in my passcode to access the tablet’s information that not even people with Tier 5 security clearance here in the States had access to. If anyone ever learned I’d shown Sabrina this information, I would lose more than my job. But somehow, I didn’t care. I needed her to believe me, as well as help me.
Tracking Izan’s every move was getting me nowhere. He’d done nothing out of the ordinary, other than behave like a smitten groom. Even tonight, while the bachelorette party was taking place, he’d helped Callie make wedding favors. I was almost glad Sabrina had triggered my sensors. If I’d had to watch another minute of them carefully rolling and wrapping throw blankets with a special message from the couple, I was going to gouge my eyes out. I had no idea what went into weddings, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. If ever, by some strange happenstance, I took the plunge, I think I would prefer to elope, just something intimate between my bride and me. I couldn’t help but think of Sabrina filling that role.
I turned the tablet toward her. “What I’m about to show you can never leave here. Lives are at stake, yours included.”
Sabrina’s gorgeous face paled.
“I don’t say that to scare you, but you need to understand the consequences. The agency I work for has been tracking Izan for months now, and he’s—”
“Wait. What ‘agency’?” She used air quotes. “Who do you work for?”
“I work for Sector of Private Intelligence. It’s a—”
Sabrina giggled. “Your spy agency’s acronym is SPI? Well, isn’t that precious?”
I groaned. It wasn’t the first time our agency had faced ridicule for its name. Among the spy community, it was somewhat of a joke. Other agencies considered it too contrived. I supposed it was. “We rarely refer to it as SPI,” I grumbled.
“Whatever you say,” she snickered. “So, what is SPI? I mean Sector of Private Intelligence.” She grinned.
“Without going into too much detail, our agency works with governments all over the world. In some cases, we work outside the law, running covert ops to gather intelligence or influence certain outcomes. In this case, I’m here to monitor Izan and make sure the blood diamonds he’s stolen don’t fall into more dangerous hands than his.”
Sabrina closed her eyes as if she didn’t wish to hear any of it.
With the crook of my finger, I tilted her chin until her beautiful eyes met mine. “I’m not making this up. Let me show you. But I want to warn you that some photos are graphic.”
“Okay,” she squeaked. “But how will I know this isn’t some big, elaborate scheme of yours and the photos aren’t fakes?”
“That’s a fair question. But how else would you explain the fact that every photo you take of me disappears?”
“Outside of a radioactive spider, I’ve thought about vampires.”
I laughed and flashed my teeth at her. “Sorry, no fangs.”
“They could be retractable,” she mumbled.
“Sabrina,” I sighed. “I know this is a lot for you to take in, but listen to your gut. It told you Izan wasn’t good. I hope now it will tell you that you can trust me, that I’m on your side.”
“But you left me and obviously lied to me. How do I even know you are who you say you are, Cash Denton?”
I cleared my throat.
Unfortunately, she picked up on it. “Oh. My. Gosh. Cash isn’t even your real name?” She stood and threw her hands up in the air. “What is it?”
I leaned against the wall and let out a heavy breath. “Sabrina, I don’t even know that man anymore. You’re probably better off not knowing him either.”
“So, Bordeaux really was just a lie. Was it just another ‘mission’ or ‘assignment’ or whatever of yours? I don’t speak spy other than James Bond or Ethan Hunt.”
The last thing I wanted her to ask me about was our time in France, but I knew I had to answer. “No. Yes. No.” I shook my head, not knowing how to explain it without sounding like a jerk or hurting her further.
“Which is it?” she rightfully demanded to know.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing the longer I stalled, the more contrived my answer would sound. “Sabrina, when I ran into you that day in Bordeaux, I believed someone had blown my cover and was following me. I was supposed to be lying low for a few months. I kissed you, thinking if I was being followed, it would throw off whoever it was.”
She fell on the bed, deflated. “So you used me?”
“No, damn it. I mean, yes, in that moment.”
“And here all this time I thought it was some kismet event in my life. The best meet-cute ever.”
“It was. Or it ended up being that way. They were the best two months of my life.”
“Then why did you leave without even saying goodbye?”
“Because being with you made me forget that my life isn’t my own. I should have never gotten involved with you. It was wrong of me, but you ...”
“I what?” she begged to know.
“You gave me something I’d never had before. Someone who cared about me.”
“I did care about you. I even ...” She waved her hand around in front of her. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
I knew what she was going to say, and I was glad she didn’t. It was hard enough knowing how she felt—and how I felt about her.
“It does matter, but it can’t be.”
“So you’re just using me again,” she wisely surmised.
“I suppose I am,” I hated to admit.
“Oh.” Her voice unnaturally hitched.
Her obvious hurt acutely pricked my heart. So much so, I rubbed my chest. It wasn’t until that moment I realized I might actually have a heart. “I am sorry, Sabrina. I wish things could be different.”
“Do you really?” she spat.
I hung my head. “I do, but there’s no room for relationships in my line of work. It’s too dangerous, and if you knew the kinds of things I had to do, you wouldn’t want to be with me.”
“What kinds of things?”
I gave her a knowing look, hoping I didn’t have to spell it out for her.
“Ahh,” she said as if a light went on in her head. “I saw the guns and knives,” she squeaked. “How do I know you’re not the bad guy?”
“Because you would already be dead.”
“Oh.” She grabbed her chest. “That was harsh.”
I stood and walked over to her. “I don’t mean to be, but this is serious business. Let me show you why I’m here.” I sat next to her on the bed and she scooted farther away from me. Not that I blamed her—it surprised me she hadn’t run out screaming yet. I held up the tablet. “Are you ready?”
“No, but show me anyway.”
I clicked on a folder icon, and several images popped up. I enlarged the first one and pointed. “These photos were taken over two years ago.”
“Who took them?” Sabrina was curious.
I gave her a pressed-lip smile. “I can’t disclose that.”
“Sure.” She rolled her eyes.
“Sabrina, you can’t tell anyone what I’m showing you. If anyone ever found out, it would spell trouble for you and me.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “What kind of trouble?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Is it one of those ‘if I told you, I’d have to kill you’ scenarios?”
“I would never hurt you.”
“You didn’t answer the question. And for the record, you have hurt me.” She didn’t sugarcoat it.
“I know,” I admitted and moved on. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to change that. “Do you see Izan here?” While he looked different now, there was enough resemblance to his former self to be recognizable.
She leaned closer and studied the photo. “Where is he, and who are those men he’s talking to?”
“That’s a band of mercenaries in Cote d'Ivoire.” I clicked on the next picture. “You see the woman by his side? That was his wife, Isla.”
“His wife? He was married?”
“Yes. His first wife was a doctor like him. They are both from Spain and worked for an organization similar to Doctors Without Borders. Sadly, they abused their position of trust and used it to intercept a large shipment of blood diamonds intended for a terrorist cell in South Asia.”
“Why?”
“Greed, I’m sure. Those diamonds are worth millions upon millions. You just have to find the right buyer.”
“Where’s his wife now?” Sabrina asked.
“She’s dead,” I said as delicately as possible. “To save the diamonds and his own skin, Izan left his wife behind, and those mercenaries ... well, let’s just say they don’t mind getting blood on their hands.”
Sabrina gasped before her hand flew to cover her mouth. “He didn’t try to save her at all?” she mumbled through her fingers.
“As far as we know, he left her for dead.”
“That’s awful. Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t.”
“My sister can’t marry him. You need to arrest him or take him out or whatever you do. I can’t even believe I’m saying this.” She popped off the bed. “Do you have, like, a badge or something I can see?”
“I’m not the FBI, Sabrina. But think about it. The photos you took of me disappeared because my handler made them disappear.”
Her eyes widened. “You can access my phone?”
I nodded.
“What else?”
“Anything I want.”
“Ugh. I feel so violated. Aren’t there laws against that?”
“I told you, we work outside the law.”
“Well, if that’s true, then why don’t you just take Soren or Izan or whatever his name is out?”
“It’s not that simple. I need to find the diamonds first. Without them, we have no case against Izan. And we can’t risk them falling into worse hands than his.”
“So what are you doing to find them?”
I scrubbed a hand over my unshaven face. “That’s where you come in.”
“Me?” She pointed at her chest.
“Sabrina, I hate to ask this, especially in light of our past, but I need to use our connection to get close to Izan.”
She placed a hand over her stomach and sarcastically laughed. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“I’m not. I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. It’s imperative I get Izan to let his guard down around me, or at the very least not question why I’m here.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” She paced the floor, venting her frustrations. “You have a lot of nerve, Cash, or whoever you are. The days and weeks I wasted crying over you. And I kept the stupid doll you bought me, and called every hospital and clinic in Bordeaux looking for you. Meanwhile, I meant nothing to you and—”
That, I wouldn’t have. I set the tablet aside before jumping up and gently grasping her arm, grabbing her attention.
She stilled, her raging eyes fixed on mine.
“Don’t you think for one second you mean nothing to me. My director didn’t want me to take this assignment because he’s well aware of my feelings for you, feelings I should never have had. But there was no way in hell I was going to stand by knowing you were in danger. I know I’m a bastard and you have every right to hate me, but the only reason I’m here is because of you.”
Her cheeks turned the deepest shade of red. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a few inaudible squeaks came out.
I took advantage of her silence. “Will you please help me? I don’t want to see your sister walk down the aisle with Izan any more than you do.”
She took a moment to think, blinking rapidly while breathing heavily.
I knew what I was asking was more than I should, and I hated bringing her along for the ride. But whether she liked it or not, she was already on the train. She had been from the moment her sister got involved with Izan.
Sabrina yanked her arm out of my grasp and stood as tall as she could. “Fine. I’ll help you, but only because I love my sister and I want to protect her. Just know I will loathe every second of it—and you.”
“Fair enough.” It probably wasn’t a good time to mention how much I was going to enjoy it, especially now that I didn’t have to lie to her.
“I’m leaving.” She stomped off.
“You’re forgetting something,” I reminded her.
“What?” she seethed.
“My underwear. Your sister is expecting proof you completed the dare.”
Sabrina turned and gave me a withering glare. “Listen here, buddy. I don’t know what kind of fake arrangement you think this is, but you’d better keep your underwear on at all times around me. Got it?”
“Got it.” I couldn’t help but smile. I liked this fiery side of her.
“Good.” She marched over and swiped a pair of clean underwear off the floor before heading back toward the stairs.
“See you tomorrow, darling ,” I teased her.
“Ugh. I really hate you,” she trailed off as she flew down the stairs.
Funny how that worked, considering it was the first time I could almost admit I was in love with her.