AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“None of this is your fault. If anything, it’s more my fault that anyone else’s. I’m the one who agreed to go after the cartel.”
“Carter and Matteo didn’t want to do that, too?”
Miles sighed. “They did, and chances are they would have eventually if I hadn’t brought everything together the way I did, but that was what brought Matteo here, what caused him to break away from his undercover role.”
“They have each other now.”
“True, but I need you to understand that you did absolutely nothing wrong. Beck contacted Carter, and Carter is in a better position to help him than anyone else. There’s nothing you could’ve done. If you’d still been in St. Louis, trapped in the hell you were in, the same thing would’ve happened.”
“Maybe not. Maybe Worth would’ve convinced him to drop the internship and go to Aruba.”
“Then the cartel might’ve followed them there, and they might have taken both of them. If so, they’d be further away in a place where it would be harder for us to go in and get them.”
The thought made my chest tighten. “They could easily have taken them to Columbia.”
Miles nodded. “We’re going to take care of this.”
“And then I’m going to go home.”
He tilted his head, watching me for a moment. “And where is home?”
I looked away, not wanting to attempt an answer.
“Do you think maybe it’s here?” Miles asked.
“What? No. Worth has known me less than a week.”
“I knew Ben for one day when I was absolutely sure I wanted him with me for the rest of my life.”
“You’re not like the man people talk about in the media.”
“Oh, I am, just not in this context.” Miles continued, “You should meet Ben. The two of you would get along really well.”
“I’d like that, if it works out.”
Miles glanced toward the living room, then back to me. “Don’t break his heart. If you want to see the side of me people talk about, that’s what it would take.”
“Me break his heart? No, I…He’s not….”
“Open your eyes, Laurie. Be sure you really do know what he’s feeling before you decide to walk away.”
27
WORTH
Inoticed Miles had taken Laurie into the kitchen. What the hell was Miles saying to him? If he scared Laurie away, I’d kill him. I forced myself to take a deep breath. Miles had been all for the relationship when we’d talked on the phone, and surely he’d been with Ben long enough to have learned how to be gentle with someone. Right?
“Worth?” Carter asked. “Are you listening?”
“Yes. I have to do exactly what you say. I can’t ever be in the lead. I will stay back unless it’s absolutely necessary, blah blah blah. I’ll follow your rules, but I’m going to be part of this.”
Carter raised his brows. “Have you suddenly developed weaponry skills I don’t know about?”
“A little. I’ve been going to the shooting range.”
Carter’s eyes widened. “On your own? I would’ve taken you.”
I shrugged. Why I’d been shy to ask my very close friend, who was a former Navy SEAL, for shooting lessons I couldn’t explain. But it was something I had wanted to do alone.
