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He had done that too, when he found her at the apartment, all alone. Called her a little mink and took her in his arms.
“This too shall pass, Ria,” he murmured against her hair.
And her heart kept breaking. Her chest was one live, brutal wound that tore open over and over again. Breathing hurt. Living hurt. She could feel the pain sweeping over her body, like barbed agony, ripping and shredding at her.
“She was supposed to be dead,” she whispered. “She wasn’t supposed to be here.”
She could speak. As bad as it hurt, she was still breathing.
“I know, sweetheart.” His arms tightened around her. “God, Ria, I’ll kill him for doing this to you. I swear to you.”
And he meant it. She knew the ice in his voice, the rage echoing in it. And she stilled.
“I’ll die with him.”
His curse rent the air.
“You’re dying without him.” His voice was hoarse. Dane’s voice was never hoarse. He never really let himself care enough about anything or anyone, except family, to become that angry. And she wasn’t family. She never had been.
She moved away from him, hating the feel of him holding her. Hating the feel of anything against her flesh now.
“We’re going to the airport,” he informed her. “I’m taking you home.”
She shook her head. “I have a job to do.”
There was the job. Her word. She owed. She owed the Vanderales. This one last job.
“Ria.” He leaned forward as she moved into the opposite corner and huddled against the door. “God, sweetheart, I can’t let you do this to yourself.”
“You can’t stop me,” she said tonelessly.
Toneless. There was no emotion in her voice, but it was shredding her insides, over and over again. Like the vultures from hell that forever tore at flesh that grew back. That was the pain ripping her apart.
She stared straight ahead, watching the snow come down, the wipers beating at it.
“Take me to the cabin, Rye.”
“Boss said the heli-jet, darlin’,” Rye told her gently as Dane glar
ed at her.
She didn’t look at him. She watched the snow.
“Take me to the cabin.”
“No.”
She turned and looked at him. “It’s over, Dane.”
He stared back at her, his brown eyes hard, furious.
“Meaning?”
“If you don’t take me back to the cabin, don’t let me finish this job, then I’ll go to the Leo and demand it. It’s my job. I’ll finish it.”
He wiped his hand over his face, his jaw clenching, and she could see him thinking, fighting for an answer.
“We’ll go to Asia.” He suddenly smiled, the curve of his lips gentle, sad. “I heard of black pearls, Ria. Natural black pearls. I’ll buy them for you. As many as we can find, mink.”
