entire restaurant watched.”
There it was. The guilt grew stronger every time he felt just a little bit relieved she’d turned Sean down the first time.
“You didn’t tell him yes until later.”
“I said stop.” Ashley pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face. “He was never supposed to tell anybody. It was...”
When she didn’t finish, Ethan finished it for her. “Humiliating for both of you. I know.” As hard as any of the rest of it had been, now came the hardest part, the part she’d likely hate both him and Sean for until the day she died. “He knew telling me would prove he trusted me, and you should, too. You have to. That man didn’t just want to take you.” She had to understand the seriousness of her situation. “He’s part of a group that wants to use you as a pawn against Sean, to see if they can get him to talk and compromise an entire military operation.”
Ashley shook her head from side to side. “No.”
“Sean sent me because he knew you were in danger and I was the only one who could get to you in time.” He fought to keep his face impassive, to not let her see he was telling her half of the story. “He’s gotten into some hot water over in Afghanistan, and the bad guys are looking for any way to get to him. Including you. He doesn’t have any family, and you’re the closest thing he’s got. It didn’t take them long to track you down.” Not to mention, Sean and Ethan had inadvertently pointed them right to her. It was a bad idea from the start. Right now, he just needed her to trust him enough to get them both to safety. And if he told her everything up front, there was no telling what Ashley would do. She for sure wouldn’t trust him to get her out of this situation, and she’d probably never turn over the evidence she didn’t even know she held.
Bullets had been fired. At her.
The seat belt clicked as Ashley shoved it into place, but the sound was a thousand miles away. She hated this sensation, the feeling she was two paces behind, both participating in and watching a movie she couldn’t quite follow. It was the feeling that usually preceded a loss of control nothing could stop.
A few feet from his truck, Ethan and his partner were engaged in a heated, hand-waving discussion. Ethan seemed to be gaining the upper hand, his stance suggesting authority. It was a posture she’d seen more than once, his shoulders back, broad under the black fleece he wore, blue-jeaned legs just far enough apart to keep him from wavering. He’d filled out, grown not broader but definitely more solid, the line of his jaw sharper, more determined. He’d been dangerous enough before, but with this new maturity, he could devastate her if she let him.
With a final string of words Ashley was grateful she couldn’t hear, Mitchum stalked into the darkness, leaving Ethan by himself.
Ethan climbed into his truck and turned the key.
Ashley shouldn’t have agreed to go with him, should have insisted he take her to her car and give her her life back, but the implications of what had happened pressed in. The man at the airport had not only wanted her, he’d wanted to use her to hurt Sean. Ashley was a pawn to him, easily manipulated and eradicated if it furthered his agenda. She tugged her lips between her teeth, then thought better of it when pain pulsed through her skin.
She refused to wince. Somehow being insecure in the face of Ethan’s confidence seemed like the worst possible thing. And blowing up in a full panic attack in front of him? Not an option. Years ago he’d left her because she was weak.
She dug her nails into her thigh and tried to hang on, to keep her body and her mind from bolting out of control. It wasn’t easy with her pulse stuttering and a thin sheen of cold sweat coating her skin.
Even with Ethan’s knowledge of Sean’s first proposal, Ashley didn’t know what to think. She had no idea what Sean was involved in or what Ethan’s plans for her were.
Until Ethan proved his intentions, she wasn’t about to go along without more than a story that needed to stay in the past. “You’re speculating a lot. Maybe the man was trying to help me.” Not likely, since he’d made his threats quite clear, but if that was the case, there was no reason to panic. Maybe—please, Lord—this was all some giant mistake.
Ethan’s face hardened like cut stone, dark eyes steely under blond hair just long enough to have a wave in it. He checked for traffic and accelerated onto the highway. “Stop it. This is not a game.” The leather seat protested as Ethan pushed against it. “You and I both know what he wanted. He threatened you. He was no Good Samaritan.” The look he fired at her was one usually reserved for suspects under arrest. “Fine. Here it is. All of my cards, on the table, so you’ll know this is bigger than all of us.”
In that moment Ashley knew. She knew what she’d always suspected, knew there was more to his disappearance than her inability to cope with life. Her fingers balled. “You went into Intelligence.”
A frown creased Ethan’s cheek and he turned his attention to the road, almost as though it was too painful to look her in the eye. “I did. For a while.”
Yeah, he ought to be afraid to look at her. After serving as an MP, Ashley’s goals had curved toward Intelligence, gathering information on their enemies using her beloved computers. Ethan had been right there beside her, driving toward the same dream.
And Ethan had been there the day the dream blew away on the wind.
“That’s why you took off when I was recovering. When I got in, you were wait-listed.” The realization pounded tension across her forehead. “When I got shot, you took my spot.”
“They offered me the schooling and I took it before I fully realized what was going on. If I hadn’t gone in your place, someone else would have.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Sean filled me in on how you’d been doing. You got out of the army to help companies shore up their network security and infrastructures, using your contacts to hook people up with what they need to function in the twenty-first century.” His smile lost its sadness and grew smug. “Am I right?”
So he thought he knew so much. Oh, how she wanted to wipe the grin off his face. “You’re right, but how is this laying out all of your cards? Sounds more like you’re telling me what I already know. All you’re doing right now is proving you’re a stalker.”
The smile vanished. “Sean is working with me.”
Ashley fought to keep her face impassive, even as her eye twitched. She watched city fade into the darkness of the country through his side window. “Sean’s not with Intelligence.”
“No, but he’s involved in an ongoing operation.” Sinking against the seat, Ethan settled in as though he had a long story to tell. “And, even though you don’t know it, so are you.”
That wasn’t true. Of all people, Sean knew better. And Ethan should, too. “What do you want?” The words rode the edge of a blade, sharp and cold.
“Trust me.”
The simple request tugged at her the way Ethan alone could. But...no. He wanted her trust? After taking on the position she’d earned? After simply vanishing on the very day she’d decided to tell him she needed him in her life? She’d hurt Sean and embarrassed them both because
