Fury and Flame | 3

3 | 2

J A K E

My next step in destroying Hundsen was near, closer than I'd anticipated. I'd have to urge my teammates to make a few drastic decisions, but I could do it with a little manipulation. And though I was very patient, now I grew restless.

      I would have payback for Jaxon's arm and the bastard would never see it coming.

I stared down at the papers filled with my own handwriting—deductions, pieces of secret information I knew, bits of unfinished plans. My eyes were slightly bleary, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Not because of the coffee but because of how my mind worked, constantly moving, never stopping for rest. I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried.

I resumed writing. But as my mind began to wander, I became more and more aware of the distraction in the room. And I wished I could just focus on the problem at hand.

I didn't have to turn around to know the assassin was asleep. I'd only seen her sleep a handful of times and certainly not recently.

      Everyone knew how badly she'd been adjusting to changing sides. Just last night, I'd heard her hacking up her guts into the toilet, only because her bathroom shared a wall with this room. The incessant retching when I was trying to get paperwork done had been awfully distracting as well.

Then I did spare her a glance. The assassin's eyes were closed, head laid against the chair. So still and quiet that it reminded me of how she'd looked when I'd carried her out of the ocean that day. Ever since she'd returned, she hadn't been able to hide her paranoia behind that cool mask she always wore. In sleep, there was no tension in the way she held herself. For once, she wasn't ready to gut anyone who got too close.

      I wished she wasn't near. I wished she didn't need to be here to sleep. And I wished, above all, I could just concentrate.

      Why did I keep thinking of her? I'd thought it would stop once she was out of her master's hands and into safety again, but it had only gotten worse. It was like a disease in my mind, infiltrating parts of myself I was sure I'd torn out long ago.

      It was nothing, I told myself. It meant nothing. My debt to her was fulfilled; I'd saved her life in return for not taking it in the forest. That was as far as it went.

     Just because I didn't want her dead didn't mean I wanted her close to me. Quite the opposite, actually.

"Jake." Her soft voice broke through my thoughts and any lesser man might have jumped at her sudden movement. How long had she been awake?

      I turned to look at her. She sat in the same position as before, but now shadowed blue eyes were fixed on me. Whatever I'd been meaning to say was lost.

     She bit her lip, finding the words. I didn't want to hear what came next, but I stayed silent. "I want you to know...I wish I didn't fight you that day. And I'm sorry for what I said...I'm sorry for everything."

     I wasn't relieved in the slightest; the words she'd uttered on the battlefield were exactly what I wanted to hear then. Now, there was no doubt that her feelings hadn't changed.

     I wished it wasn't true. So I would ignore the fact that she even said it.

     Turning back to my work, I said, "I don't care what you said while controlled by that madman."

     Tesla said nothing more and I didn't look to see if she was still awake. I didn't want any more reminders of what she'd said, of her feelings—none of it.

So I continued on with my paperwork through the early morning hours, thinking only of my revenge and how sweet it would be. I blocked out the sound of her faint, steady breathing and my acute awareness she was near with the image of Hundsen's dead body. It would happen soon enough.

When I looked up again, the sky was lightening. The sun was rising in the distance. So I took one last sip of the cold, bitter coffee and stood.

     The assassin was indeed asleep again, dark lashes fanned out over ivory cheeks. Swallowing, I looked away and closed the door behind me, preparing to leave. I was going to get answers about Hundsen.

After all, his downfall was what I wanted most.