He squeezed my leg, and I scooted across the seat out of his reach. “He wanted my help with everything.”
I drummed my fingers on the soft leather seat. “He didn’t mention that to me. If he wanted you to see everything, he would’ve given you a copy or showed them to you last night.”
“His mind was focused on other things.”
“Like what?”
He stared at me wordlessly for a few seconds, his face inscrutable. “Warning me to keep my distance from you.”
“What? Why the hell did he do that?” My mind swirled. Didn’t he trust me?
Noah shrugged. “Who knows? I’m not privy to his inner thoughts, but you can call Ryker and talk to him about it.” His lips twitched. “But he probably won’t answer his phone. He can’t risk anyone listening to his calls. For his plan to work, we need everyone to believe he severed all contact with you.”
“I don’t know if I should trust you.” It wasn’t entirely true. Since the moment he dragged me to the helicopter, he treated me with respect. He treated me like a friend, but being back in D.C. and knowing what we needed to accomplish, made me feel on edge. Part of me wanted to run to my dad with the evidence and beg him to help me, and wash my hands of the whole thing.
His eyebrows lifted in question. “Look, Hattie, Ryker asked for my help. He’s paying me to help. In order to make this work, I need to know everything. I won’t go into a mission blind.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, debating what to do. “Fine,” I conceded. “Tell me what you know and I’ll fill in the blanks.”
“Hattie,” he said, drawing out my name, a mysterious smile toying with the corners of his lips. “Do you really think Ryker would send me here expecting you to keep me in the dark?” He glanced at his watch. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell you what I know. We’re meeting with the D.C. Times in less than an hour. I know we will hand over evidence concerning Senator Deveron’s ties to the Vargas Cartel if they agree to write the story.”
“That sounds about right,” I said.
“Good, so now you see why I’d like to see the papers before we give them to anyone else. They’re going to be public soon enough anyway.”
I sighed. He was right. “The papers are hidden in my luggage.”
“Good.” Smirking, he tugged on a strand of my hair. “We’ll go over them at lunch and come up with a game plan.”
Deciding I needed to tune everything out and relax for a few minutes, I snagged my ear buds and phone from my purse. I scrolled through my playlists and selected one I used when I couldn’t sleep.
I glanced at Noah, and I noticed him eyeing me with one eyebrow raised.
I pulled out one of my ear buds. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
My brows slammed together and I shoved him playfully on his shoulder. “No. Tell me. I can practically hear the wheels in your head turning.”
He surveyed me for a few seconds. “I just can’t figure out why a girl like you is mixed up with a drug cartel thug. I understand how you met him, but that doesn’t explain why you stuck around.”
I jabbed a finger in the center of his center. “Ryker’s not a drug cartel thug.”
He chuckled. “Oh, he is. Don’t try to deny it.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “You don’t know anything about Ryker or me.”
“Of course I do. You’re Hattie Covington. Your father is the US Attorney General. Evan Deveron is your ex-fiancé. You are weeks away from getting your master’s degree. You flaked on your internship at the Foreign Policy Council earlier this summer.” He leaned back in the seat and crossed his ankles. “And for some reason, you’re fixated on Ryker Vargas despite everything he and his family did to you.” I held up my hand, but he ignored me. “Yes, I know the Vargas Cartel held you hostage, and I know why. It’s not a secret. At least not with people who have connections.”
Heat rushed to my face and my gut twisted. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out of my mouth. Honestly, I didn’t have an explanation for my behavior. I didn’t understand my feelings for Ryker. I knew I loved him. I knew he made my heart beat faster, my life spin a little quicker, but none of that was his business. I didn’t owe him an explanation.
“Have I rendered you speechless?”
I huffed. “Just because you know a couple facts about my life doesn’t mean you know me,” I said, my voice raw and vulnerable. “Facts don’t sum up a person.”
He blinked, his eyes unreadable and then he ran a hand through his hair. “No, they don’t, but you’ve got to admit your relationship with Ryker doesn’t look so good on paper.”
“You do realize if I listed a bunch of random facts about you, you wouldn’t look so good either.” I squared my shoulders and tapped a finger on my lips. “You’re a mercenary for hire. People pay you to do bad things. You’ve killed people. You probably have more than one alias. Your loyalty only runs as deep as the pockets of the person paying you. Does that sound about right? Is that the sum of who you are, Noah? Or is there more to you than that?”
His nose flared, and then he shook his head, a cocky grin sliding across his face. “Touché, but that’s none of your business.”
I turned my head, holding his stare. “Then we agree on something. Don’t judge me and I won’t judge you.”
“Agreed,” he said.
I stuffed the ear bud back into my ear and closed my eyes. I hoped Ryker and I could wrap up this whole mess in less than a month.
Chapter Twenty
Ryker
Five days had passed since Hattie walked out of my life. I hadn’t tried to call her, and she hadn’t made any attempt to reach out to me. It was what we agreed, but it didn’t mean I liked it. In fact, I hated it, but I was determined to protect her.
According to Noah, they hadn’t made any progress in finding someone to feature the story about Senator Deveron’s connection to Mexican drug cartels. Apparently, he managed to buy influence at more than a few new organizations over the last few years. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. Somebody would cover the story and then it’d spread like an infectious disease. I just hoped it happened before Senator Deveron attempted to silence Hattie, but that was why I sent Noah with her.
I wasn’t having any more luck than Noah and Hattie. My instincts told me Emanuel was the key to getting me out from under Ignacio’s thumb. Regrettably, I hadn’t uncovered much of anything about him. Either he had a pristine record of unwavering service to Ignacio and the Vargas Cartel, or he covered his tracks with diabolical precision. I believed it was the latter rather than the former.
My whole life I had pushed harder and harder until I succeeded and got what I wanted. This time wouldn’t be any different. I had to keep my eyes open and have patience. Eventually, Emanuel would fuck up, and I’d be right there waiting for him.
I increased the incline on the treadmill, pushing myself to the limit, trying to forget everything for a few minutes and clear my mind. My feet pounded against the rubber track. Music blared from my ear buds. Sweat trickled down the side of my face and off my chin. My legs burned like I’d dipped them in fire, but I had no intention of stopping until physical exhaustion claimed my body. Maybe then, I’d have a chance of getting a decent night’s sleep for the first time since Hattie left.
Someone yanked one of my ear buds out of my ear. “What?” I barked, slamming my hand on the stop button. My eyes collided with Rever’s.
He lifted one eyebrow. “You’ve been calling me all week, but you haven’t left a message.”
I bent at the waist, cupping my knees as my chest heaved. “Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“I’ve been busy trying to start a new life away from this hellhole.”
I pulled the other ear bud out of my ear, letting the cord dangle from the docking station. “Must be nice.”