Blacklisted: Blacklist Operations Book #1 by Lauren Devane Page A

that?”
    “It’s no secret that he’s a major player. We’ve had information for months that Lyle and The Hellenic Agency are planning something nasty; I don’t know if I can stop it without finding Veronica.”
    As the word left his mouth, Aidan realized that Sophie could be more than just a temporary hostage; she might be a valuable source of information. She had grown up with Wells, after all.
    “Do you remember any women coming to the house? She’d look kind of like you, but maybe five or ten years older. She’s a smoker.”
    “He had lots of women over, but I’m pretty sure that none of them was a terrorist.”
    “You might be surprised. Most terrorists look like normal people.”
    “He wouldn’t associate with someone like that.” He loved her prim tone, but Aidan wanted to disabuse her of her notions.
    “He does. I swear to you, he does. I’ll prove it to you, if you’ll let me.”
    “How?”
    “Pictures of them together. Pictures of him in places he shouldn’t be.”
    “Fine.” She seemed to deflate. “But I still think you’re wrong.”
    “I wish I was.”
     
    She watched the muscles in his forearms tighten as he steered the car through the empty streets. Aidan looked like he was close to falling asleep; the stress was affecting him more than she’d realized. When he stretched, she caught a better glimpse of the tattoo on his arm and wondered how far up it went, whether it stretched across his broad back.
    As inconvenient as it was, Sophie was a realist and refusing to admit to herself that she was attracted to him wasn’t helping anyone. She shifted in the seat and felt the heat between her thighs intensify. Pulling her gaze away from him, she focused on the apartments that lined the street.
    “I guess it just bothers me that you’re so sure he’s a bad person, especially with everything you’ve done.”
    “I’m not a good man,” he said, “but everything I do, I do to protect people who can’t protect themselves.”
    “Including what you did to me?”
    “If you understood…you’d see why I rushed in and refused to believe the obvious truth in front of my eyes. Your damn face and hair are so much like hers.”
    “Understood what?”
    “I can’t tell you.”
    “Why? If I’m involved, then I already know. If I’m not, then I’m basically a dead woman walking anyway.” She took a deep breath, fully aware that she might not live through the next few days. The thought had flitted on the edges of her mind, but she’d rejected it and focused on her anger and, in a sick way, on him.
    Now, though, she let it wash through her. She closed her eyes and counted to three, then let it go.
    “You’re not a dead woman.”
    “I might be. Don’t lie to me, please.”
    “I’m going to fight for you, Sophie.” She turned back to him and saw him looking at her, then back to the road. Truth was in his mossy eyes, along with something she didn’t want to think about.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I don’t want you dead. Part of keeping you safe is not telling you everything. Isn’t staying in the dark worth your life?”
    “I’m not sure it is. Not if other people are at stake, too. What if you’re right and Lyle is involved? Maybe I could help you find what you’re looking for.” She knew that it wasn’t even a possibility, but she wanted Aidan to open up to her. He was different than she’d thought.
    “It’s not a fucking video game . You don’t follow the clues and find the treasure, then turn it off and go back to your comfortable little life. You don’t have what it takes to make it in this kind of world.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “When I slipped in the bathroom, you could have taken me down fast. You didn’t. I slipped, and you let me live.”
    She lifted her hand to her mouth and rubbed her fingers over her lips, considering his words. “Maybe it didn’t occur to me to kill you. Maybe I’m not that kind of person.”
    “I know.”
    “Are you a good