as bait?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Denae wasn’t fooled. Kellan changed the subject because something she said hit a chord. She refused to look away from his celadon gaze as he challenged her with his words.
“I got the feeling Matt was expecting something to come out.” She closed her eyes and thought back to the cave. Denae had been intent on staying alive, but her training and her photographic memory let her catch every detail. “The way he said I was bait. It’s almost as if…”
Her eyes flew open as a thread of disquiet wound through her.
“As if what?” Kellan pushed.
“As if Matt was expecting an animal. He wanted me bloodied, hurt so that I couldn’t escape or move. The only reason for that would be if there was some kind of being and he wanted to get its attention.”
Kellan looked away, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth. “What was Matt’s plan when this ‘thing’ he was trying to see arrived?”
“I don’t know.”
“Guess,” he said tightly.
Kellan might be so damned gorgeous that she couldn’t think straight, but he was infuriating as well. She allowed herself to glare at him a second before she considered the cave and what Matt might have been waiting for, plus their gear and weapons. “I would have returned to the water. The air tanks had more than enough oxygen to make several trips back and forth.”
“Does MI5 no’ need more than just one agent’s eyewitness account?”
Denae nodded slowly and leaned against the wooden footboard of the bed. “They would’ve wanted definitive proof. Matt must have had some sort of device on him to take a picture or recording.”
“And you expect me to believe you had no idea what you came to Dreagan for?”
“I’m cooperating, but no, I don’t have any proof that would tell you I was the one who was betrayed. They wanted me dead. I was expendable, dispensable. The UK might not be my country, but I took an oath to protect it.”
“MI5, however, didna take an oath to protect you, did they?”
How she hated that he was right. “No. I could say the same of any intelligence agency in any country. I knew if I was ever caught during a mission that I was on my own. This was different. I was set up, my own people turning on me.”
“It’s no’ a good feeling, is it?”
The way he said it, the fury-laced words and bone-deep resentment told her that something similar had been done to him. “The feeling is enough to change someone forever,” she said and watched him closely.
“More than you know,” he murmured before he took a deep breath. “What else can you tell me about what MI5 knew concerning Dreagan?”
At that moment, Rhys returned, smiling. “I got you some clothes. Cassie pointed out that you might not want anything too constricting near your injury, so she gave me some of these.”
Denae watched as Rhys held up a pair of black yoga pants. “Those will do nicely. Thank you, Rhys.”
“My pleasure.” He handed her the clothes with a wink.
She laughed at his flirting, because she knew it was harmless. Rhys was one of those guys who would flirt with any woman up to the time he found one who captured his heart—if he ever allowed that to happen.
At Kellan’s odd look, Denae slowly made her way into the bathroom to change. She was elated to find a cami that had a built-in bra. Denae stripped out of her bottoms first.
Whoever had undressed her had removed her wetsuit and bathing suit she’d worn beneath, and then put her in a pair of bright pink cotton panties.
Denae turned on the sink faucets and grabbed a washcloth. She might not be able to get her stitches wet in the shower, but she was going to bathe.
“Need some help?” Rhys asked her through the door.
“Bugger off,” Kellan said. “We were talking.”
Their words became muted, and even when she turned off the water she still couldn’t hear them. A moment later she heard Rhys leave the room.
Denae found the soap and began to bathe
CHAPTER EIGHT
Denae wasn’t fooled. Kellan changed the subject because something she said hit a chord. She refused to look away from his celadon gaze as he challenged her with his words.
“I got the feeling Matt was expecting something to come out.” She closed her eyes and thought back to the cave. Denae had been intent on staying alive, but her training and her photographic memory let her catch every detail. “The way he said I was bait. It’s almost as if…”
Her eyes flew open as a thread of disquiet wound through her.
“As if what?” Kellan pushed.
“As if Matt was expecting an animal. He wanted me bloodied, hurt so that I couldn’t escape or move. The only reason for that would be if there was some kind of being and he wanted to get its attention.”
Kellan looked away, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth. “What was Matt’s plan when this ‘thing’ he was trying to see arrived?”
“I don’t know.”
“Guess,” he said tightly.
Kellan might be so damned gorgeous that she couldn’t think straight, but he was infuriating as well. She allowed herself to glare at him a second before she considered the cave and what Matt might have been waiting for, plus their gear and weapons. “I would have returned to the water. The air tanks had more than enough oxygen to make several trips back and forth.”
“Does MI5 no’ need more than just one agent’s eyewitness account?”
Denae nodded slowly and leaned against the wooden footboard of the bed. “They would’ve wanted definitive proof. Matt must have had some sort of device on him to take a picture or recording.”
“And you expect me to believe you had no idea what you came to Dreagan for?”
“I’m cooperating, but no, I don’t have any proof that would tell you I was the one who was betrayed. They wanted me dead. I was expendable, dispensable. The UK might not be my country, but I took an oath to protect it.”
“MI5, however, didna take an oath to protect you, did they?”
How she hated that he was right. “No. I could say the same of any intelligence agency in any country. I knew if I was ever caught during a mission that I was on my own. This was different. I was set up, my own people turning on me.”
“It’s no’ a good feeling, is it?”
The way he said it, the fury-laced words and bone-deep resentment told her that something similar had been done to him. “The feeling is enough to change someone forever,” she said and watched him closely.
“More than you know,” he murmured before he took a deep breath. “What else can you tell me about what MI5 knew concerning Dreagan?”
At that moment, Rhys returned, smiling. “I got you some clothes. Cassie pointed out that you might not want anything too constricting near your injury, so she gave me some of these.”
Denae watched as Rhys held up a pair of black yoga pants. “Those will do nicely. Thank you, Rhys.”
“My pleasure.” He handed her the clothes with a wink.
She laughed at his flirting, because she knew it was harmless. Rhys was one of those guys who would flirt with any woman up to the time he found one who captured his heart—if he ever allowed that to happen.
At Kellan’s odd look, Denae slowly made her way into the bathroom to change. She was elated to find a cami that had a built-in bra. Denae stripped out of her bottoms first.
Whoever had undressed her had removed her wetsuit and bathing suit she’d worn beneath, and then put her in a pair of bright pink cotton panties.
Denae turned on the sink faucets and grabbed a washcloth. She might not be able to get her stitches wet in the shower, but she was going to bathe.
“Need some help?” Rhys asked her through the door.
“Bugger off,” Kellan said. “We were talking.”
Their words became muted, and even when she turned off the water she still couldn’t hear them. A moment later she heard Rhys leave the room.
Denae found the soap and began to bathe
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