assassin.
It made sense. Those inconsistencies in Brad’s demeanor…Zach could see the man pulling a trigger—just for business. Still, he needed more. “You’re certain?”
She tucked her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “He made you believe him, didn’t he? Made you think I might be crazy.”
“It’s not that, Jenna—”
She grabbed his hand, her determined gaze capturing his. “He murders people for money, and he used me and his son to pretend to be a normal man with a normal job. He’s a professional killer and liar. He can make anyone believe anything.”
Ouch. A chill skittered down Zach’s back. Like him. An actor
was
a professional liar. And his job with the Company…yep, he was a killer, too. Her disgust at Brad’s life hit a target in Zach’s conscience.
“You asked why I ran.” She let out a small laugh. “This is why. Who’s going to believe a mild-mannered, very rich computer salesman is an assassin? I didn’t believe it either.” Sherubbed her temple and winced. “Not for a long time. He was the perfect husband,” she whispered.
At the heartfelt truth in her words, Zach’s gut churned with mixed emotions. Jenna had clearly loved Brad, which was more than Zach had ever experienced or even witnessed, except between his parents. But he hated that she’d loved Brad, hated that her husband had betrayed her, hated that he couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to be loved by her.
“He was charming and considerate after he came home from traveling.” Bitterness crept into her voice. “The first five years were great. He was attentive. Even when we fought, he simply turned cold and reserved. Then about a year and a half ago he changed. He grew even more distant, except with Sam. He was gone more often.” She swallowed. “He couldn’t control his temper any longer. Looking back, I think his façade cracked. Suddenly, I saw the man I married, a man who could kill, a man who could hurt the same person he claimed to love.”
She rubbed her forearm. Zach moved her hand away. A fading bruise in the shape of four fingers colored her pale skin. Gut-burning anger boiled in Zach’s belly. “He did this?”
She covered the offending mark. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”
“He’s hurt you worse.”
She refused to meet his gaze, and bile erupted into Zach’s throat. “What about Sam?”
“You have to believe, Sam came first. I protected him. Always,” she said, clutching his arm. “But he knows his dad gets mad sometimes.”
Zach could hear the embarrassment in her voice. “Jenna—”
“I was stupid, OK? I thought it was me. Everything was so perfect for so long. I thought it was me.”
She buried her face against her knees, hiding from him.
“You know that’s not true,” he said. With gentle strokes, he caressed her ebony locks, all the while forcing his intense desire to kill Brad Walters into that cold, still place in his heart he never allowed anyone to see.
“I stayed,” she choked out. “I stayed too long. I couldn’t let Sam see any more than he’d already seen. Brad’s temper, the screams. Sam started acting out, hitting the kids at school. I had to do something. I had to know why Brad had changed.”
“So you started asking questions.”
She raised her head and swallowed. “God, no. He blew up the one time I tried to get information out of him.” She pressed her hand against her cheek. “I wasn’t risking him losing control again. I snuck into his office. I wondered if business was bad…or if he’d met someone else.”
Zach wanted to ease her pain, kiss her cheek where Brad had hurt her, but he knew he couldn’t. “You found something.”
“For the first month I denied the truth. It had to be a mistake. All the secrets; all the lies. All the strange phone calls and hang-ups.” She picked at imaginary lint on the quilt. “An affair would have made divorcing him easy.”
Zach didn’t quench the spark of
It made sense. Those inconsistencies in Brad’s demeanor…Zach could see the man pulling a trigger—just for business. Still, he needed more. “You’re certain?”
She tucked her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “He made you believe him, didn’t he? Made you think I might be crazy.”
“It’s not that, Jenna—”
She grabbed his hand, her determined gaze capturing his. “He murders people for money, and he used me and his son to pretend to be a normal man with a normal job. He’s a professional killer and liar. He can make anyone believe anything.”
Ouch. A chill skittered down Zach’s back. Like him. An actor
was
a professional liar. And his job with the Company…yep, he was a killer, too. Her disgust at Brad’s life hit a target in Zach’s conscience.
“You asked why I ran.” She let out a small laugh. “This is why. Who’s going to believe a mild-mannered, very rich computer salesman is an assassin? I didn’t believe it either.” Sherubbed her temple and winced. “Not for a long time. He was the perfect husband,” she whispered.
At the heartfelt truth in her words, Zach’s gut churned with mixed emotions. Jenna had clearly loved Brad, which was more than Zach had ever experienced or even witnessed, except between his parents. But he hated that she’d loved Brad, hated that her husband had betrayed her, hated that he couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to be loved by her.
“He was charming and considerate after he came home from traveling.” Bitterness crept into her voice. “The first five years were great. He was attentive. Even when we fought, he simply turned cold and reserved. Then about a year and a half ago he changed. He grew even more distant, except with Sam. He was gone more often.” She swallowed. “He couldn’t control his temper any longer. Looking back, I think his façade cracked. Suddenly, I saw the man I married, a man who could kill, a man who could hurt the same person he claimed to love.”
She rubbed her forearm. Zach moved her hand away. A fading bruise in the shape of four fingers colored her pale skin. Gut-burning anger boiled in Zach’s belly. “He did this?”
She covered the offending mark. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”
“He’s hurt you worse.”
She refused to meet his gaze, and bile erupted into Zach’s throat. “What about Sam?”
“You have to believe, Sam came first. I protected him. Always,” she said, clutching his arm. “But he knows his dad gets mad sometimes.”
Zach could hear the embarrassment in her voice. “Jenna—”
“I was stupid, OK? I thought it was me. Everything was so perfect for so long. I thought it was me.”
She buried her face against her knees, hiding from him.
“You know that’s not true,” he said. With gentle strokes, he caressed her ebony locks, all the while forcing his intense desire to kill Brad Walters into that cold, still place in his heart he never allowed anyone to see.
“I stayed,” she choked out. “I stayed too long. I couldn’t let Sam see any more than he’d already seen. Brad’s temper, the screams. Sam started acting out, hitting the kids at school. I had to do something. I had to know why Brad had changed.”
“So you started asking questions.”
She raised her head and swallowed. “God, no. He blew up the one time I tried to get information out of him.” She pressed her hand against her cheek. “I wasn’t risking him losing control again. I snuck into his office. I wondered if business was bad…or if he’d met someone else.”
Zach wanted to ease her pain, kiss her cheek where Brad had hurt her, but he knew he couldn’t. “You found something.”
“For the first month I denied the truth. It had to be a mistake. All the secrets; all the lies. All the strange phone calls and hang-ups.” She picked at imaginary lint on the quilt. “An affair would have made divorcing him easy.”
Zach didn’t quench the spark of
Similar Books
